The Indianapolis journal., 1897-09-26
THE EQUINOCTIAL GALES.
They May Come Any Time from the
9Th to the 3Oth of September.

An article is going the rounds of the lake
press to the effect that Sept. Il dates the
beginning Of the fan succession of storms
known as the equinoxes. Weather Inspec-
tor Conger says this is as old the hills
and entirely a fallacy. Then he paws
through a lot of old records and effectually
proves that the equinoXes may begin as
early in the month as Sept; s. and as
late as Sept 90; that Sept q has no more
to do with them than has any other day in
the month. In all the Septembers of the
nineteen years prior to 1890 this port saw
but one storm reaching more than forty
miles an hour velocity-on Sept. 3, 1889. On
Sept. %, 1894, the velocity was forty miles
an hour; on the 18th, 1896, thirty miles
He says the fall stormy period on the
the month and continue through to the end
of the navigation season and beyond it.
Storms have been known to drive vessels to
shelter in the latter part of August; they
are quite rare then, though not so rare as
storms in June and July. Few storms have
their origin in the lake region. The illimit-
able arctic northwest gives them birth, and
the lakes attract them and help them along
when they get here. Many come in off the
Pacific ocean, caused originally-and this
applies to all Wlndstorms-by meeting OF
extremes Of warm and cold air, which
causes the gyratory motion called gale.
For instance, conditions may be such that
the air above bee ONE heavy and drops down
by the gravity process. This air piling
down on the air below packs it down all
the harder and the barometer shows the
pressure on it by dropping down according
ly. Finally the air beneath finds a means
of escape and begins to ascend. While it is
going I'D the heavier air is going down.
and then begins the series of gyratons
that cause commotion in the atmosphere.
Then the motion of the earth from west to
east carries the gale with it.
The Rocky mountains may be called the
great protector of the country from storms,
because nearly everything that strikes them
is broken up into comparatively small frag-
ments: at the same time they have a con-
dition of descent from the high altitude
with cold air to the low altitude with warm
air that helps to energiZe the storm In
many cases fragments of the storm escape
to this side of the great divide and meet
conditions that tend to accentuate their
strength and they go on, increasing in bulk
and power
AS water always attracts storms owing
to the peculiar qualities il imparts to the
air above it, the lake region rarely escapes
one of them. Thev can travel up this way
from the great Southwest, where similar
conditions have formed them. Some storms
before reaching the lakes meet with condi-
tions that kill them or weaken them, and
they either pass out of existence entirely
before reaching the, lakes or end here with
a little splutter that hurts nobody
The fall and spring are the great periods
for lake storms, and people are interested
mainly in the storms that come when the
boats are running, because then the air is
colder and gives them the greater energy
Storms begin in the far-off country just
frequently during the summer months; but
at that time there is greater regularity in
the barometer and the air is warmer, and
they die long before they reach this far