The record-union., 1898-01-21
THE SEASON NOT ABNORMAL.
AND OUR CLIMATE NOT GROW
ING COLDER.
Many Seasons in Which the Cold
Was More Severe and Lasted
Longer.


| ord Union" reporter yesterday visited
the local Weather Bureau officer and
| obtained from Observer Barwick the
| facts and figures given below:
| The following meteorological record
| of the number of days on which the
! lowest or minimum temperature was
| below the freezing point (32 degrees)
| for the winter months of December
January and February, from 1871 TO
and including January 20, 1898 is re-
/ spectively dedicated to that class Oh
citizens who are always claiming that
this climate is changing. II, for, IN
! stance, an unusually cold or an un-
usually hot spell makes its appearance
| then our glorious climate has gone
| glimmering down the corridors OF
| time.
Professor Loomis says that the cll-
mates of the world have not percepti-
| bly, changed in a period Of over 2,oUO
years" So far as local action of man
/ is concerned, in regard to climate, that
! is also an absurdity, when we know
that our rains are brought to US by the
winds, and do not originate at places
where they are precipitated.
/ AS for California, even within so short
| a period as fifty years there has been
experienced extremely wet seasons and
| extremely dry ones extremely cold sea-
| sons and extremely hot ones, while the
| average rainfall and average tempera-
! ture have maintained themselves with
/ in range of few inches, as to rain
| fall, and about three degrees as to tenn
! perature.
! For example, the mean annual tenn
perature, as deduced from a forty years
record, is 60 degrees. The highest an
nual mean was 63 for the years 1858,
| 1864 and 1915. The lowest annual mean
! was 81 in 1880, showing the colder year
| to have been three degrees below the
normal, while the warmest years were
| three degrees above the normal.
| 1t might be reasonable to say that
| the annual mean temeprature at Sac
| ramento will never vary more than
three degrees from the normal.
The difference, then, between the
| years which gave the highest mean
annual temperatures and the one which
gave the lowest is exactly six degrees
A popularity also to be noted is this:
The year which gave the lowest an
nual mean temperature was not the
one on which the lowest temperature
occurred, neither were the years which
gave the highest annual mean temper
atures the ones in which occurred the
highest temperatures.
During the years of high annual
mean temperatures there appears TO
be almost a continuous daily warmth
over the normal condition Of the aver
| age yearly climate of Sacramento
while the contrary holds good during
the year which gives a colder annual
mean, each day usually averaging
little cooler than the normal
Another remarkable coincidence in
the rainfall and average annual tenn
| perature Is this: The average of the
coolest and warmest years combined
Is exactly the sSame as the normal.
which is 60 degrees
The average of the wettest season
(36.36 inehes) and the dryest season
all inches combined is 2054 inches.
while the normal seasonal rainfall for
forty-five years is 1880 inches.
reference is made above to the num-
Der OF days on which the lowest tenn
perature went below the freezing point
OF 81 degrees for the winter months
from 1873 to date. The data is as fol-
lows, and plainly shows that the pres
ent continuous cold weather is not un-
precedented
December - 1877 7-S0-S1- $3.50 $3.50
1926 gave no days with a temperature
below the freezing point; 1873. 10 days,
lowest temperature "a degrees; 1879. 8
days, lowest % degrees; 1882. / day.
lowest y degrees; 1888, 3 days, lowest
"A degrees; 1884, 5 days, lowest 27 de-
grees; 1887, 3 days, lowest % degrees:
1891, days, lowest 26 degrees; 1892,
1 day, lowest 26 degrees; 1893. 9 days.
lowest % degrees; 1894, 1 day, lowest
80 degrees; 1895, 8 days, lowest % de-
grees; 1897, ( days, lowest % degrees
ct will be seen that both December
1873, and 1879 gave more cold days
| than did December, 1879
January-1S7S. days. lowest TEMPER
ature ~ degrees; 1879, 6 days, lowest
- degrees; 1880. 8 days. lowest 25 de-
grees; 1881 no days, lowest 35 degrees.
lSS2, / day, lowest % degrees; 1883.
IL days. lowest % degrees; 1884, / day.
lowest 81 degrees; 1885, no DAYS. low
est "a degrees; 1856, 3 days, lowest 2S
| degrees; 1887, 3 days, lowest so de-
greesi 1888, IL days, lowest 10 degrees;
1883 D days, lowest 81 degrees: 1890 )
days, lowest % degrees; 1891, 3 days,
lowest y degrees; 1892, no days, lowest
- degrees, 1893, no days. lowest "a de-
grees; 1884, days. lowest 26 degrees:
| 1899, l day, lowest 80 degrees: 1896. 3
days, lowest 2S degrees; 1897, no days
lowest 33 degrees; 1898 to the 2Oth). 10
days, lowest, 26 degrees. (There have
been two other Januarys colder than
the present one so far)
| February 1S7S-9-S1 -S5-S S6-SS-9O
92-94-95-96 gave no days with tenn
peI'ature below the freezing point; 1880
| day, lowest temperature 80 degrees;
1882, 2 days, lowest 81 degrees: 1883.
II days. lowest 80 degrees: 1884, 6 days.
/ lowest u degrees: 1887 l day, lowest
30 degrees: 1889, days, lowest 81 de-
grees; 1891, 2 days, lowest. 2S degrees;
1898, l day, lowest, 80 degrees
| 1t will be noticed that long spells Of
cold, frosty days are occasionally re-
| corded in this the last winter month.
| The following data show the number
| of days during the winter season on
which the lowest temperature was be-
| low the freezing point of 81 degrees,
also the lowest recorded temperature.
Winter of 1S77-TS ) days, lowest 27
| degrees: of 1S7S-79. 16 days. lowest
| n degrees: of 1S79-S0. 1S DAYS lowest
- degrees; of 1SSo-S1. none; of 1851
/ 81. 3 days lowest % degrees; of 1882
/ So % days lowest. % degrees; of 1883
/ 81 10 days, lowest 21 degrees; of 1881
| 81 ) days, lowest 27 degrees; of 1885,
s6. 3 days. lowest % degrees; of 1856
| 81. days, lowest 30 degrees: of 1887
ss Is days, lowest 10 degrees: of 1885
! 50. days. lowest 81 degrees; of 1880