The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-01-25
VERY UNUSUAL WEATHER
An Exceedingly Mild Winter Thus Far, But
Colder Weather Is Promised.
FOSTER SAYS Thai N FEBRUARY
Some Cold weather May lie Expect
ed-some Reasons. for Present
Conditions.

Yes, this weather is rather unseason-
able" remarked Mr. ]. "A, McNabb. IN
charge OF the local weather bureau 10
Post representative yesterday.
How do you account for it?' was
asked
| II don't attempt to account Tor it az
! all, replied Mr. McN35o. 1T IS pure
! ly scientific question and as / anu not
an expert in that line l don't propose
10 talk about something know nothing
about. My business Is simply to report
climatic conditions TO the United States
weather bureau as l find them am
not supposed to make any forecasts or
predictions. as any opin on l might give
upon the subject, net being an expert,
! would be absolutely worthless, and
! don't propose TO court controversy Old
/ weather prophets, however, have always
/ contendcd that open winters always fol
low storm during the fail equinox, and
\ as We have had the storm and a very
/ pronounced one, we are now enjoying
/ the open wnter
i My thermometer record shows that
In December, 1899, the min mum temper
azure VS. 325 on December II a1d the
i maximum II on December l. We had
ice on December 10 and IL. 1899, and i1U
4 inches OF rainfall that month.
In December. 1900. the lowest ther-
mometer was SO on December p with
4 o.i2 incnes OF rainfall during The month
NO record OF the maximum temperature
was kept during thst month
In January. 1900 the lowest lher-
mometer was e5 on the 30th. the highest
z m hn of, r.I -.
month, with ice reported twice
Thus far this mon h the loves: Their
, momeler was 81 on the 10TH. the highest
IS on the 22d and the Thermometer sim
fingers In the seventies
J While there is always a warm spell
about this time every winter, IL is gen
' eral.y preceded by some cod weather,
but this winter there has been tdus far
no cold weather Of any consequence.
roster predicts. however that We
VIII have cold weather in February and
March, he skiing the next cold spell for
the iirst ten days in February,
Discussing the present unusual weather
in the Kansas City Journal, Prof L. J..
Blake OF the Kansas university, at Law
renee, says that the present fine, even
weather, Chat extends practically all over
year. is due to the spots an the sun He
was talking to 3 reporter for the Journal
about This yesterday.
The spots on the sun" SAID he "nre
, really great solar storms or disturbances
+ similar TO the storms we have on THIS
eauth, only tremendously large. One will
be as big as the whole United states .
Naturally the sautting of Of heat and
power over so vast an area VIII have its
| m
, feel II. series " sun spots Will cause
a Tremendous disturbances on this globe.
= 1t has been observed that sun Spots
= move in cycles. OF about eleven years
= they Increase 10 their maximum for about
q | four years, when they are something
:. frighfw; then Il takes about seven years
n Tor them to cool of and reach a mini
mum. Then, for the coming four years,
they increase.
ut has been ascertained that the years
Of great atmospheric disturbances are
these when the sun spots ure at the max
imum OF their activity, and that years OF
mildness and comparative freedom from
y storms are hose when the sun spots have
cooled down TO minimum. This year,
or rather approximately 1900, is the time
OF the minimum Of the spots. The con
" sequence is that we have had equahlc
fair and, generally speaking. fine weather
, II has been gradually getting SO Tor about
a. a while yet. In fact. should say that
- for about another year THE weather would
- be good And then for the coming six
years. 1t VIII get worse and worse, till
. 1t reaches the time when the spots are
- vicious again,
'Ot course, you understand that all this
" is said in The most general way, Phe-
e nomena such as sun spots are too great
Z entirely TO be confined to one place, OF
" even one continent, The whole earth is
considered in this view OF the situation
. and II we could have weather reports
u from all over the world. Ut would be sus-
. tanned by their general average.
J. "Famiues and crops feel this same in
r huence. and so do financial conditions
d The last stress we felt in the United
: States was in 1884, or seven years ago
Nheu the spots were at max mlm. And
think he last great famine in the far
East was about tina, same time. One
reacts on the other; the panic follows
" some time after the failure in crops and
II the latter is uudouhte eddy caused 10y these
/. atmospheric disturbances caused by The
i, sun spots.
" so as regards the winter Of f900-1
II and me summer before II, which have
been far more equable ana freer from
II severe storms thnn the average. be
;. lieve that this IS caused by tine sub
sjaence of the disturbances on the sun
q which are now fewer end smaller thar
= they Will be for four years 10 come
!, Gradually We feel The stress Of their &C
/; ,ivty as they grow in magnitude, ta II
about four yeats we VIII have some more
y CT the c9l3mites that made us tTembl
Il seven years ago. We haven't had bii
70 storm. outside of the Galveston calamity
OF late years, YOU remember.
Another thing regarding weathe
!, which we are trying to learn more aood
is what effect the subvlolet rays OF ign
'e have on the electricity in the atmos
IL phere. These rays are darker than HI
ig violet ones in the solar spectrum, an
A It Is believed that electricity is throw
a into cur atmos-here ny them. This cleo
A. tricsty is stirred up by storms. II !
what pufis out thunder clouds and make
r, them lock hillowy. We are not sure We
Pr what the ultimate fate OF this eleetriei,
IN Is. but we think that gradually II /
m poured more and more into the upper an
M driven there by the disturbances belo'
an It. and that this pnper air is heeomin
~ fuller and fuller CT IT, We have yet
IN ascertain. however, Just whether or no
"a this causes more thunderstorms ma
there were Formerly heard Of; old 10
viii say that we have more nowadays
You know