The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-21
SUNSHINE IN CALIFORNIA.
An Excess of SoPs Rays Makes
a Country Arid, a Defi-
cheney Humid.
Approximations Show That This
State Is the Most Favored
in the Union.

| A record of all meteorologic phenomena
among which is the record of the number
of hours and minutes each day that the
sun shone, has been appropriated by the
Weather Bureau of this City, and proves
beyond doubt that California is indeed
the land of sunshine, and that San Fran
cisco, with the exception of Eureka, Hum
boldt County, is the spot on the coast
most favored by Old Sol. The difference
between the highest and lowest points OF
temperature reached in 1893 was only lie
| degrees. pleasing fact when taken in
comparison with numerous Eastern cities.
where the difference in the mean maxi
mum and the mean minimum tempera-
ture often reaches as high as 80 to 81 de-
grees. Regarding this Forecast Official
Pague says:
This record is made by Photographic pro-
cess or by an electrical register. Each possesses
merit and both give very accurate results.
Records of sunshine have been made at san
Francisco since April, 1890, and record has
also been made at San Diego. At other west
ern bureau offices in California no sunshine
record has been made. However, as o record
of the clear, partly cloudy and cloudy days
has been made at all stations In California as
elsewhere, the approximate amount of sun
shine can be ascertained for all places In Cali
| fornia in conjunction with the absolute sun
shine record now made.
The rays of the sun are the l1fe-g1v1ng prop
critics to all living things. The existence OF
ourselves, our health, the termination, growth
and development of all vegetation is depend
ent upon sunshine. The presence or absence
of sunshine regulates. to a very. great degree,
the condition of the invalid and controls the
actions of the healthy. Especially is the sun
their VINEYARDS and fruit-drying. It is true
that an excess OF sunshine makes country
arid, a deficiency makes country humid;
but favored indeed is the country OF medium Jun
/ between these extremes. The records OF San
| Francisco show that 1t enjoys on an average 50
deg. of the possible sunshine; that the month
of June has the greatest amount OF sunshine,
| when the per centum of the possible amount
! is 20, and that December has the least with 43
| per oentum. The amount of sunshine at San
! Francisco in December, 43 per cent, is, how
| ever, per cent more than the average amount
of sunshine that occurred at Cleveland, Ohio,
| during the year of 1898.
| The average amount of sunshine at San
| Francisco in the various months of the year,
based on the past five years record, is in per
! cent of the possible: January So, February
| SO, March SO. April SO, May SO, June 20, July
SO, August 81, September 81, October "a, No
! vember 81, December 43.
| The average annual being ffty-eight, it is
| seen that from April to November inclusive
| there is more than the average sunshine and
| less than the average from December to March
! inclusive; these latter months are practically
| the months of the rainy season, yet the aver
| age sunshine for these rainy months Is 80 per
| average annual sunsha. over the New
! England and Middle States and over
Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and the region
| of the Great Lakes, or more in San Francisco
during the period of least sunshine than pre-
! walls on an average throughout the year over
| that portion of the United States where the
population is the densest. 1t should be re-
| inembered that San Francisco is on the imme-
| date coast, and that naturally more cloudy
or foggy weather will there prevail than at
| places farther removed, hence greater amount
of sunshine prevails in the interior.
At San DISCO there was SO deg of the posi-
Bile during 1898, figures taken from the latest
report of the Chief of Weather Bureau. This
| report shows. that August had 30 deg. OF pos
sible sunshine, April and October rs deg, July
73 deg, November II deg, February 40 deg,
September 90 deg, January, May and Deem
Der sc deg, June 81 deg. and March So deg, or
that at San Diego the least amount OF sunshine