The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-12-09
SCIENTIFICALLY HANDLED.
What Observer Bauer Says About the Phe-
nomenal Combination.

What Observer Bauer Says About the Phe-
nomenal Combination.
Wednesday Observer Bauer, in
charge of the United States weather
bureau of Columbia, was seen by The
State and asked to furnish some light
on the peculiar storm. He gave The
State the following, which will be OF
peculiar and general interest:
Today's storm is the result OF com
bination of circumstances under which
alone this section of the country ever
experiences weather, the like OF which
is common in more northern latitudes.
On Saturday a storm centre devel.
oped in the Gulf of Mexico and took
an east.northerly course, moving
across Alabama and Georgia to the
coast, and thence over the ocean fol-
lowing closely the Gulf Stream, a path
usual for south Atlantic storms. The
influence of that storm began to be
felt in Columbia on Sunday evening,
when the wind suddenly changed
from the south 10 the northeast, and
shortly atterward rain began and con
tinued until Monday night, by which
time the storm had moved so far to
the eastward that its influence was no
longer felt in this section, and clear
ing weather could be expected The
charted weather on Tuesday morning
showed that storm of considerable
energy had appeared to the southwark
of Florida, causing the northeast
winds to continue in this vicinity all
day Tuesday. and by the middle OF the
afternoon light rain began again due
to the second storm.
This second, or Florida storm, had
its starting. point far to the eastward
of the first or Gulf storm, and its CEN
tre probably did not at any time touch
the mainland.
The course of the second storm was
along the Gulf Stream. practically
parallel to the coast. The above out
lines the first part of the combination,
aad would in the summer time have
given this section only precipitation
in the form of rain.
The second part of the combination
of conditions, and to which is due the
moisture of rain, ,sleet ard snow which
marks the unusual character of this
storm, was a vast area Of high barom-
eter with unusually low temperatures
covering almost the entire continent,
excepting only the southeastern por-
tions of the United States, and includ'
lug South Carolina, Georgia and
Florida. As has already been stated,
the prevailing winds were from the
northeast and north since Saturday
night, flowing into first the Gulf and
then the Florida storm. and gradual
ly lowering the temperature approx
mating the degree of cold from whence
the winds came.
The foregoing explains the phenom.
ena of snow and sleet so early in the
season, which, had it come two Or
three months later, would not have
been at all remarkable.
To explain why such a storm was
possible so early would require re-
view of the weather of the entire
month of November just ended, and
behind that the more difficult and i'm.
possible question why November ex'
hibited the weather it did over the en-.
tire North American continent, for
the latter question is beyond the ken
Of meteorology in the present stage OF
its advancement. However, the accu.
rate observations of the weather bu.
reau afford a basis of comparison be.
tween the past months weather and
that of the previous years weather,
and also enables certain deductions to
be made as to the results that are like
~ to follow certain types of condi'
tions. By this means the possibility
and more than that, the probability of
the present weather can be explained.
Briefly stated, November exhibited
abnormal weather over the entire
range of observation, especially dur
ing the latter portion of the month.
The climate and crop bulletin OF the
weather bureau for the month of No
vember, 1896, gives a terse summary
of the temperature conditions, as fol-
lows: November, 1896. has been a
month of very exceptional. tempera,
ture conditions. + + The most note
worthy feature of the month was the
exceptionally low temperatures which
prevailed almost continuously through
out the month from the upper Missis
sippi valley westward to the north
Pacific coast, giving most remarkable
departure from the normal, the def
cheney being greatest over Montana
and the western portions of the Dako
tas, where it ranged from Is to 81 de
grees per day throughout the month.
Over the entire region from the north
Pacific coast to the upper Mississippi
valley, the average daily deficiency
generally exceeded s degrees per day.
On the middle Pacific coast, over the
central plateau region and middle
Rocky Mountain slope, the month av-
eraged colder than usual, but the de-
fciency in temperature was generally
slight"
Extreme low temperature and ex
treme high barometer readings are
generally coincident. In other words,
when the barometer pressure is high
the temperature is low. In the sum
mer type of weather there exists an
area of quite stationary high barome
ter far to the northward of the borders
of the United States, and storms gen.
orally form near, when it is remem,
bered that continental distances are
considered, the southern edge moves
to the southwark, further south dur.
ing some years than on others, and
consequently the area of probable
storm development moves also farther
south. If this deduction is true it should
follow that during the November just