The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-04-24
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER
Remember the Points Contained In
the Following Article.
Sergeant Dunn Of New York Predicts
Cool Summer,
And Explains How He Finds Reasons
For His Prophecy.

NEW YORK, April est is safe to say that
more plans for summer outings have been hatch
ed In the last ten days than in the whole spring
and winter preceding. There is no advertise
ment for summer resorts, transportation agents
say, like few delicious days just when the trees
are budding. New York, and, in fact the whole
Eastern part of the country, is now enjoying such
bit OF balmy weather. There's a storm brewing
In the far West which will be along before many
days, but, excepting this, Sergeant Dunn thinks,
we are in for continuous pleasant weather for
some time. 1t is good deal warmer than is
usual for this time of year-at least five degrees
warmer than the average. But then it's queer
season, anyway, and il the summer Is COOL as it
promises to be. not so bad "a season after all.
People who like sleigh riding and skating did
lot Of heavyweight kicking in the months season
able TO such enjoyments, but it is noticeable that
the same people are now getting out their fishing
traps ana tennis racquets a good deal earlier than
usual, and are wearing large-sized and comfort
able smiles. Perhaps If the thermometer is con-
tent to stay in the SOS all summer even the de-
votees of moonlight sleigh rides will be content
with the year, taken al ogether.
But will the summer be cool? Sergeant Dunn
thinks it will, and cites the warm weather of the
past winter and present time as his reason. The
weather is dreadfully erratic in America but 1t is
consistent in one single respect. 1t keeps its
average for the whole year within limit of only
coldest, on the whole, that we have had since
we've had weather bureau. The average was
a I 's cs o'eer cep on ih W a
keeping within these bounds. and so it follows
that when we have an. unusually cold winter we
have an unusually warm summer to counter
balance it and keep up the average. AS we've
had extremely temperate weather all winter. and
much warmer weather than usual this spring. we
will probably have cool summer to balance the
account.
While everybody has been enjoying the salu-
brlous temperature of the present month. and
particularly Of the past ten days or so, very few
have considered how unusually favored we are
for this time OF year. Here in New York
Sergeant Dunn makes up an average temperature
for each day in the year, based on the temper
atures taken on that day for every year since
1871. He finds that from April 18th TO April
21st inclusive, this year, the temperature has
gained just 40 degrees on this recOrd-that Is,
that these days have averaged s degrees warmer
result includes the 18th of the month, when the
temperature fell degrees below the average.
since January T. Since e that ' date, M up to and in
Guiding last Monday, we have gained 713 degrees
of temperature over the average for the year for
ponding period showed the highest temperature
to date, and then the increase was 425 degrees.
than last year, which means that for the iii con.
secutive days from January 1 the daily tenpera-
ture has been nearly 21s degrees higher than It
endegrees higher than the average for the whole
year.
If the weather is proper ionately warmer in the
summer, or even If the usual high summer tenn
peratures prevail, the average for this year will be
aStoniShingly high in fact will knock that re-
spectacle thing, the yearly mean temperature in
10 a cooked hat But such an occurrence has
never been noted, and we may rest in the belief
that the weather will so modify its fervor in the
summer as to come within the limits OF the usual
average.
Sergeant Dunn was asked what the cause was
of the unusual warmth of this spIing He an
swered technically that it was due to the unusual
ly high pressures in the South along the Gulf
coast and similar unuSual nUmhar of low
sures in the lake region. These were much the
of the winter. In the language of every day. Ser
geant Dunn said that it was his belief that the
conditions to make the weather warmer in winter
and spring and cooler In summer were 0ccasioned
by the tremendous amount of irrigation in the
great plains OF Nebraska, Kansas, and neighbOr-
ing regions The irrigation sent the storms across
our country instead of up into British Americans
before, and distributed the rainfall more widely
and tended to equaliZe the temperature, The ir-
rigated land attracted these storms, and stated
pened before when these regions were almost des
:" ShassSS. clOIc, We dle tlmayo nolvaAOvI 70
have warm and salubriOuS springs like this one.
Perhaps we will always have cool summers like
the one Sergeant Dunn thinks is approaching He
who lives will see.
Meantime everybody is rejoicing in the present
warm spell, and will rejoice more when he has
read here that spring has come in dead earnest,
and that the summer isn't going to be hot enough
to roast him.