The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-08-31
FORECASTING STORMS
ACCURACY AND TIMELlNESS IN FORE
CASTING WEATHER.

and Dangerous Changes In the Atmos-
phere In Various Sections.
The signal achievement of the gov
eminent weather bureau in predicting
the disastrous tornadoes in Iowa 81
hours in advance of their awful vista
tons brought into new prominence the
remarkable accuracy with which in
these days of advanced science O weather
forecast can be made
The prediction of the Iowa tornado
offers noteworthy example of the value
OF the government bureau and illus
trates the perfection of the system it en-
ploys, but the forecast in point of accu-
racy is duplicated daily. 1t isn't every
day that tornado starts ON wild stam-
pede, but the weather sharps are expected
to keep the cities and towns Of the coun-
try posted In advance in regard to the
weather. The daily forecast has become
an all important element in all calcula-
tons, whether of pleasure or of business,
and could no moro be dispensed with
than the telegraph or any of the other
agencies which have revolutionized
affairs.
Several years ago couple of young
army lieutenants who saw tornadoes in
every cloudcap kept the western farm
ers lodging in and out of low ground
cellars until they became round Shout
dered and neglected their crops, but the
young lieutenants experience is now one
OF the amusing traditions of the Office
1t Is told, too, possibly as joke, that
the colored janitor who had rheumatism
and looked upon his left leg as a reli
able gauge did the prophesying business
when the lieutenants were invited to
some swell function.
Things are run differently now, as the
reliability of the predictions and the
able administration of the bureau at
test. 1t is doubtful, moreover, if any
country on the globe has better equip
ped service. This is due i'll some meas
ure to the opportunities of study offered
by the diverse climatic peculiarities of
the United States. These peculiarities
make the work of weather prophesvinp
here n most difficult task, requiring the
employment of men Of wide experience
and learning. 1t is by no means an I'M
common circumstance for the weather
bureau to chase half dozen different
varieties of storms over the country in a
day. 1t may be mailing in North Da-
kota, tornado may be making sad
havoc in the western farming belt. %
windstorm may be bowling along tho
Atlantic coast, imperiling shipping, and
four or five thunderstorms NAV be
creating alarm i'll as many different sec
tions.
With all these complications, q short,
thlckset man, with gray eyebrows and
gray mustache, calmly looks over the
maps which are made on the reports of
every one OF the government observers
throughout the country and figures out
just the kind of weather that may be
expected in every state and section
This short, thickset man, with gray
eyebrows and gray mustache, is the
official who, on examining the maps on
the night of July 3, paused for a mo-
ment, and then, to the surprise of his
assistants, 1nurmured, "This looks like
a tornado"
Major Dunwoody was the officer who
read the signs Alright The government
observers at Sioux City, Des Moines,
keokuli and Omaha had all reported
threatening atmospheric conditions, and
their reports when reduced to tracings
on the maps showed that the center of
tho atmospheric disturbances was as
Cheyenne, with the winds racing from
all four points of the compass toward
tho Wyoming capital. Major Dun
woody has had an intimate acquaint-
ance with storms for years, and this
tornado didn't fool him by pretending to
rendezvous at Cheyenne. The major is
an old army officer, who understands all
about flank movements, and he began to
figure out where the main attack might
be expected
He was sitting on high stool in the
forecasting room at the weather bureau,
calculating on the tornado's probable
evolution. The major read the report of
the storm sentinels at Sioux City and
Des MONIES over again and then drew n
circle, with the center at Cheyenne and
the circumference toward the east,
touching Davenport. The majors ex-
perience taught him that the most
trouble might bc expected i'll the south
east segment of the circle, and before 0
o'clock that night all the observers who
furnished the alarming reports were in
structed by wire to send out warnings to
cities and towns on the respective sec
tons, and Oh lers We're also given to en-
ploy every means to inform the country
districts of the impending peril.
Hours before the storm broke with its
terrible fury express trains running
through the isolated communities had
carried the bureaus intelligence, and
those who lived far from the railroad
station were warned by whistles which
were blown according to an established
and well understood code.
How quickly all this was accomplished