Morris tribune., 1890-01-22
Is Our Climate Changing?

In the memory of the oldest inhabitant
there have been in the eastern part of
the United States no two such mild Win
tiers coming together as those of
1SsS-S9 and the first half of 18S9-90.
Flowers have bloomed outdoors in mid
winter, furs and heavy overcoats have
been sweltering burden, and even in
Maine the ice crop is short. \ writer in
The New York Sun goes into the causes
of this phenomenal weather.
The weather in the eastern and middle
portions of the Union has not only been
warm the first half of the season; it
has been sticky, muddy and full of rain
and fogs, like a London winter. 1t has
been unhealthy, but apart from the
epidemic of influenza the death rate
would probably have been no larger than
usual.
The point of peculiar interest to all
Americans is: May it not be possible for
this foggy, rainy weather to become the
permanent winter of the eastern section
of the Union? In connection with the
warm winter, it has been noticed that
the course of storms has changed in the
last year. A storm center usually de-
velops in Manitoba and whirls rapidly
southeast for some distance, then passes
off eastward in the Atlantic ocean. AS
it whirls it sucks in air from all direc-
tions-warm air from the south, cold air
from the north. If it passes south of
place, that place will experience a cold
wave; if north, then warm, southerly
winds will envelope the locality.
Now, it has been observed the pres
ent winter that the northwest storms
have shot off to the northward of the
United States, passing over eastern Can
ada and disappearing'fn In the Atlantic, off
Labrador. The storm centers have fol-
lowed general direction along the st.
Lawrence river, some 200 miles north
ward of their usual track. This meant
warm winds for all the United States
south of and within the influence of the
storm center. Instead of snow and ice,
It meant fog, mud and rain-exactly the
weather, in short, that much of the coun-
try has experienced.
What has caused this change and will
it be permanent Are we going to have
mosquitoes all the year round? The
cause is obscure, but some meteorologists
incline to the belief that irrigation of the
arid lands in the west has something to
do will it. If cutting off the timber
from country gradually transforms it
into sert and permanently changes
it's climate, then will not artificial irri-
cation on a large scale change it, too?
Under persistent irrigation in the far
west the natural rainfall of the country
is already largely increased. New storm
centers are now said to develop in the
Rocky Mountain regions far south OF
Manitoba, whence they. pass eastward
with tremendous force.
In brief, is the climate of the eastern
half of our country hereafter to be like
that of western Europe, with clouds, fog
and rain two-thirds of the time? IF it is,
let us at once begin to remember the
compensations. We shall need them.
For one thing, our compilations will be
vastly improved. For producing clear
red and white, nothing is so good as the
fogs and clouds that temper the suns rays
and fill out with soft moisture the tanned,
shriyeled American skin. Our straw
berries will be much larger and more
luscious. So will the gooseberries.
And the men who harvest ice for
living up in Maine? Well, they can go
to cultivating orange groves.