St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-02-09
LOUISIANA'S WEATHER.

the city of New Orleans, La, Au gust 18th
and 9Th, 1888:
CAPT. R. Z. kERKAM,
[. S. Signal Corps Director, Louisiana
Weather Service, who read as follows
regarding data and statistics of the eli
mate of Louisiana.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen;
It affords me pleasure, as representa-
tive of the National Signal Service, to be
able to bring the work of the service be-
fore this convention in practical manner,
and to prove by official records that the
climate of Louisiana is more agreeable the
year round than any other section of the
United States To do this series of COM
parsons will be necessary, and to avoid
lengthy dissertation on the subject, by
States, we will consider only the sections
embraced by the extreme Northwest. the
upper Mississippi and Missouri valleys,
and the Pacific coast regions.
These sections have been taken for COM
parison, not because they make Louisiana's
claims stronger for the immigrant, but be-
cause they include greater acreage of
| farming lands, and are considered the best
| in the Union. Should doubt exist in any
mind that a choice was made, it can
readily be dispelled by glance at the
weather map displayed here.
Considering the extreme degree of heat,
| the normal mean maximum temperature,
for the hottest month, July, we find from
signal service records that, the section of
| country from southern Illinois and south
eastern Missouri to central Minnesota has
an average of "a with an average of the
| lowest temperatures for the same month
| of &C., making the average daily range OF
tempe, allure 49,. The same figures for
the same month for the section of country
from southwestern Missouri to central Da-
kota are, average highest, 850, average
lowest So, making the average daily
range, 20. For the s ction of country EN-
bracing northern Minnesota and northern
Dakota, we find an average highest tenn
perature of 49,. an average lowest of 90 =,
making an average daily range of 49, For
Louisiana for the same month, the average
highest temperature of 90 average lowest
of "A making an average daily range of
IT..
Considering the coolest month: 1t is
found that the first named section (the
upper Mississippi Valley had an average
highest temperature for January of 81
and an average lowest of 49,, making an
average daily range of 49,. For the sec
ond section (the Missouri Valley for the
month of January has an average highest
temperature of 25', an average lowest OF
g., with an average daily range of tenn
perature of 22o. The third named section
(the extreme Nortwest) has an average
highest temperature for January of 8, an
average lowest of 13o below zero, making
the average daily range of temperature
90. Louisiana has for the same month an
average highest temperature of So, an
average lowest of Al making the average
daily range for the month of 10.
To consider the highest and lowest tenn
peratures recorded on any day at any OF
the stations in the various districts:
1t is found that the maximum tempera
ture of the Mississippi valley for summer
is 1902, recorded at Des Moines, Iowa, and
at Cairo, Ill. The lowest temperature fol
that section in winter is recorded as 43
below zero, at Lacrosse, Wis, or an abso
lutte range of temperature of 1876. The
highest temperature on record for the
Missouri valley is III, recorded at For
Sully, in southern Dakota. The lowes
temperature for that section is 42' below
zero, at Fort Bennett, in south centra
Dakota, making an absolute range of tenn
perature for the Missouri valley 1853
The third section, the extreme Northwest
has highest temperature of 1O7'
recorded at Fort Buford Dakota and (
lowest temperature of So below zero
recorded at Pembina, Dakota making thu
absolute range of temperature for thu
extreme Northwest 1862. The highes
temperature on record for northern Louisi
ana is 1917 degrees, recorded at Shreve
port, and the highest on record for south
ern Louisiana, is 81 at New Orleans
The lowest temperature on record TO
northern Louisiana is g. at Shreveport
and the lowest for southern Louisiana i
90 at New Orleans, making the absolut
range of temperature for the northern par
of the State 101o, and for the southern
part II, the latter range being less thai
sections quoted.
To compare the mean relative humidit
of the various sections From q recor
covering from 1870 to 1885, the mean an
nual relative humidity of the Uppe
Mississippi valley is computed to be &
per cent, the mean for the Missouri vale
is SO per cent, the mean for the extrem
Northwest is "a per cent, and the meal
, |
per cent, above the average for the tw
first-named and three per cent. below tn
latter. The highest mean monthly durin
: the year in Louisiana, is but "a per cent
whereas the highest in either of the othe
sections is 81 per cent.
The rainfall of the sections under con
sideration is as follows: The averag
annual for the Upper Mississippi valley
no ut fa
during the summer months. The averag
for Louisiana is go inches, ranging from
to inches for each month during the year
From the foregoing official records it
plain that there is no section east of tn
Rocky mountains that can compete wit
} Louisiana in climate. If we have rivals
they alone exist in sections of Oregon an
California.
The following are extracts of report
from those States:
The State of California has an averag
annual temperature ranging from 81 to 5
} degrees on the coast, to 60 degrees in tn
, interior, against normal annual tempera
ture for Louisiana of from 65' in tn
northern portion of the State to 6S' in tn
southern portion. California has an aver
; age annual rainfall of from II inches q
San Diego to % inches at Red Bluff. A
) verage annual relative humidity of from
: 81 to 80 per cent.-San Francisco havin
an average of Is per cent. and San Dieg
70 per cent. against an average for Louis
lana of II per cent.
The highest temperature at Los Angeles
: CAL, is 1903 at Red Bluff, 11O' at Sacre
/ mento, 1867 and coast maXimums rangin
from go to 101'. At Davisville and Dunn
: gan, CAL, maximum temperature of lis
were recorded.
The lowest temperatures for that Stat
range from 16 to 80 degrees, the highes