The record-union., 1898-08-14
An HOUR WITH BARWICK
THE CAUSE OF HOT WINDS
MADE PLAIN.
Interesting Facts Cleaned From
Uncle Sans Weather.
Bureau.

IOfnlanS, as we'll as to visitors to the
State, that the country embraced in the
great valley that extends from Redding
to Tehachapi Pass is subject, at inter
walls throughout the summer, to the de-
vaStation of hot north winds. Why
do they occur, when do they occur, and
( Isl there any way to prevent them from
damaging the crops? These are ques-
tions of interest TO thousands With a
view Of shedding some light on these
interesting problems a Record Union
reporter visited Observer James A.
! Barwick of the Weather Bureau a few
days ago and CLEANED some pertinent
information that will prove of general
interest.
I'VE are still studying the north
winds and lheir cause" said the stu
dent of barometric gradients and ther-
mometric variations, as he wiped off
beads of perspiration in an atmosphere
that sent the Governments tube of
| mercury up to fever heat, "and we are
pretty sure of one or two things-that
nigh barometers in Washington and
Oregon either precede, or are coincident
with, the hot weather down here When
the barometer is low here and high in
! the north there is sure to be a rush
of wind down this way, and it is like
the breath from furnace
Has anybody in authority ever sug-
| gested a way to prevent these winds
from destroying vegetation" was
| asked.
| Then the man of many figures
reached into a pigeon hole, and, scan
ming report of the department. made
| by Lieutenant Glassford of the Signal
| Corps, said The Lieutenant has a
theory that he can do away with the
| destructive effects of these winds. He
| ccnflded his secret to Joaquin Miller,
/ and L believe the long haired poet and
| some others are trying it on a small
! scale. The theory is that trees planted
IN rows across the valley at frequent
intervals VIII break the force and tenn
per the quality of the wind also di-
vert It's course upward from the fields.
IL Is probably true that the universal
1 observance Of this custom might greet
1 Iy modify the hot siroccos of thu. in
terror"
But, aside from theory, there are
many facts Of great interest in the
known features of the north winds.
Few Of the countless thousands who
nave felt enervated by the same winds
lhat at times wither the crops and
scorch vegetation have ever stopped to
ask why 1t is that breezes from a re-
| slon supposed to be colder than the
great Sacramento and San Joauuin
valleys reach a temperature and drv-
! ness that exceeds all other winds. The
solution Of the problem is put forth
| as follows:
| The late DR., ]. HI. G. Bonta did moro
than any other observer to solve tho
prooIem of the origin of these winds
ne hrst got before him all the data.
anu then reasoned to his conclusions
IKE philosopher, He found that the.
great central valley of the State-known
| as the sacramento and San JOAQUIN
HalleyS-neadS at Redding and extend,
10 1enacnapl Pass in the south. a dis
tance OF 4oO miles, with an average
width OF forty-fve miles. To the east
are the Slerras, with an average hight
| OF o,OOO feet and an average width of
eignty miles; we'll timbered, with heavy
SHOWS on the highest peaks throughout
the year, from which the rivers Of the
valley are fed during the summer. On
the west the Coast Range, with an
| average width of forty miles and an
average hight of 200 feet, with lit-
tie snow at any time. and no timber
| on the eastern pes. Fogs pile in
on the western. STOVES and keen the air
| on the ocean side oderately cool The
Sierra and Coast Range join on the
north near Shasta, and on the south
near Tehachapi, the only opening to
the coast in the entire chain being the
Golden Gate. Thus, it was seen at a
| glance that the valley is walled in on
| poth sides by great mountains. the val
ley itself being composed of gravel
sand, volcanic soil and vegetable mold
to depth of 2,OOO feet.
1t was found that the ordinary north
winds occur about once in two or three
weeks, particularly hot blasts occur.
ring half dozen times during the sum.
mer, While vicious ones come once
every six or eight years Their dura.
tlon Is from one to ten days, with ar
average of three days, The winds
/. usually die away or change to the south
| at night
having in view the fact that the
territory in which the winds occur is
the great region thus walled in by
mountains, it was reasoned that the
cause OF the hot blasts is that the hea-
OF many days is stored up in the sands
| treme southern portion of the valley
Ihls accumulated heat rarifies the air
| WnlcD at once ascends, creating 6
vacuum at the south end Of the valley
! 1yle air from the north rushes in. bu
not fiercely until the heat of the sol
has crept northward and enlarged tn:
vacuum area. Finally the entire are;
of the valley becomes so hot that tht
rising waves of air involve the entire
district in a partial vacuum, where
upon the north wind becomes very Sc
we're. Blowing over the large lava bed:
of Northern California the winds art
quite warm even before they reach TIL,
arid region, where they are intensified
According to the Weather Bureau re
ports the hottest wave that ever dew
astated the State was in June, 1859
when the thermometer was 100 in tn,
shade at Stockton as late as D. M. OF
June Goth. Throughout the State bird
dropped dead from the trees, and tn,
winds burnt the earth like sirocco:
from the Libyan deserts. Hot blasts o.
air drove the people into their houses
fruit dropped almost roasted from thu
trees and metal became SO hot tha
the naked hand could not touch it with
out pain. Fruit trees We're blighted
gardens We're ruined and in som,
places the thermometer reached 10 il
the shade Even at San Francisco tn;
, heat was so intense that the Bulletin
feared the climate had suddenl.
changed. It is said that there is nov
- \, 49, A..