Evening star., 1902-01-25
FIGURE NO. L.

Texas, drops from thirty to sixty degrees
in a few hours. The minimum tempera-
lures in the Dakotas, Montana and Mime
sofa range from ten TO fifty degrees below
zero, in the central west six to twenty be-
low, and the limit of zero frequently reach
es to the center OF Texas and east TO Geor-
gia. At such times the line of freezing
weather and killing frosts passes to the
Gulf of Mexico from Texas and cuts across
central Florida to the Atlantic ocean.
The wind or blizzard" conditions follow
ing storms from the southwest is expended
principally in the northwest, the southwest
and lake regions, and the cold is more in
tense in the districts and the southern
states Than Il is in the middle Atlantic dis
tricts.
The greatest severity of blizzard" Is
felt in the middle Atlantic states when a
storm of low pressure passes OF the south
Atlantic coast or centers in this vicinity,
as did the greatest blizzard" in our his
tory that OF March u, 13 and Il, in the
year 1883. On this occasion there was a
union OF two storms. one which came east
ward from the north Pacific ocean to q
point north of Lake Ontario there connect
ing by trough of low pressure with a Sec
ondary storm on the coast of North Caro-
lima. These two. and what appeared to bo
moderate depressions, drew together on
the Atlantic coast in a center reaching from
fatteras to Atlantic City. This happened
on the night of March ii. BY the morning
OF march IL the STERN center was lust or
the immediate coast OF New York its ad-
vance being retarded by an area OF kigh
pressure over the north Atlantic At this
point ana time the storm was quite extern
sive, but diminished as the rotary power
or the storm rapidly increased. Snow was
railing thick and fast. and was being driven
eeout by the high winds into banks from
ten TO twenty feet high at some points. The
temperature was constantly falling until
at 10 p. m. of the 18th II reached four above
zero, The storm continued with unabated
fury throughout the 18th and 18th on the
morning of the 18th IL diminished and the
Scotia
For three days the wind blew gale from
the northwest, with a fine, cutting drifting
snow, and the temperature near zero
never had such a storm been experienced
IN New York many perished in the streets, |
the city was completely cut off from the
outer world, railways were tied mn tela.
graph communication interrupted and the
city streets blocked. 1t was more than a
dition.
New York Got the Worst.
The cities Immediately surrounding New
York suffered heavily during this ''bIiz-
zard,' but none as severe as New York
The term blizzard" first associated with
this storm in the east now remains a house I
hold memory. :!
Figures Nos. 1 and 2 will serve to iIus-
trate the movement of an area of high
pressure possessing the characteristics of n !
blizzard" forcing its way to the west and
south OF, and spreading over the country
in the rear of an area of low pressure or
cyclonio disturbance of considerable rotary
and progressive force
In figure No the word Low marks the
center or the low pressure area, this center
having moved from the west gulf coast
northeastward to its location as shown IN
the central Mississippi valley The dark
area surrounding the center is the section
fallen.
The words High" Indicate the center Of
areas OF high pressure. One is seen on the
north Atlantic coast passing eastward; the
other In the northwest marks the advent IF
new area. The high winds and cold afr
preceded by snow, are pushing their way
southward. as indicated by the curvature
OF the heavy black lines, which are those of
atmospheric pressure and the dotted lines
those of temperature. The figures at the
end of the lines give the degree of cold
zero temperatures and below cover country
IN circle from South Dakota and southern
Montana to northern Colorado, and the line
of 30 degrees, or degrees above the freez-
Ing point reaches within short distance
of the west gulf coast. In twenty-four
hours this storm center moved from the
central Mississippi valley to the north At
lantic coast. Cold weather. high winds and
snow followed closely in its wake although
the high pressure center Jagged, and the
greatest part OF the cold was spent in the
extreme west and southwest.
Travel Fast and Fierce.
"Blizzards' are most frequent In the
northwest, and only the most severe, which
occur in January, February and March,
extend as far south as the gulf coast or
reach the Atlantic. Their average rime In
travelling from Montana to the Atlantic
coast is from thirty-two to forty hours,
and from the lake regions to the middle At
lantic coast twenty-four hours.
In these storms the wind over the western
plains will frequently blow for days at a
time with velocity of from forty to fifty
miles an hour. Regardless of the extremely
low temperature of from 80 to 80 degrees
below zero, person exposed could with
stand the cold, without the wind, but IS
likely to perish in a much higher tempera-
ture when the winds are high.
During the recent blizzard, December Is