The record-union., 1891-10-01
WEATHER TOPICS.
Lieutenant FinIey's Cold Wave Ar
rives on Time.
The Storm Season Approaching-Ob'
server Barwick Describes the
Phenomena of Storms.

3
stiff and drying northerly winds.
The dew point yesterday afternoon was
as low as 260-that is, the temperature OF
the air would have had to have been re-
duced to a temperature of 26' before
particle of moisture could have been
squeezed out of it. The relative humidity
was as low as q per cent. Of complete
saturation-that is, if there was very
dense fog the atmosphere would have
been completely saturated, and the hu-
midity would be 100 per cent, or COM
plete saturation. There would therefore
nave had to been added to the moisture
IN the air yesterday rs per cent. more to
neve caused fog.
The air was extremely dry, disagreea-
BILE and dusty.
The temperature yesterday morning
was 160 degrees cooler in Sacramento, and
IN San Francisco 90 cooler than on the
day preceding, at the same hour, show
ing that when Lieutenant Finley pre-
dlcted cooler weather, with frosts near
the mountain tops, he was not amiss in
his meteorological calculations.
The highest and lowest temperatures
as against 7O0 and $50 for the same date
LAST year.
The highest and lowest one year ago
to-day were 74o and $40.
There was no rain yesterday morning
south of Oregon. The low barometer and
the storm that brought rain to Washing
ton, Oregon and the northwest coast of CAL
ifornia, as far south as Eureka, has passed
rapidly to the east and northeastward,
and we will therefore get no precipitation
from that cyclonic area.
SIGNS OF COMING STORMS.
AS the rainy season is now close at
hand, it may be of interest to the public
to know something Of the atmospheric
conditions attendant upon transforms.
Whenever storms occur in the rainy sea-
son, with a barometer above the mean,
they are usually preceded, accompanied
and followed by northerly and variable
winds. Storms occurring with the bar
Ometer below the mean will be found to
be preceded and accompanied by fresh to
brisk southerly and southeasterly winds.
and followed by westerly winds-that is,
ranging from southwest to northwest.
Storms with northerly winds show a
low temperature: that is. the temperature
Is more apt to fall during the storm than
otherwise, while storms with southerly
winds usually increase the temperature
The usual outlook for storms in this vi
cinity at any time during the rainy sea-
son are as follows, viz: Cirrus clouds
make their appearance several days in
advance of rain, moving from the south
west or west; the wind blows fresh to
briskFfrom the southeast. Cirro-stratus
clouds begin to form, and if they increase
rapidly rain follows in very few hours.
When stratus clouds put in their appear
ance they usually move from the south
east or south, and sometimes from the
southwest, but when much rain falls, and
the storm IS severe one and Of long du
ration, the stratus or nimbus clouds are
Il L.
east, and no settled or clear weather can
be expected until the clouds begin to
move rom the southwest, after which
time they rapidly break up, forming into
cumulO stratus, showing cirrus and GIRO
stratus-and stratus cloud, moving in op-
posite directions to each other.
When the wind and clouds both come
from the southwest and west the storm
may be said to have passed over, although
some slight showers may fall. Very fre-
quently-in fact, almost always-when
rain falls with northerly winds the
velocity is usually light, and clouds move
from the southeast; occasionally there
will be slight showers of rain with south
westerly winds at the beginning ofa storm,
but the clouds viii be generally moving
from the northeast, east or southeast.
The above description is the usual rou-
tine of local meteorological signs that al
ways take place in this valley, at least
with rapidly-rising barometer, wind
usually follows of considerable velocity
in this vicinity, although our maximum
velocity occurs near the date of minimum
barometer, which must necessarily be so
in the majority of cases.
AS long as the wind remains in the
southeast and blows fresh and brisk from
10 to % miles per hour, no cessation of
1he storm is liable to be look ed for. There
may be breaks, and cessation of rain, but
the wind Will be found to be variable
southeast to south and southwest, while
the clouds will be moving from the south
east or south; but so soon as the wind
blows steadily from the southwest, stratus
or rain clouds Will be noticed coming
from that point also, and frequently be-
fore the wind veers to the southwest from
the southeast The barometer Will then
have begun TO rise, and will increase
steadily for settled weather, and rapidly
for unsettled weather.
Sometimes in our winter storms the
rapid fluctuations of the barometer from
considerably below 30inches to considera-
bly above it, and vice versa, show bar
ometrical waves moving rapidly over the
State or along the coast In such cases
storms of long duration or heavy precipi-
iation need not be looked for.
To briefly sum up, the local storm
warnings for this vicinity would be, then
3 steadily and sometimes rapidly falling
barometer, fresh SOuthweSterly winds
back TO south and southeast, the appear
auce ofcirrus clouds rapidly forming into
Cirro-stratuS and stratus clouds: the cirrus
moving from the west-southwest, and
Cirro-stratus from the south-southwest
and the stratus from the south. The lat
Ter will change and move from the south
east rapidly, and soon (say in a few
hOursl light rain begins to fall. This con-
tinueS more or less during the fall of the
barometer, and continues during the rise
ofthat instrument until il reaches near the
mean for the season, when the wind will
Neer to the south and southwest; but is
usually preceded by the clouds chang
ing from a southeast to a southwesterly
direction. The wind follows that is,
the wind also changes it's direction from
southeast TO southwest, the barometer
continues to rise, the clouds break away,
the wind changes TO the west and north
west, and the storm passes off.
After the winds direction ceases to be
affected by the passing storm it Will veer
and sometimes go back to southwest and
south, with gentle breezes for days at a
time, until affected by another storm
wave.
This is the usual procedure of local
phenomena during the rainy or winter
season, and it is very rare and unusual
occurrence for any deviation from it dur
ing the months from September to May.