New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-06-26
NOT COOLED By THE THUNDERSTORM

Tho vary married. increase i'm the heat Wcdnes-
dav over that of the day before, although WIZ
lent thunderstorm had occurred in the meantime
orcc moro raises a question which has often been
oslcd of late: Do thundcrstorms cool the air now
odavs rs thcv used to- There exists pretty
general belief that in the majority OF cases, IL ho'
universally, such n sequence in weather phehome
M was once the rule: whereas. one would DE
tempted To SAY that to-day the reverse i the case
without exact data it would he impossible to
decide whether there has been any substantial
change or not. II is probable, however, mat nv
some mysterious process of selcctive absorptloh
the popular memory has retained those refreshing
falls in temperature which of yore did sometimes
if not often, follow violent electric storms. ana
has lost it's grip on the exceptions, however scarce
or numerous they we're. And, without poSitlVe
evidence TO tho contrary, il would he wise to as
sumo that in the present year OF grace the aver
AGO observer more readily sczes upon those in
stances i'm which his bodily discomfort is prolonged
and his hone deferred than those in which a
welcome relief is experienced. BE this as It may
and whether or not the proportion has altered
with years. it is certainly true that a cooling OF
the air does certainly occur. even this summer
either with or soon after n thunderstorm. One
instance was afforded in this city on June LIZ,
onrh inquiry would yield plenty of such illus
trations.
Tho chief misapprchcnsion regarding this bust
nos, is he notion that the storm IS n cause. and
the delicious chill It's effect The two bear no
such relation. II is more probahIc-though this
ought not 10 bc affirmed too posltively-that' IN
certain sense the cold really produces the storm
According to a theory which has been attacked
hnt nevertheless still has general acceptance
ihundcrstorms. like tornadocs and kindred local
disturbances, result from a combination OF warm,
moist. light air on the carths surface, anu an
ahnormay cold and heavy layer Of atmosphere
above IT, Somehow there IL an ovcrturnlng. over
limited area. and portion OF the under air
escapes upward through the everything stratum
and more or less OF the upper air forces lis WAY
down In Dmc c9scs. like that in Ncw-i YORK
civ, June lie, the warmer seems - e>cdp"
entirely. or he swept of. and current or area of
lower temperature and wide extent dominates
the locality for several days Again, AZ Al Pitts
burg last Sunday. enough OF the colder upper
air breaks through - nave a decided eject Tor
.eyer.l hours. hat after all 10 reach only a
limited rc.ion. Cleveland, Philadelphia, Wash
inaron and Cincinnati slowed no such change that
,ay. and on the following day PittsburS herself
was rs hot ~ ever again. In a third, and APP
parcntiy hrec class of instances. 10 which that
Of Wednesday morning hcloras the ascent of
warm ain Is not enough 10 drain the supcrhcatcd
area and apparently no considerable amount of
upper air replaces IL, 80 that not even temporary
Improvement is noticed. and no general change
may take place over the whole country for three
or four days " While II Is not altogether lntclllcl-
bio why such 4 diversity IN consequences exists
II Greatly assists one - a right understanding OF
thundcrstorms. nevertheless, 10 consider them a.
purely local disturbances, resulting from the " I'M
stable equilibrium ot the air which IN turn Is
due to an abnormally rapid rate OF decrease in
temperature and humidity. with elevation, and 10
recognize that in detail, these houlcyerscments
differ considerably among themselves.