Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-08-29
July Was Hottest Month Ever
Known in Iowa.
0TIUMWA NOT THE ONLY HOT CITY
The Weather in This City Was Hot,
But No Hotter Than the Average
for the state-sisourney Reports
113 Degrees.
Well, 1 don't know.
1t wasn't SO warm,


There were other towns in Iowa
just as hot as was Ottumwa in July,
and there were some where the mer-
curry simple ran way from itself and
from Ottumwa's record. Sigourney, a
slow little town in Keokut county, re-
ports a temperature of 113 de-
grees on July %, the day whel
Ottumwa's temperature ran high
er than ever before. But the
mark here was 1917. Then Ottum-
vans thought they were melting, and
it is very probable that if the other
cities had been moving as fast as this
one and business had been carried on
with so much push and energy, heat
prostrations would have been report
ed from Sigourney, with her tempera-
| ture of 113, Abba and Alton with ITO,
Bonaparte with 112, and others.
Last month was the hottest that
Iowa has ever had, according to Di-
rector Sage's monthly review of the
Iowa weather and crop service. TIE
monthly mean temperature for the
state, as deduced from records of 10S
stations, was S2.4 degrees, which is
81 degrees above the normal, and 6
| degrees above the highest mean tenn
peratnre in any previous July record,
which was in 1894. For the sections
the monthly means are as follows:
Northern section, 81 degrees; cen
trail section, S2.S degrees; southern
section, S3.S degrees. The highest
temperature recorded in the state was
| 113 degrees at Sigourney, on the 22nd;
lowest recorded, 46 degrees, at Ma
quoketa, on the Sth. The average
monthly maximum was 1868 degrees;
average monthly minimum 53.S dc.
grees. The greatest daily range was
As degrees, at Gutherie Center; aver
age of greatest daily ranges, 3S1 de-
grees.
Onawa Was Cool.
OF the 10S observers scattered all
over Iowa. but single one (Onawa)
reports the mean maximum tempera-
ture for July below 80. He makes it
S95. Ottumwas mean was $3.50, about
the average. There are a number Of
ninety-nine's in the list and the aver
age ran into three figures at the fola
lowing stations: Clarinda, 1902, Ode
bolt 1902, while Sigourney beats all
competitors with the remarkable ay-
erage of 1922.
| Sigourney also takes the medal for
the hottest day; she is credited with
113 on the 22nd: other high records
were: Abba. 10: Alton. no. Bona
aarte, 112; Eldon. 112: Mooar no,
Ovid, 112; Pella. 10; Wapello, Ill;
Burlngton's high mercury mark was
107.
Light Rainfall.
The average rainfall for the state
as shown by the records of 1877 sta
tons, was 2.34 inches, which is 134
inch below normal. The average for
July, 1900, was 6.15 inches. Ottumwa
had but .72-inch. Red Oak received
the greatest amount of precipitation.
5.97 inches. while a number of stations
reported less than one inch the low
est being Delaware with % inch and
Sac City with .35.
The Review says: July, 1901, broke
all records of monthly means and
daily maximum temperatures in this
state. The figures recording sustain
ed high temperatures for the longest
period ever experienced in this sec
tiop will stand for comparison in fil-
ture years, ana it may be hoped the
new record will remain unbroken DUR
ing The coming century. The monthly
mean for the state, S2.4 degrees, il
81 degrees above the normal, and the
daily average temperature for the
month has been degrees higher than
in July during the great drouth of
1894. The surprising feature in the
crop situation atthe close of the month
was that so large percentage of corn
and other unmatured crops survived
the fiery ordeal of the solar rays, In
tensifed by the hot winds and low
humidity.
The Corn Crop.
AS compared with the conditions in
the drouth of 1894, the destructive eff
fects this season have not been so
great because of the fact that the sup
ply of soil moisture was greater at the
outset and there has been a much
i. larger amount of rainfall in the state
at large. The intense heat and hot
winds destroyed the higher tassels on
the early planted corn, but the great
er portion of the crop was planted
later than usual, and when the force
of the hot wave was broken, about the
9th, there remained sufficient vitality
in stalk and tassel to bring forth the
promise of considerable sound corn.
And there is remaining a crop of fod-
der of very high quality that will be
very valuable in this season of short
age of other forage crops. if it es-
capes damage by early frost and is all
cut up and utilized. The dry weather
was favorable for harvesting hay oats,
wheat and barley, which have been Sc
cured in very excellent condition. The
small grain is unusually bright in col
or and the straw is free from damage
by rust or the effects of wet weather
in the harvest season. So there is
: more than usual feeding value in the
straw that has been properly stacked.
The pastures have suffered great in
jury from effects of the drouth and
overlooking. The late potato crop will
be exceedingly light. Garden truck,
blackberries and raspberries, have
/, been nearly all destroyed and apples
suffered continual deterioration during
the heated period.