Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-03-10
STATE WEATHER sesWce.
virginia Much Behindhand In this Re-
specs

| To &c E!iiOr OF ne Lfs'u'"''
The enclosed extract from the report ..
the Chief Signal officer Tor the year enu nun
| June 50, 1890. will snow you Nv horo haen
~ ofber states. and that, as yet. virginia
=; - Sab;nd in this respect. Your next Le-
s, - will no doubt. bring the question
.,.e o',a;,, and Il il hoped you Will favof
~ :" oSra,anization of Virginia state wealth
or service Your State BOARD OF hgrifEuiss
ture. mean while, can begin tne VOL. g..
teen stations in this state aIe III ~ ,,s,s,aa
nished with thermometers ''N '''
'iiiou u J. n. RYKER, Officer in Charge.
REPORT OF THE oFTIcER IN ohAIoS VI Inn
STATE WEATHER SERVICE
sroS.1. OFFICE, War DEPARTMENT,
W.sHISeToy, ID. g., Sept. 0, 1880.
To he Secretary Of War;
SRI have the honor to submit the fol-
lowing report of the operations OF 9In.o
peather services and meteorological So
c;eties co.operating with tho Signal SET
vice dnrinp the year ending June ~, io9O;
There are at present twenty-eight local
weather services IN operation, covering tne
territory of thirty-four States. ana the e1-
perienee of the past year FURNISHES au-
dtional proof of the value OIL state ser
yice The detailad reports Of the directors
Of the several services herewith enclosed
show the many benefits resulting TO the
neople of the States in which sucn organl-
cations exist bv afording means Tor tine
ronid determination of the weather lore
casts cold wave. frost, and food warnings
issued by the national service, hnu -
gratifying to note that the genera VeIuios
| OF the local services Is commendatpIy VI
and fnat the Hc-
o onv Of the forecasts and warnings
,ssued bv the central Office has increased
and that they are more Thoroughly unueri
etood and therefore more largely utilized
| by those interested. .:o,,,,,
The liberal policy Of cooperation lnaugu-
rated by the present Chief Signal Oincer
bas NOT only enabled the local services re-
ceiving support from other sources ~
| largely increase the number OF STATIONS, uu'
has resulted in maintaining otIer Io oli soiI
vices, which must, of necessity, my S.;oor
snnnhed the assistants and necessary IN
struments for continuing these services.
| The benefits resulting TO the Signal service
| from n LARGE increase in the number OF STA
| t,ons which was made possible by the re-
cent leoislation authorizing the purchase
and distribution of meteorologleal, llstIu-
| ments 10 voluntary observers, VIII VII, Ue Up
parent from an examination OF w Ill
and charts published IN ING m mIn ,,c
Weather Review OF this service. .tdl e n nto
teorological data collected from these sta
tions hos enabled this service TO puDlisin
more accurate charts of monthly ralnialI
and temnerature aud to supply data from
which the climate conditions OF each sec
| zion Of tbe country may be definitely De
termined. thus affording information whieh
will define the regions best suited tor the
cultivation of particular crops. III Is nopeq
that the appropriation for the purchase Oh
| instruments to be distributed 10 Vo !i
observers NAV be continued until each
county in the several States Is suppl'eu
with at least one station.
A number of these services have lnaugu-
rated special investigation OF subjects per;
tanning to general meteorology, which VIII
donbtiess prove valuable to the national
weather service. For example, the report on
tbunder-storms of New England, to be pub
lished in the next annual report OF the New
| England Meteorological Society. Also
review of the cyclonic storms that ira
versed New England in 1889. and an inves-
| tigation of sea breezes in New England,
and other discussions which may be utilized
| in the general work of the national Wea-
| Their service.
THE State services in Pennsylvania, New
York. and Michigan are issuing monthly
charts of normal rainfall and temperature,
which are not only valuable for deter;
mining the climatic conditions, but auord
ready means of determining the. de-
partures in rainfall and temperature OF tne
current months. The organization OF the
| State weather service in Pennsylvania al
forded the means of furnishing complete
and reliable data of the rainfall whlc b
| caused the destructive floods III that State
on Nav 31st and June LIST Of last year, and
| the records thus supplied have been freely
used IN the settlement Of claims for dam
ages caused by floods.
The services in the States on the eastern
slope OF the Rocky Mountains and those OF
/ Nevada and Oregon are supplying data
which will become useful in the solution
of the irrigation problem, which IS one of
the first Importance in those regions.
The services in the southern and western
States publish monthly bulletins. which
have been largely utilized by the local and
State authorities with view Of inducing
immigration.
1t will be seen from the reports of the
directors of State services that the weather
crop bulletin is generally regarded as one
of the most important features OF signal
service work, and its success gives evil
dence of foresight and ability in the present
1
which this important branch OF work was
inaugurated.
While no regularly organized service eX
lists either in Virginia or California, weather
crop services have been organized in those
States, which have received the hearty en-
dorsement of many agriculturists interest.
ed in crop bulletins, aud it is hoped that
these experimental services may be fol
lowed by permanent organizations.
OF the services now in operation, ter
have been organized by legislative enact
ments and receive support from the State
government, while the Chief Signal Officer
continues to cooperate and lend valuable
assistance to all State services. detailing
men as assistants. furnishing blanks, sta.
tionery, and instruments when desired
and authorizing free distribution of signal
service forecasts 10 large number of OBJ.
servers designated by the directors. This
liberal policy which the Chief-Signal Off.
Ger has pursued towards the local and
State services has been courteously acknow.
lodged by the officials of the local services
and the assistance which has been rendered
by the national service TO these services
has contributed largely to their success.
III. III. G. DuNwoODY,
Captain Fourth Artillery, Signal Officer
in charge Of State Weather Services.