The record-union., 1891-02-23
Wind and Rain Combine to Produce
a Great Storm.
The Barometer Reaches the Lowest
Point Ever Before Recorded
Here-Its Effects.

|
patched" but sufficient to do the work
of the train dispatcher.
As the station offices along the Knights
Landing and Williams road are closed
during the night no late reports were re-
ceived, but in the afternoon rain was re-
ported as fairly pouring down. The track
/ in the vicinity Of Dunnigan's was under
water in many places, on account of the
swollen creeks, but no washouts were
| reported. Trains ran through the water
| slowly.
Rain fell in torrents along the Oregon
road, and it is likely that by to-day g
number Of landslidos will be reported.
Last night u small slide occurred above
! Dunsmuir, and Il large one near Sims, in
the vicinity OF Tunnel No. g. Even if tho
road is not blocked by other landslides.
the south bound sOregon express will be
| sevefai hours behind time i'll reaching
| this city.
! On the Central Pacific road there is
! nothing to hinder the west-bound over
! land from arriving in this city this morn
! ing on time. Last night the wind was
bowling through the canyons along the
me q the railroad, ana rain was failing
| heavily as far up rs Cisco.
Al Summit snow fell and the wind
! blew gale all day, and at Truckee slcet
was falling during the afternoon and
night
The wind blew from the southwest with
such velocity last night that the river ap-
! pearcd rs though it were running M
stream, Itrelnained at the l6-foot 2-inch
mark, but Will doubtless begin to rise
| before night, as heavy rains fell YESTERDAY
along the American River.
| The gale has done no serious damage in
/ this cltg or vicinity SO far as known A
! few trees and weak fences have been
NJ md
the gale.
| The heavy rains, however, have so
! Hooded the street cutters that in some
| places the sidewalk bulkheads have cayed
in. That in front of the Mechanics Ex-
change Hotel, on L street, near Front,
gave way yesterday afternoon, rendering,
the sidewalk dangerous for travel
taken all IN all, the storm has been one
OF the seVerest experienced i'll this yicin-
lty-and, for that matter, throughout the
State-in many years.
SOME OF ITS FEATURES.
The records of the Signal Office in this
city show the barometer yesterday to
have been lower than has ever before
eeen recorded. The lowest readings be-
lore the present storm occurred on Janu-
airy ~, 1886, at 4 A. NJ 4 brief eXplana-
alton OF the effects of that low barometer
may not be amiss at this time. The
records show the fall to have been pre-
ceded and accompanied by southerly
winds OF from II TO II miles per hour,
but as the barometer began TO rise the
wind began to blow, reaching a maxi
mum velocity of II miles, on the Goth.
The rainfall on the day of the lowest
readings amounted to l.30 inches, and on
the 10th, to .43 inches, and blowing a gale.
On the 23dof January, 1856, there were
$50 inches of rain measured, and, strange
| -l,.+
would now call high at from 30. 10 to
2995 inches, with southerly wind blowing
from ~ TO 30 miles per hour. IT is there
fore very evident, in comparing that
storm with the one accompanied bv a
very low barometer, on the 10Th, one need
precipitation of moisture, but rather of
nigh and damaging winds, when very
low barometer occurs
THE PRESENT STORM
Was ushered in by one Of the most ran
1dly-falling barometerS that was ever re-
corded in this State, and, in all probabiI-
ity, on the Pacific Coast The greatest
fall IN "A hours in 1886 was "A of an inch.
while the greatest fall in q hours in this
storm was .5S of an inch, and was pre-
ceded by brisk southerly winds and ac-
conipanied by high winds from the same
point, reaching 4 maximum velocity of
from 36 to 40 miles per hour
The rainfall so far during this storm
has been but fraction over one inch. 1t
was very much heavier at Red Bluff, and
may nave been greater at almost all other
points; later reports will determine that.
The lowest barometer readings yester-
DAY occurred at about o'clock in the
afternoon, when the Signal Office instru-
ments read 29.0S inches, (actual reading.
corrected only for temperature), and % Is
inches when reduced TO sea level. which
is done by adding .07 of an inch to the
actual barometrical readings That in
strument appears to be nearly at a stand
still.
The wind has been blowing from "a to
4O miles per hour since 3 p. NJ OF the 2lst.
The total velocity from that hour ND to 4
p. NJ. yesterday was 60 miles, or an av-
erage Of a fraction over 2G miles per hour.
oftentlmes reaching SO miles per hour.
lhe temperature at A. NJ and
5 P; N. yesterday was SO and so,
while the highest and lowest temperature
was 62' and 46', with high southerly
winds and rainy weather.
The baroinetrical readings at 5 \. NJ. and
. p. NJ. were 23.37 and %. inches, rcs,2ect-
lively, showing a fail of ID of an inch in
the u hours ending at 5 p. ", and SO of
AN inch for the p hours ending at the same
hour. The highest and lowest Temperature
one year ago yesterday was 49, and 34o,
With .02 OF an inch OF rain, and one year
ago to-day 4S0 and $40, without any pre-
cipitation.
A REMARKABLE STORM.
Signal Officer Barwiclx saws: ''I am
very anxious tc see what will be the re-
suit OF such an extraordinarily low ba-
rometer over the Pacific Slope, and espe-
cially in Central California. 1t is the
lowest barometer / have ever observed i'm
any portion of the United States. during
my eighteen years service in obserying
the weather for the Government. and
with standard Government Instruments
1t may bring dire results to ships and
vessels ON the high seas. Winds of $50 |
miles per hour have been re- |
corded at Cape Mendocino, and |
no doubt the wind is blowing out be- |
yond the Heads, at the Golden Gate, at |
least from 100 to 200 miles per hour. es |
pec1ally in some portions of this gale that
is now passing over this State from the |
ocean; and no doubt when the western or
clearing quadrant passes over this State
there is liable to be terrific gales from the
southwest, the west and probably the
northwest. May the good Lord helm
those who are on the ocean in the grin Of
the present whirling and unrelenting
BAROMETER STILL FALLING.
The rainfall for this storm is l 80 inches.
making $40 inches for the season. as
against z 81 inches to corresponding date
last season. The barometer is still falling
slowly, but steadily.
The barometer at Red Bluff Yesterday
evening at 5 o'clock showed 29.62 inches.