The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-08-07
ALAsKA's CLIMATE

Statement by Chief Moore OF the Weethei
Bureau - There Are Two Distinct eli.
mates-That Along the Coast Is Fairly
Temperate, While That of the Intersos
Is Exceedingly Rigorous-sorue Onici~l
Figures
WASHINGTON. July 31.-Under the dr.
rection of Secretary of Agriculture
Wilson, Chief Moore of the weather
bureau has made public a statement in
regard to the climate of Alaska. II
this statement Mr.. Moore says:
THE climates of the coast and the
interior of Alaska are unlike in any re-
spects, and the differences are intensi-
fed in this, as perhaps in few other
countries. by exceptional physical con.
ditions. The fringe of islands
that separates the mainland from
the Pacific ocean from Dixon sound
north, and also a strip of the main
land for possibly 90 miles back from
the sea, following the sweep of the
Goa as it curves to the northwest
ward to the western extremity OF
Alaska, the temperature rarely falls
to zero; winter does lot set in until
December ]. and by the last of May the
snow has disappeared except on the
moutains.
The mean winter temperature OF
Sitka is 32.5 but little less than that OF
Washington, D. C. The rainfall OF
temperate Alaska il notorious the
world over. not only a. regards the
quantity that falls, but also as to the
manner of its falling, viz: In long and
-nnepa- ~ a. l.s-,1. 1@EI
and fog naturally abound, there being
an average but 66 clear days in the
year.
North of the Aleutian islands. the
coast climate becomes more rigorous in
winter, but in summer the difference is
much less marked.
1.-The climate of the interior, includ-
ing in that designation practically all
of the country except a narrow fringe
of coastal margin, and the territory
before referred to as temperate Alaska,
is one of extreme rigor in winter with
a brief but relatively hot summer, es-
pecially when the sky is free from
clouds.
I'm the Klonkike region. in midwin-
ter, the sun rises from $3.50 to 10 a. M,
and sets from 2 to 3 p. m, the total
length of daylight being about four
hours. Remembering that the sun rises
but 4 few degrees above the horizon,
and that it is wholly obscured on a
great many days, the character of the
winter months may easily be imag-
ined.
1--WE are indebted to the United States
coast and geodetic survey for a series
of six months observations on the
Yukon, not far from the site of the
present gold discoveries. The obser.
vations were made with standard in
struments and are wholly reliable.
The mean temperatures of the months
October, 1881, to April, 1890, both in
elusive. are as follows: October, SO
deg; November, s deg; December, IL
deg. below zero; January, Il below
zero; February, Is below zero; March,
6 above; April 20 above.
1.-The daily mean temperature fell and
remained below the freezing point (32
deg.) from November 8. 1889. to April
81. 1890. thus giving 16s days as the
length of the closed season of lSS9-90,
assuming that outdoor operations are
controlled by temperature only.
The lowest temperatures registered
during the winter were: 80 deg. below
zero in November; Al below in Decem-
Der; SO below in January; 55 below in
February; 45 below in March, and 26
below in April.
1.-The greatest continuous cold &C.
Cured in February, 1898, when the
daily mean for five consecutive days
was A degrees below zero.
Greater cold than that here noted
has been experienced In the United
States for a very short time. but never
has it continued so very cold for so
long a time. In the interior of Alaska
the winter sets in as early as Septem-
Der. when snow-storms may be expected
in the mountains and passes. Roadway
during one of these storms is impossi-
BILE, and the traveller who is overtaken
by one of them is indeed fortunate if
he escapes with his life.
''The changes of temperature from
winter to summer are rapid owing to
the great increase in the length of the
day.
THE mean summer temperature, in
the interior, doubtless ranges between
so and 20 degrees, according to eleva-
ton, being highest in the middle and
lower Yukon valleys"