The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-02-13
THE WEATHER.
by LIEUT.. j. P. FINLEY, u S. SIGNAL SERVICE

correspondence invited suggestions desired
and information checrfully furnished. Every eff
fort employed to make this Bureau of practical
To the readers of THE NATIONAL tribune All
communications should be addressed Weather,
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE Office. Washington, ID. q. |
After fine weather the first signs in the sky
of a coming change are usually light streaks,
curls, wsps, or notified patches of white distant
clouds, which increase and arc followed by an
over casting or murky vapor that grows into
coudiness
Sometimes rs cyclone TOM approaches in
any part of tho world and we arc very nearly
on the line of its path, VIC sec blue sky first
get white, then gray, and then work up to n
drzzliug RAIN without the formation of any
true cloud form. When this happens the sky
is said, popularity, to sickcn, and this is an
almost infallible sign of rain, and probably of
wind. The term cirro-nebula" or "cirrus-
haze" is u name which has been proposed for
this cloud appearance.
This cloud has no fbrous or hairy structure
to which the name of GIRO could be strictly APP
piled, but as that term conveys the idea of q
high level cloud, the word cirro-nebuia is quite
satisfactory. 1t is invariably formed at great
hight and rs it nearly always shows halo when
the sun moon shines through it we may
assume that il is composed Of frozen particles
ice dust. After it is formed VIC can often
watch a layer of cirro.slratus being formed
underneath the haze. From all this we may
front of cyclone (iow) is characterized by ex-
cessive warmth on the surface of the EARTH the
upper strata of the air are then very cold.
Under any mass of cloud which is veTging on
the precipitation of rain, small detached clouds
arc frequently seen in rapid motion. In Eng
land they are called "scud"; in France,
fuyards, or diabletous; while Poey suggests the
name of fracto-cumnlus. If, instead of being
shapeless, they are raggy, they are then known
in England as "wrack," from their drawn-out
appearance In all cases it is obvious, from the
above description, that they arc rather asso-
ciates ofhcavy rain. clouds than true prognostics
AS to their origin it seems to be simply that in
very disturbed weather small masses Of cloud
form like ordinary ragged clouds, from tho
irregular nature of the rising currents, while
the apparently very rapid motion comes from
their being nearer the surface than ordinary
clouds
Sometimes in front OF certain kinds of squalls
and thunder storms there is observed a long,
narrow roll Of black cloud moving rapid
~, broadside on. Well-doveloped forms of
this kind Of cloud are quite frequently OBJ
served in the Argentine Republic and neighbour
ing States, and are there called pamperos.
Prof. Clement Ley, of England. finds that,
like every other phenomenon of cyclone.
the relation of the upper to surface winds
is relative to the direction in which the
depression TOM is moving, and that to
certain extent the direction of the high
est clouds comedies with that of the path
of the cyclone. For instance, if the cirri- clouds
in front of u cyclone come from the south. the
ioD will probably also advance from that direc-
ton at some distance to the west Of the OBJ
server; while if they come from the west or
northwest, tho low will then most likely move
from the westward, also at some distance to tho
north.
The foundation Of all modern cloud knowl-
edge turns round the relation of cloud forms to
the shapes of isobaric lines. Therefore, an
isolated observer can plot out on map the
general distribution of atmospheric pressure,
and of weather existing at the time Of his cloud
observations over o considerable region.