The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-07-23

A Favorable Comparison With Ter
Eastern and Snnfhern Cites.


The rainfall in this city has been a sub
ject of many inquiries from outsiders who
have heard exaggerated accounts Of the
daily and monthly precipitatIons. Mr.. III.
+. Aiciatore. the observer in charge OF the
United States weather bureau in tnis city.
has prepared complete history OF the
rainfall at this point, showing that it will
compare favorahly with the annual rainfall
at ten cities of the East and South. Mr..
Aieiatore says:
''In round numbers, Seattle has an an
nuai rainfall of 40 inches, the average by
months being: January. 4 81 inches; Feb
ruary. sol; March, 3 o.; April. 395: May.
2.4T; June. l. 50: July CT; August. 0.S4;
September So; OcfobsI, 3l7; November,
COS. and December, 525
AS far As annual rainfall is concerned.
Seattle will compare very favorabiy with
quite number Of the large cities in the
Eastern and Southern states For in
stance. ii is a fact that the yearly rainfall
Is greater at Washington CITY than at Se-
attic. Among the cities of the United
States having more rainfall than Seattle
we ind Cincinnati has Al inches: Indian
apoiis, -; Eureka, Cal, A; Baltimore,
45; Washington City. As; Portland, Or,
Galveston. 81.
For the purpose of comparison IL should
be stated that the greatest annual rainfall
in the United States is found at Neah bay,
Ciallam county. Wash. where the average
for several years mas been los inches, With
Tatoosh island, same county and only a
few miles west Of Neah bay. as second best
with an average OF 80 inches per annum.
Now those two places may be put down as
downright rainy spots on oar maps. For
dry weather aud small rainfall We mast go
TO Arizona and Eastern California. At
Yuma. Ariz-. the annual rainfall Is but 3
inches and at keeier, Cal, II Is only one
little tenth of an inch greater. Retween
the wette.t, los, and the dryest. 5 inches.
there is a range OF los inches. 1t will be
seen that Ssattle's annual moisture is
fair average and not at all excessive. as
some people seem To think
During the month OF February, 1878,
10 % inches of rain fell al Seattle, accord
ing 10 the private records of the Hon. X.
81. Hoskinson, the oldest voluntary OBJ
server in this part of the country. TINS
has never been exceeded. Thera is no evil
dence OF an absolutely rainless month.
smallest monthly amount on record be-
ing OF of an inch in September, 1890. As
rule November is the rainiest month,
with 8 mean monthly fall of Sos inches.
and the driest July, with only ~ of an
inch.
Ii ia in the matter OF Neutrality-suspicious.
| rainfalls that Seattle makes fine show
ing. the heaviest days rain of winch there
is any official information being 2 10
inches during twenty-fonr hours covering
parts OF two days, viz: January II and IL
of the present year. A day of excessive
rainfall is defined by the United States
weather bureau as being one on which 2 50
inches or more Of rain tails inside OF
twenty-tour hours. Therefore Seattle has
never had single day of excessive pre-
cipitation as far rs the records show. The
heaviest showers on record by months
from 1890 10 1884 have been ss follows:
2 10 inches on January 1918. 1894: 0.s7 Of
ali inch on February l6. lssl3; IS inches
on March ~. 1924: liza inches on April -.
1884 f06 inches on Nav %. 1905; liz
| inches on June 81, ists4: 053 OF an inch on
| July - 1892: i.35 inches on September
2s-2a, 1875; o 81 OF an inch on October u,
1890; l.ss inches on November Is. loi2,
and O. ej Of an inch on December u. 1891
During the first hall of the year 1891 the
rainfall was 1855.
During the trst half of the year 1892 the
rainfall was - 81.
During the first half of the year 1898 the
rainfall was - 81.
During the first half of the year 1894 the
rainfall was 2i.0T.
From the foregoing we see at glance
that two very dry years were followed by
two very wet ones; that lsa2 can be taken
as fair sample Of dry year and 1893 for
a wet year when compared with the aver
age for the four years. which is ~ Ga inches.
The annual rainfall of 1882 vas 81 ~ inches.
aud that Of 1883 5.l6 inches. The former
WAS, roughly. 5 inches below, While the
latter was inches above the average
annual rainfall for this clty,
Some time ago the writer had occasion
20 make careful and thorough iuvestiga-
tiou of rainfall records for Madrone Wash,
kept by Voluntary Observer K. NJ. Hoskin-
sen for over fifteen years, with view 10
aseartaining whether or not the claim
made that IL rains harder as AadFone
fonlv nine miles west OF SeattIel than
at the Queen city was based on facts.
lie IS now satisfied taat IL does.
Another impoFtsnt result OF the
investigation Was that be found the great
est ~enty-,oar-hUar rainfall st Aadrons
during fiiteen years from 1871 TO be- ex-
sctiy inches, on December =, lSfA 10
engineers and Others engaged ia sewer
construction in the city OF Seattle u VIII
be interesting TO learn than Inches IN
any twenty-foaF hours has ueen found 10
be a safe limit Tor al work Of that char
Aeter
It ha. been often said that in Washing
ten. especially the Paset sound country,
a little rain goes iong ways. That -
partly true. hut IL - equally true that
there are many points in OHIO. Michigan,
New York. Pennsylvania and Indiana
here rainy days are mere numerous than
at Seattle. By the way, Fs3hy day -
taken 60 be day on which one huadredth
OF an inch OF more OF rain or snow falls.
In Seattle we can expect on an average 10
DAYS with rain sn@ anaaFy, Is Gays ~ Fehru-
ary, March and April, Is days IN Aay aud
November. II days IN June, days n July,
DAYS in August, days Ia Sepssnbar. Ia
DAYS in October and - days IN December
In ISEfs. a representative dry year IN
Washington, there we're lis days with
rain at seattle. The annual report 81 the
chief of the weather beresa for that year
shows that there we're twenty cities IN The
United States where the number of rainy
DAYS vas greater than a. Seattle, and al
of them outside Of the state OF Nashing-
ton. Take Erie. Pa. fer instance. aud We
note that IN issa rain fell on iss days. "a
against I4s at Seattle. and thai AZ Mans
tee. Mich, rAia fell ca 10 days haaaie,
\. r.. ls4. Rochester. y. n. is. Clexs-
land. O, I79; sault ste, Mare. Mich, IL;
Oswsgo, \. u. M; Plttsbarg, Pa, las;
Grand Haven, Mseh.. i64: columoas, q.
les. Paglersparg. W. Va, t6l; Mortified,
1t $50, Kitty Ha~k. y. q. Isl; In'ysF-