The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-03-18
OUR FEBRUARY WEATHER.
Mr.. Thomas B. Jennings Tells Us
Some Interesting Things About It.

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Weather Observer Jennings has COM
pleted his official report for the month
of February. 1t is issued under direc-
ton of Willis L. Moore, chief of the
weather bureau, United States depart
ment of agriculture. Concerning the
month Mr.. Jennings has this to say:
"A warm February, there having
been but one warmer since the Organi-
cation of the service in the state in
1887. The average temperature for the
state in February, 1896, was one degree
warmer than 1898. Every station re-
ports an excess of temperature ranging
from three degrees in the extreme
northeastern counties to seven degrees
in the extreme southwestern; the aver
age mean temperature in the western
division is BIZ degrees, in teh middle,
36.S degrees in the eastern division, 36.7
degrees. The coolest weather in the
eastern counties occurred during the
first three days of the month, and in
the western from the 18th to 21st, While
the highest temperatures for the month
generally occurred on the IA, Is and
18th
over a little more than half of the
state the western, the precipitation
has been deficient, the line of normal
precipitation entering the state through
Republic county and passing southwest
to Cunningham in Kingman whence it
defects to the west and circling around
SO as to include Ford it leaves the state
at the southeast corner of Clark west
of this line it is below normal, east of
it the precipitation is above normal eX-
cept in WyandOtte, Bourbon, Crawford
and Cherokee where it is deficient
amounting to half inch in Wyan-
dOtte, to an inch in Cherokee, and to
1-69 in Bourbon. The greatest excess Oc-
ours in Butler, Sumner and SedgWick,
amounting to 120 at Augusta, 1.23 at
Rome and LIP at Wichita.
The precipitation was mostly in the
form of rain and occurred during the
passage of two storms, the first from
the Sth to the 10th, the second from the
10th to the 18th. The measurable snow
fall occurred in a belt extending from
southwest to northeast, the crest of
which passed through Meade, Ford,
Pawnee, Rush, Russell and Mitchell,
being six inches in Meade and three
inches in Mitchell; in the south the area
of measurable snow extended from Co
manche to the Colorado line, while in
the north it spread out more, extending
from Decatur to the Missouri river.
Strong northerly winds, filled with
sand and dust. swept across the west
ern counties on the 4th and the north
western on the 14th. Thunder and
lightning were quite general over the
eastern portion of the state during the
rain of the Sth 9Th, 10th, and on the
10th lightning struck a barn in Rich
| land township, Butler county, burning
the barn and its contents A Sleet storm
prevailed over the eastern counties on
the 18th, closing with trace of snow
The wheat has wintered we'll and ex-
cept in the southeastern counties, is in
the best condition at this season of the
year, for ten years; the early sown has
a very even stand and the late is COM
ing we'll forward.
SUMMARY.
Temperature Gin degrees F.: Mean
sc g. departure from normal As degrees;
highest monthly mean, 41.9 degrees. at
Meade; lowest monthly mean, 800 de-
grees, at flaming; maximum, a de-
grees, at Meade on 18th; minimum,
below zero at Tanning. on 1st; greatest
monthly range, 20 degrees, at Achilles;
least monthly range, 48 degrees at
Pratt.
Precipitation Gin inches): Total for
state, 121; departure from normal, 0.16;
greatest monthly, 3.O4, at Wichita; least
monthly, 600 at Achilles, Coolidge
Dresden, Garden City, Hoxie, Mack
vile, sharon Springs, Wallace and Wi
mona.
Wind prevailing direction): North
west.
Dates of thunderstorms. g. 9, 10.
Dates of fogs, 8, 9, 10. u, q.
Dates of sleet, 10, IS, 19.
Dates of sand or dust storms, 4, IL
Dates of parhelia, 2, 25, q.
Date of solar halos, %.
Dates of lunar halOS, l, g. z, 8, 10.