Evening star., 1898-09-01
One Of the Hottest Summers Ever
Known Here.
FACTS TAKEN FROM BUREAU FIGURES
For Forty Days the Temperature
Was go or Higher.
CAUSE OF THE HOT WAVES


of the hottest summers IN its record, and
today enters upon the first month of the
fall season with continuation of the heat
and with no break in sight. AT the weather
bureau today it was said that the chances
were nine in ten that high temperature
would prevail for the remainder of this
week. The tenth chance is the unexpected,
which may happen but does not at present
show upon the weather map.
Yesterday the thermometer registered a
maximum figure of 94 degrees. After dark
last night the temperature fell gradually,
until o'clock this morning. when 1t was
73. At $50 o'clock it began to rise and at
s o'clock it was IS. From that time on the
temperature rose rapidly, and at II 80
o'clock was 80, about three degrees ahead
of the same hour the day before.
The cause of this hot wave as explained
by Prof. Garriott at the weather bureau, is
the same tnat has produced the frequent
and long g-continued hot periods of the sum
mer-an area of low barometer In the
northwest, with high barometer in the
southeast. The effect of this is to cause
winds from the south to bring up the heat
ed air of the southern regions Moreover,
the condition is usually attended by clear
skies. and this results in the sun heating
the air close to the earth and brings about
a stagnation of hot air.
The only relief comes with the moving
eastward of an area of high barometer,
which produces thunder storms, rush of
cold air from, the upper regions and north
westerly winds.
over Wyoming. High temperatures prevail
all eastward of that depression. Back of it
the temperature is low. In the northwest
British provinces it is below freezing. But
that will not do this region any good until
the area of low barometer has drifted all
the way from Wyoming and passed off in
to the ocean. If normal conditions prevail
the cold wave will follow in its rear. At
the weather bureau, however, it is said
that the change is several days on-too
far away, in fact to speculate about.
A Phenomenal Summer
The past summer has been phenomenal
for hot waves in Washington. A review
of the temperature records at the weather
bureau shows that this city has expert
enced frequent periods of ong-sustained
hot weather.
Since June u, when the hot weather real
ly set in, there have been, forty days out
of eighty when the Thermometer ranged at
90 and above. Much of the time it was 94
and many days it was 9s, going as high as
101. The rest of the time it fingered above
So -.
The worst feature of the situation has
been the prolonged continuance of the hot
weather, periods when day, after day the
thermometer kept at 30 and above and the
nights had no recupera ton, in them The
hot weather may be said to have started
June II, when the thermometer Jumped to
W. 1t had been ranging from ST to IS since
the lst of June. For three days It kept in
the nineties, then there was "a period of ten
days in which the heat was perceptible, but
not oppressive tl-.s Il.
June "a the weather commenced upon
record-breaking run of heat The ther-
w hat I-1-f ~
and 18th and 80 on the Both. July came in
with n maximum of 9S on the 1st. 100 ON
the I'd and 101 on the Sd. About the 9Th of
the month there came a cool spell, which
lasted until the 18th. From that time until
the 31st of July the average for each day
was 30 degrees. Only four DAYS in that
time was it below 90.
August came in with 90 temperature,
which ran to 92 and then to 94. From the
10th to the 10th the weather was mod
crate. Then there came a 80 day. and ev-
cry one knows what the last part of the
month has been. e
Daily Average Above Normal.
In July the daily mean temperature was
above the normal from the 1st to 4th from
the 10Th to 23d and from the 25tn to the
close of the month: it was below the nor
NAL from the 9Th to 7th and from the 10th
to l4th; 1t was normal on the Sth, 9th and
24th, the naonth averaging % degrees a
day warmer than the normal. The eX-
tremes of temperature during the month
were: Maximum. 1O1 degrees on the I'd,
and minimum H. 81 degrees, on the 18th.
In August the temperature was above the
normal from the 1st to 4th, on the 7tb and
Sth, from the 10Th to 10TH from the 22d to
10Th and on the Both and 31st; it was below
TIE normal on the 9th and 9th, from the
9th TO 18th, on the 10th and 21st and from
the 9th to 10Th, the month averaging 23
degrees a day above the normal The ex~
tremes of temperature were: Maximum
w, on the 81, 24th and 31st, and minimum
81 on the 2Sth.
The weather bureau records show the fol-
loving mean temperature for two months: