Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-05-31
THE PREVAILING RAIN STORM.
Fitting Close OF the Wettest May Of
which there Is any Record.

NEARLY NINE INCHES OF RAINFALL HIRE, FIVE
INCHES IN EXCESS OF THE NORMAL PREcIPI-
TArIoS FOR THAT MONTH IN PRECEDING YEARS
THE WEATHER cLKAR AND COOL TOMORROW.
To-day, with its showers and its winds, il q
fitting end Of one Of the wettest months WASH
ington has ever experienced. May, reputed to
be the time of joy and gaiety, the time of sum
shine and warmth, picnics and lawn-tennis,
marriages and garden parties, has succeeded in
making a record in this year of Our Lord, 1882
OF having been as wet as Q month can possibly
be, without borrowing o few days from its
neighbors at either end. According to the sig
nal office, S.67 inches Of rain descended upon
the soil of the capital city. This was 52i inches
in excess Of the normal rainfall for May, and
only in keeping with the record of the year in
this vicinity.
DECIDEDLY MOIST SPRING.
Since January l there has been an excess
over the average rainfall of 1l.0l inches There
has been this peculiar feature about the rain
fall along the coast, that while there was a
large excess of rain here, in Baltimore, and
in New York, Philadelphia has had a deficiency.
This condition of affairs has prevailed through
out the eastern section Of the country, the ex-
cesses of precipitation standing side by side
away.
THE VERY HEAVY STORM
that has caused the rain here is conferred in
Ohio and western New York, and is moving
slowly to the northeast. Peculiarly enough it
was the presence Of this storm over the states
Just south of the Great Lakes that saved the
wheat and other crops of that region from
probable total destruction. There we're low
temperatures reported all through that vicinity
wQgtwar6 nd a %hara
frosfs In Iowa and light frosts in Tennessee.
Had 1t not been for the storm. with its accom-
panyment of heavy clouds, there would un-
doubleday have been killing frosts all through
Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio and the wheat crop
would have been badly damaged if not ruined
This phenomenon was the result of the natural
law that frosts form only under a clear sky.
ONE MAN VINO WAS SATISFIED WITH YESTERDAY
RAIN.
The special Prediction of Wednesday fore
shadowing rain on Decoration Day was thought
TO be dangerous at the signal Office, as it in
Guided the entire country from the Gulf states
to the lakes Probably the only man in WASH
lngton who wanted it to rain in Washington
yesterday was Lieut. Dunwoody the officer
and the special was completely verified, for
the whole country included in the prediction
had rain before midnight.
SPECIAL 'CLEARINa-UP" BULLETIN.
This morning, looking over the map, he saw
indications that the storm center would move
during the day, after gathering in couple of
small local lows hanging On its skirts, and thus
sweeping off would cause a general clearing
up all along the coast On the basis of this he
issued special" as follows:
THE probabilities are that the storm which
now extends over the Atlantic coast and the
lake regions will be followed on Saturday on
the Atlantic coast from New York southwark
to North Carolina by much colder and generally
fair weather. Frosts are indicated Saturday
morning for the states of the Ohio valley and
thence southwark over east Tennessee, West
Virginia, northern Georgia and western North
Carolina"
LOWER TEMPERATURE IN WASHINGTON.
The temperature here will probably 60 down
to the neighborhood Of so degrees
Very heavy rainfalls were reported and a
prediction has been sent forth that the Ohio
river will rise 5 feet at Cincinnati by June g.
Here are some of yesterdays records Of the
rainfall: Washington, 1.5S inches; Charlotte,
lie; Lynchburg, 200; Port Huron, 164; Pitts
burg, LA; Parkersburg, Las; Knoxville, 1872;
Raleigh 1.52.
Lieut.. Dunwoody retires from the prediction
office to-day for month. He has made an
excellent record, usual, during May and
Gen. Greedy has received many congratulations
upon the uniform success of the services pre-
dictions. Prof. Hazen will be the predictions
officer for June.