Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-30


storms are SO little understood that beyond
this brief statement of the facts little
that Is settled can be advanced. If simi-
lar comparison of storms originating at
high elevations and at sea level be carried
out for the twelve months and covering a
period OF ten years. 1t appears that about
$50 storms were generated at these high
levels In the United States. and about $50
to mountain regions. reaching into the high
strata, and 30 per cent to ocean areas.
1t is a singular fact that nearly all the
observations upon which theoretical analy.
els, because the facilities attendant upon
civilized communities are found in the
cities OF the coast and the river valleys
Yet on the other hand the Importance Of
attacking the problem in other quarters Is
very evident even from superficial consid-
erations When the demands Of the high.
est science are considered, the argument
for such observations is greatly strength
ened.
Normal Conditions.
The features of the October storms are
so nearly normal that but few remarks are
required concerning them. 1t may be noted,
however. that Of the storms commencing
in the region north of Montana and the
Dakotas, eleven dis sipated in the lake re-
gion, and the remainder passed to the At
lantic Ocean, north of the fortieth parallei,
the average time required to reach the
days. The North Pacific storms have
tendency to keep well to the northward of
the main track over the lakes, after join
ing the Alberta path. and about two-thirds
Of them reach The Gulf of st. Lawrence.
October is one of the three months In
which the West Indian hurricanes develop.
On the international charts for ten years,
1S7S-1SS7, inclusive, sixteen occurred in
August fourteen in September and seven
teen in October, with ten others outside
these months; fourteen were observed in
October during the years 1SS4-1S93. or
these five came in from the Caribbean sea,
three appeared near the West Indian Is
lands, four apparently formed between the
West Indies and Bermudas. and two over
the eastern gulf. The hurricane of Oc-
tober IL, 1887, recurved In the extreme
western gulf on the 18th, came ashore near
New Orleans on the 18TH and passed over
the Atlantic states to New Brunswick by
the 21st; the storm of October g. SS6,reach-
ed Louisiana on the 18th. and broke up over
Arkansas on the 18th that of October 10,
1885, crossed over Florida and the South
Atlantic states, inclined westward to lower
Michigan, and thence passed down the st.
Lawrence river on the 18th; that Of October
10, 1893, recurved just off the Florida pen
insula, moved northward to South Carolina
on. the 18th, and advanced rapidly into
Canada on the 14th and 18th: besides these
the others enumerated kept pretty well on
shore in the region of the gulf stream. 1t
is to be remarked that the area of recurva
ture covered thirty degrees In longitude,
SO that no very safe rule can be stated to
aid the forecaster in making his analysis
of existing conditions, but it is thought by
some that the following rule Is valuable:
When a West India cyclone Is moving
westward in the longitude of eastern Cuba,
and is north of that island, or is moving
westward over Cuba, or the western Carib-
bean sea, it will recurve east of the South
Atlantic coast of the United States when a
high area occupies the northwest: and will
probably cross the coast line when low
or mi no thvx-aS
Few Tornadoes.
The other storms Of this month offer no
special features, as they ere generated in
widely separated localities and finally
march to the North Atlantic coast, unless
earlier 6issipated. The local storms are
greatly diminished in frequency by Oc-
tober, owing to the colder temperature con-
ditions prevailing from the lowest to the
upper strata in the atmosphere. There has
been but one group of tornadoes in five
years, these occurring in Carolina within
the loop of a low pressure area; only twen-
ty-six thunder storms and nire hail storms
were reported in the same period, no region
showing any tendency over the others in
their production.
Heavy winds begin to prevail in certain
places Block Island and Hatteras leading,
with winds above fifty miles per hour from
the north and northeast; some of the lake
stations show heavy southwest winds; the
stations on the Rocky mountain slope, es-
pectally in Montana and the Dakotas, have
severe northwest gales on the great plains;
and on the Pacific coast Fort Candy was
visited by fifteen wind storms from the
south and west, with velocit;es above fifty
miles per hour.
A word may properly be added regarding
the formation Of frost in the autumn, by
which damage is often done to crops es-
pecially the cranberry and tobacco, ind to
fruits and vegetables in the southern dis
tricts during the fail. Frost, as is well
10 hxy1 rfyer
ture of the air containing aqueous vapor
till 1t reaches saturation, and then by fur
Their decrease of the temperature to the
freezing point or below, when ice crystals
or frost form on the vegetation. In the
autumn this loss of heat in the air is due
chiefly to a vigorous radiation from the
ground, especially if the surface is dry,
during the night, and it is favored by the
conditions prevailing near the center of a
high area, whele the sky is clear, the wild
very light and the current of descending
air comparatively steady. If the high
drifts over a region where rain has fallen
quite uniformly within twenty-fonr hours hours
the wetted surface tends oretard lowering
of temperature. and will often screen a re-
gion from frost. The fayorite protection,
artificially available, is q dense layer Of
smoke from fires built on the windward side
of the spot to be cared for the effect of
the stratum Of smoke being to contine
radiation to its upper layers, and to con-
serve the surface heat, by which the tenn
perature fall will be greatly diminished. It
is known that the temperatures within
cities, where observations are generally
n ade, run ten degrees to fifteen degrees
higher than in the lowlands of the neigh
borhood where frosts are liable. This cir
cumstance is kept fully in mind hy the
forecasters of the weather bureau when
issuing frost warnings for any district.
Weather Facts for the Month,
The following data, compiled from the
weather bureau records at Washington,
D. c., cover the period of twenty-five years
for the month Of October, and should prove
of value and interest in anticipating the
more important meteorological elements
and the range within which such yaria-
tons may be expected to keep for the COM
ing month: Mean or normal temperature,
81 degrees; warmest month, 1881, average
63 degrees; coolest month, 1876, average, 81
degrees; highest temperature, 90 degrees,
on Sd, 1879; lowest temperature, 26 degrees
on 31st, 1893; average date on which first
killing frost occurred in autumn, Oc-
tober 20; average date on which last kill
irg" frost occurred in spring, April IA;
average precipitation for the month, 1927
riches; average number of days with O1 of
an inch or more, 8; greatest monthly pre-
cipitation, $50 inches, in 1885; least month
ly precipitation, 90 inches. in 1874; great
est amount of precipitation recorded in
any twenty-four consecutive hours, 1888
inches, on 18th, 1877; no aILreciable amount
of snow fall has been recorded in any Oc-
tober record extending to winter of 1875
cn1v). average numhtr of clear davS