The Fort Worth gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-189?, 1891-05-21
KEEP UP STOVES.
Forecasts by the Gazette's
Weather Prophet.
THE COLD WAVE COMING
The Weather Extremes Show the Infiu-
ence of Jupiter and Saturn-Tropi-
cal Hurricanes Should be In
vestigated by the Bureau.
Special to the Gazette.

ST. JOSEPH. Mo-, May 16-My last letter
| gave the forecasts Of Il storm wave due to
| cross the continent from the 18th to the
| 10Th, and the next will be due to leave the
| Pacific coast about the 2lst, cross the
| Rocky-Allee hany valley from the 22nd to
the oath, and reach the Atlantic coast about
| the 18th. This storm wave particularly
| affects the Southern states, causing very
warm weather along the gulf coast to the
| southeast of the low barometer or storm
| center, while northwest of the storm center
| and following it the weather will be I'M
usually cool, with frosts in the states that
adjoin the British possessions. The center
of this storm wave will probably move by
way of Salt Lake, Southern Colorado, In
dian Territory, Tennessee and thence east
ward The reader should remember that
the center of the storm wave is the least
severe part of it, while the principal forces
are developed in its southwest and north
west quadrants. The close observer will
have noticed that since the LIST of April the
weather has run to great extremes. The
first of the month was warm, fine weather,
on the 4th and 9TH heavy rains fell through
out the northwestern part of the United
States the snow being from two to four
feet on the level in Connecticut and the
Upper Hudson river country, very warm
again about the middle of the month with
great electrical storms then period of dry
weather, followed by numerous earth
quakes, SHOWS and frosts during the first
week in May. These extremes show that
the coming equinOXes of Saturn and Jupiter
began to influence the storms during the
month of April. | expect these extremes in
the weather to gradually increase with each
succeeding month. Following the storm of
the 2lst to the 25th the rain period will be
due, and we may expect an increase of rain
fall. The rains, however. will not be evenly
distributed, but will be excessive in spots
and deficient in other places, as is always
the case in years of great meteorological
disturbances.
TROPICAL HURRICANES.
In portions of the United States my fore
casts of the storm wave of May 4 to 7 APP
peared not to be verified. The storm CEN
ter was well on time on the 3D. and 4th, at
which time a high barometer and cold wave
of great force appeared in Montana. NOV
ing rapidly southeast, which run through
the storm center that was then in the Da-
kotas and diSorganiZed 1t, causing cOnsid-
cradle SHOWS, however, in the northern tier
of states, and very severe frosts. That
cold wave was of the same nature and came
of the same cause that do the cold waves
and billiards of the winters.
All cold waves that are of unusual Sc
verify and extend further south than
usual are caused by tropical storms on the
Gulf of Mexico, on the Atlantic
off the coast of Florida. But we
storms. Our weather bureau has not recog-
nized that tropical storms cause all our
billiards. all our severe cold weather, and
all the late destructive froStS, and have
made no special effort to give US a reliable
record of those tropical storms. With such
record their periods could be determined
and then we could know when to expect
the sudden changes they cause on the con-
tinent.
The government weather maps show that
tropical storm was off the coast of Florida
on the 5th and 9th, but do not indicate its
force.
These tropical storms move in a circle in
the Atlantic north of the equator They
move westward in about 10 to 20 degrees of
north latitude and when approaching the
Gulf of Mexico gradually turn their course
toward the north and then northeast, fol-
lowing the current of the gulf stream, and
when in the Gulf of Mexico or on the south
east coast of the United States they never
fail to organize cold wave in the western
Canadian possessions, which moves south
east across the continent. being guided by
the location of the tropical storm.
In October and November these tropical
storms are of greater force, often penetrate
our coast along the Gulf of Mexico and are
called tropical hurricanes. 1t would be of
great value to know the periods of these
tropical storms. and if we had Geographic
connection with Porto Rico, Dominica and
Jamaica, the approach of these tropical
storms from the east could be known several
days in advance, for they move very slowly,
their destructive force being in their whirl-
ing motion.
l have noticed that these cold waves,
caused by the tropical storms, usually strike
our regular storm waves while the latter
are in the Dakotas, often cutting them in
two. and this causes the most of the fail
ures in my weather forecasts.
If I had control of the weather bureau I
would direct special attention to these
tropical storms as being the most important
matter to be investigated. If had a rec
ord of those storms it would go long way
toward perfecting my system of meteor
ology.
The readers of my weather letters must
not expect infallibility they may hope, how
ever, that as soon as we can get the author
tiles too looking in the right direction we
can soon give to the country the value of
the $500, 900 the people are paying, out an.
nually for the support of the Washington
weather bureau. w. T. Foster