Evening star., 1895-05-31
The Hottest Weather Ever Known
in May.
EXTREMES OF TEMPERATURE IN MAY
Professor BigeIow viii Promise No
Definite Let Up.
HIS ONLY PREDICTION

There is Just one consolation for Wash
ingtonians in the midst of all this heat,
but 1t Is comforting to think about any
how. That consolation is that it is hotter
at Yuma, Cal. There are probably few
Americans living who have not heard the
celebrated Yuma story, which is told with
undying gusto every few minutes during
the hot season in all parts of the
country. So classic and so historical is
that story that 1t need not be repeated
here, on this very hot day. to add to the
discomforts of the citizens. All that is
necessary to mention in this connection is
that Yuma is always hotter than anywhere
else on earth or elsewhere. Doubtless If
the local temperature should go UP to 1O7
tomorrow. which is altogether possible, at
the rate things are going on, there would
come a still, small voice out of the west
saying that 1t was 10S at Yuma.
Hot Enough Here.
But there Is no need to worry about the
heat at Yuma, for it is hot enough here
at Washington to keep all the story tellers
busy for some time. and the oldest in
habitants are at their wits ends finding
parallel records that can hold up their
heads in self-respect in the midst OF this
tremendous furry of the mercury. That
agile commodity is showing more uneaSt.
ness than the average sand flea, and Is
skipping around at frightful rate. The
official at the weather bureau who has the
fate Of the nation in his hands will go out
of power at midnight, for he will then
have completed his months tour Of duty,
and some one else will take hold of the hot
and cold nozzles and the watering pot for
thirty days. He heaves a long sigh of re-
lief as his term expires, and remarks
gether the toughest May he has ever
known. and that May always was an In
ccrrigible month. quite the scamp of the
calendar, in fact.
What Prof. BigelOw Says.
YES" said Prof. Bigelow to a Star re-
porter this morning, as the latter ap-
preached him, filed With fear that the Of
fetal fcrecaster might reach around be-
hind bis back somewhere and turn a faucet
or press a button and produce a cyclone,
this May has been a curious mixture of
extremes. 1t has broken records for heat
as well as for cold. 1t has fiuctuated far
beyond all normal expectations, and have
had rather tough time of it, can assure
you. But l have made about so per cent
on the months record, SO am fairly well
satisfied, as that is above the average for
May. This month always plays havoc with
the records"
But it was the present, the dreary siz-
zling, tormeuting. hideous present, that the
reporter wanted to have explained to him.
He wanted to know why it was that a poor,
unprotected, helpless community, living
over asphalt pavements, should be treated
like potatoes that are in the process of be-
ing roasted He wanted to know why May
should be permitted to cut such extrava-
CANT capers as to go f1inging out of sight
with screaming hot wave and a cloud of
dust and all the other disagreeable tricks
that some of the months are capable of
playing. He wished to be told why May,
the frivolous, yet usually demure, month
of beauty and flowers. should so suddenly
take on the airs of a full-grown summer
month, and emulate middle-aged June or
staid July or even venerable August, those
veterans in the hot weather business.
The Explanation of the Wave.
He was told. When he had absorbed lots
of information about highs and lows and
pressures and the like he was family aware
of the fact that 1t was hot-that 1t was hot
because it was hot, and that was all there
was about 1t. There were few incidentals
that explained some of the phenomena. but
there was no getting around the fact that
1t was hot simply and purely because it
was.
Now. the real trouble is that two little
lows out in the west have been chasing
back and forth toward each other for sew
eral days, like couple of bantam roosters,
or like two professional pugilists who do
a good deal of preliminary talking and lit
tie real fighting. The trouble began Sun
day night, when there was a low in the
northwest, with a long trough running
away from it, but with no rain falling
Hot. dry winds were pouring in from the
Gulf of Mexico, yet the region around
that low was hotter, strange to say, than
the gulf. And there the worry began
Tuesday night that same low was center
ed over western Kansas, hanging around
the back door Of the bleeding state, like a
populist trying to break back into one of
the regular parties and afraid to make a
start. A high had appeared on the coast,
like policeman lowering on the outskirts
of fha pAtty fhrn tay,j 20
the low in as suspicious character
Wednesday morning the low fiattened out
into long trough Of misery, and there
were winds pouring into it from both
sides, hot winds from the gulf and cold
winds from Canada. giving the farmers
Mysteries and sending the wheat market
up like skyrocket.
That night the low split into two parts,
one going southeast bit and the other
retreating back into the northern border.
Thursday morning the peace-making high
had got in between these storms, but had
left another high on the coast, ready for
emergencies.
Rain General Today.
Friday morning-this morning, in fact,
the high has been wiped out Of existence,
the lows have come together again, and
there is rain all over the western part of
the country.
Now, the official deduction from this
curious combination of conditions Is that
it Is wholly abnormal for these storms to
hang so long in one part Of the country.
Meanwhile there has been a high on the
south Atlantic coast, ready and willing to
move off and give room for the rain If it
would only show a decent disposition to
come east. At noon the outlook was that
there would be rains produced by the gulf
and Atlantic Winds in the upper ranges
Of the country, in New York and along
the lake country, but none here unless the
intense heat might cause thunder showers
late in the afternoon.
There was absolutely no prospect that
the temperature would. be reduced. But
Prof Bgelew did not think it possible
that the curious inertness Of the low In the
west could continue for many more hours,
and he thought that another map might
show that it had finally made up It's mind
to do something, and that then there would
be a prospect one way or the other. He
inclined to the opinion that this change
would give rain to this part Of the country,
but he was making no promises or fore:
casts to that effect All he could say was:
The Only Prediction.
"Hotter today. and perhaps tomorrow.
Sunday is still in doubt"
So it is that Washington Is joining the
procession of cities that have had very hot
days at the end Of May. There have been
aoma aYceadfnplv htrh femnerafnrea re.