Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-06
LAST MONTHS WEATHER

LAST MONTHS WEATHER
In Some Respects the Most Remarkable
Of Any January for Years.
FACTS PRESENTED By THE RECORDS OF THE SIC
NAL sERvIcE-sURPRIsrSa EouAsrI1rY OF TEN
neutrality-suspicious. WITH wrArHER OF
THE SAME MONTH IN FORMER TKARs
Notwithstanding the fact that winter-lovers
ind plenty of consolation in the sharp, biting
air to-day, the signal service officials have not
yet ceased wondering over the marvellous
miidness as far as it has progressed. Last
months record in the way Of temperature has
surpassed anything Of recent years, and the
following report to Gen. Greedy by the weather
man shows some interesting facts 1t says:
Tho month Of January, 1889, is in some re-
spects the most remarkable Of any January
since the establishment, in November, 1870, Of
the signal service. The most noticeable feat
ures being an entire absence Of midwinter
storms and extremely cold weather; and an
equability OF temperature which, for this lati-
tude. is surprising. II the 18th, 18th and 10Th,
three days OF unusually warm weather, be ex-
cluded, the daily change or variability of tenn
perature will average but "a degrees which il
less than that experienced at Portland and
Roseburg, Greg; Red Bluff, Cal; Prescott
AriZ., and Galveston. Texas and about eoual
to that of Olympia. Washington territory.
AT No TIME DURING THE MONTH
did the maximum temperature fall below 80
degrees above zero. and the minimum temper
atures fell below 80 degrees above zero. ON but
eighteen days. a record only exceeded by jan
uary, 1850, IN which there were no DAYS having
maximum below 80 degrees. and but ten DAYS
having a minimum below 80 degrees. The ex-
ceptional character Of the month Just passed in
this respect will be better understood when il
Is remembered that the average number Of DAYS
IN January having a maximum temperature
below 81 degrees is seven, and the average
number of days having a minimum below so
degrees is twenty-three.
Another feature Of the month was the nm
usually high minimum temperature observed,
viz: ZIG degrees or 1856 higher than the lowest
temperature recorded in the past eighteen
years, and 1914 degrees above the average. The
minimum temperature of January, 1876, an I'M
usually warm month, was 1875 degrees or 1913
above the average, and with this exception the
minimum temperatures have ranged from IA
degrees above zero in 1880 to IA degrees below
zero In 1851; the average for Is years being 80
above zero.
THE maximum temperature for the month,
66 degrees, has been equaled or exceeded in
six Inherent years. viz: 1874, 1879, 1879, 1880.
1885, and 1887. Maximum temperatures for
January range from A degrees in 1881 to II
age being 60 degrees. Although the mean
temperature of the month, 38.5 degrees was 6
degrees higher than the average of the past
eighteen years, il was not the warmest month
as might be supposed. January, 1874 1876 and
1880. being warmer by Is, 23, and "a degrees
respectively.
1.-THE MEAN TEMPERATURE FOR WASHINGTON
for January, according to nineteen years. signal
service observations, is 32.9 degrees and the
same mean deducted from thirty-eight years of
temperature records made by the naval obsery-
atory, Smithsonian institution. and other OBJ
servers. Is $50 degrees. Since these results are
IN such close agreement a comparison of the
monthly mean temperatures for a period Of
h1ty-seyen years Is given below. The warmest
January during the ifty-seven years occurred
In 1850, although January, 1928 lacked but
half of degree of being equally as warm. The
mean temperature has reached 40 degrees lust
SIX times. viz in 1928, 1858, 1870 1874 1876 and
1ooO-three occurring in one decade. The
lowest monthly mean temperatures recorded
during the same period occurred in 1856 and
1851. being 2l.6 degrees and 21.s, respectively.
and the monthly mean temperature has fallen
to 20 degrees and under but four times viz i'm
1921. 1910, 1856 and 1851
1T is, perhaps, worthy of mention that dur
ing the period covered by the signal-service
record the warmest January, 1850. was followed
by the coolest January. 1891: the minimum
temperature of the latter month being Il de-
perature recorded for any month. Several
other instances of a warm month being fol-
lowed BY cold one are noted, e. e. January
1874. with mean temperature of 40. g degrees
us degrees above the NORMALLY was followed bv
January, 1875. with a mean temperature of
29.5 degrees % degrees below the normal and
January. 1876, with a mean temperature of
40.S degrees (83 degrees above NORMALLY was
followed by January, 1877, with a mean tenn
perature OF 294 degrees 81 degrees below the
normaD.
''sUCH SEQUENCES, HOWEVER,
seem to be accidental, rather than the exempli-
fcation of any law of recurrent types of wea-
Their. inasmuch as the converse is frequently
observed, as. for example. January. 1885, and
January, 1857. both being ii degrees below the
normal January, 1928, 1924. 1925 and 1926.
four consecutive Januaries, each on an average
above normal: and January. 1865. 1866, 1867
and 1868, four consecutive Januaries each of
which averaged 3.5 degrees below the normal
"A lack Of sunshine is perhaps more widely
felt and acknowledged than any other phenom-
enon of nature. Washingtonians cannot COM
plain on this score so far as the new year is
concerned. 1t having given them Is cloudless
days IN January, or more than the average of
the past Is years. The possible fuctuation in
the number of cloudless days IN any month is
restricted to rather narrow limits. From 1871
to 1856, inclusive. the average number Of cloud
less days In January was 5S; the extremes were
3 in 1883 and in 1877. The record of the last
named year was surpassed in January 1887,
that month having IL cloudless days. January;
1oSS, fell one below the average. with cloud
less days, and January OF the present year.
with Is cloudless days, as above stated. estab-
fishes record that will probably not be over
topped for a number of years"
Gingerbread and a Coffin.