New-York tribune., 1899-12-24
THE PROGRESS or WINTER.

Tho December solstice is now past and tue
tin,o is NJ hand when the lowest temperatures
of the year are usually experienced NO eApec-
tation Of anything particularly severe III the iln
mediate future however. Is justified by the re-
cent past Beyond three or four modest cold
'snapS" attended with delightfully."- DraclhS
air there has been no suggestion OF real WINTER
In the East. There has been no snow TO shovei
and no outdoor skating TO tempt the venture
some. Much less has there been any sign OF an
ice crop. West OF the Mississippi. Also the sea
son has been mild one. Early last week me
mercury was forced more than twenty degrees
below zero in Montana for the first time. but II
might have gone ton or twenty degrees further
without behaving in an abnormal manner An
other marked characteristic OF the fall and win
ter in the East is their dryness. There has been
nothing like the proper rainfall for months In
the Atlantic STATES and NewEngland.
This mild. bright weather has favored holiday
shoppers and those who had holiday goods to
sell But retailers Of certain staple lines OF
merchandise notably clothing, have enjoyed
lighter patronage than they would otherwise
have received. This circumstance. like the say
ing in fuel bills represents financial gain by
one element in the community and loss by
another.
The influence Of the drouth has been felt to a
greater degree, perhaps. than that Of the unsea-
sonably high temperatures. II has perceptlbly
affected the water supplies Of score Of cities,
and In some Instances has compelled The au-
thories to deal out dregs instead Of the usual
volumes of pure fluid. Manufacturers have
suffered seriously, too Those who have relied
on water for power have been compelled In
many cases to substitute steam II they had the
proper facilities for doing so, or else TO suspend
operations altogether In some Industries, more
over like paper making, a liberal amount of
pure water is desirable for other purposes than
power And the lack Of it cXces deep solici-
tudc AS yet the farmers and lumbermen have
not been harmed to any alarming extent. There
IS still time for such precipitation as will enable
the latter to market their logs and afford the
former water for their live stock and moisture
for their crops. But both farmers and lumber
men are already troubled with grave misgvngs.
The temperature conditions and rainfall In
any part Of the country depend largely
upon the routes and intensity OF the baromctric
depressons that continually crossing tho
continent from west TO east. And the paths II
not the severity OF storms are In turn controlled
TO n considerable degree by the position and
magnitude OF certain sub-permancnt high press
ure buffers on land and sea. Thus far this
season the disturbances have been compara-
lively light, and they have taken courses which
brought the metropolis within the milder winds
OF each system rather than tho colder ones. As
a rule, the storms have travelled by way of the
Lakes and 81. Lawrence Valley, and not the
Ohio Valley and New England coast The few
which have originated in the Southwest-a dan.
GCrous quarter for the vicinity of New-York-
have been compelled 10 go up to the lake region
rather than out across Tennessee and Virginia
Had they taken the latter path their effect on
temperatures would have been very different
The tendency Of somewhat abnormal sirua
ton TO persist. when once fairly established
has long been recognized. BUT Of course this
phenomenon has its limits. \ reaction comes
sooner or later and the balance Is restored \
rcadiustment eventually occurs which changes
the routes Of the depresslOns II not their sever.
ity. and the weather then betrays new trnits
The temperature, humidity, rainfall and wind
direction show fresh eCcentricties Oncn or
twice this winter II has looked as IL new chan.
ter OF history was about TO be opened but tho
indications have thus far proved fallacous. and
mild, dry weather has continued to be the rule