The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-06-20
WEATHER IN WASHINGTON.
Address by Director Alciatore Befor
the Chamber Of Commerce.

| Address by Director Alciatore Before
the Chamber OF Commerce.
On Monday evening II. f. Alciatore,
director of the weather bureau, by invita-
ton of the Chamber of Commerce, dis
cussed the characteristic features of the
climate of Washington. and made some
interesting remarks upon the methods of
making weather forecasts. Mr. Alci-
atore is an interesting speaker and has
the faculty of bringing out clearly in con-
else language the points of his discourse.
He was listened to atteutively by those
present among whom were President Z.
o. Graves, T. w. Prosch. S. Ramsey. G.
W. Hummer. ]. B. Powles. Will carson
and W II. Whittlesey.
Mr.. Alciatore first ex Explained the dis tri-
button of temperature of the different
parts of the state, substantially as follows:
'If we take the average of several years
we ind that the mean average temperature
for the state as whole is so degrees, rang
ing from 40 degrees, the coolest annual
mean, In Stevens county. to 81 degrees.
the warmest. in Walla Walla county.
Taking Western Washington alone. Lewis
county has the highest mean, of So de-
grees, while the coolest section Is found
on the coast line of Clallam county. The
records for the past four years show that
the official maximum temperatures have
been above 100 degrees but once; that was
In July, 1891. when the thermometer
registered 105 degrees Temperatures below
zero are of rare occurrence, the lowest
temperature on record during this period
being degrees below zero. At East
Sound in January, 1898, and during Febru-
airy of the same year, the thermometer
went down TO 3 degrees below.
Taking Eastern Washington, where
~ 90 re a yxa find ~ n
said, that the warmest annual mean Is 54
degrees and the coolest As degrees, the
weather in summer being much warmer
and in winter much colder than it is west
of the mountains, and the seasonal
changes being much more marked. In
this section the thermometer is known
to rise to liz degrees during July. 1885. and
on the other hand has been as low as 80 de-
grees below zero in Douglas country. In
this portion of the state the temperature
drops to zero and below almost every year.
The records for Seattle for 1892 and 1893
show that the highest point ever reached
by the thermometer was "a degrees and
the lowest 8 degrees above zero. this lstter
temperature occurring in January of last
year, which was one of the coldes. periods
during fifteen years.
ITO the movements OF currents of warm
moist air from the Pacific ocean must be
attributed the remarkable mlldness of the
weather in Washington. The Pacific
ocean acting as a compensation in keeping
the air cool in summer and moderately
warm in winter.
"In speaking of the rainfall many people
suppose that the annual rainfall Is very
great in all portions of the state, but in
reality the excessive fall is confined to
one-twentieth of the area of the state, and
being confined mostly to the western por-
tion of Clallam, Jefferson, Chvhalis and
Pacific counties. To correct another erro-
neous impression it is well to state that
there is no ''rainless region" in this state.
One of the most striking features in the
distribution of rainfall of this state is the
phenomenal difference between the
annual fall at Neah bay, los inches,
and that of Port Townsend, which is only
Is inches. In other words, this means a
difference of eighty-seven inches in a dis
lance of eighty-seven miles, which is un-
paralleled in any other part OF the world.
Colfax, in Whitman, and Dayton, in Co
lumbia county. are the rainiest places in
Eastern Washington, each having IAN an
nual rainfall of twenty-six inches, while
Kennewick and Fort Simcoe, in Yakima
county, have only seven and eleven
inches respectively. As small as this lat
ter might seem, vet there are two places
in California, Fresno and Keller, that
have only about one-half this amount.
The excessive fall OF Western Washington
Is due mainly to the action OF the Cascade
range In forcing the warm. moist currents
of air to higher and colder regions, where
their moisture is condensed, falling as rain
or snow on the wjndward side of the
mountain.
The weather forecasts by wire at gov
eminent expense are daily telegraphed to
twenty-three points within the state--the
morning indications being dor thirty-six
hours from a. m. Pacific time, while the
evening forecast (which Is the one pub
lished in the papers) is for twenty -four
hours only from midnight, the forecasts
being for the purpose of indicating the
conditions. of weather and temperature
which might be expected during that
period.
''It is mistake to suppose that any
weather forecaster can verify his predic-
tions in every case. but, as rule, seventy
five out of every 100 forecasts prove cor
rect. The two greatest difficulties met
with by the forecast officials on this Coast
are proximity to the ocean and lack of
Geographic reports from points to the
westward No radical improvements may
be looked for until some means of CON-
munication, either by floating automatic
stations or some other device by which
warning of approaching storms from the
ocean may be Indicated is put in opera
ton