Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-04-08
FREAKS OF WEATHER
FOES, WINDS AND STORMS or VA
RED PEcULIARlTiEs.


Upon TERRA del Fuego-The sFohn"
Wind of switzerland snd the Fe-
rocious s.PurEa" OF siberia.
In mountainous countries. such as
Scotland, fog usually forms at the
top OF hill and works downward.
The cold mountain top. cooling warm
current of wet air. renders its moisture
visible. and this cold fog. being OF low
er temperature than the air below aud
therefore heavier. drops gradually to
the valley. Colorado. however, can
show an exception 10 this general rule.
There i'm winter the frost ON the low
ground is SO intense that fog often
forms In the valleys and works slowly
up the mountain side. This IS known
0y sl.a Iadian name OF ''pogonip."
Peru has hundreds OF square miles
aic7g its coast OF rainless country. In
this tract rain is never known TO fan
from one century's end TO another Yet
the region is not entirely barren OF veg
citation. Some parts Of IL. indeed. are
comparatively fertile This is due TO
the extraordinary fogs known as ga
ruas." They prevail every night from
May TO October after a summer that is
sultry and extend up to level OF 1900
feet above the sea. Above 200 feet
rain falls.
The "calina" OF Spain is n FOG we
may be grateful that we do not have.
IL is n dry. yellow mist which some
times hides the sun FOR days at n time
over vast tracts OF country and makes
the sky look as though covered with
leaden gauze.
Another peculiar freak Of weather
we must bc thankful TO escape is the
"williwau." This form OF storm IS
confined to that faroh island TERRA del
FuegD. The coast is indented with
/ deep fords crowned with high noun
tains. Down from their corges drops
/ the ''willwau." 4 low. hoarse muttcr-
ing is heard in the distance. Sudden
/ ". without the least preliminary pun
A fearful blast OF wind drops upon the
/ sea. The water is not raised into
waves. but driven into fine dust For
/ tunately the shock lasts but ten or
/ twelve seconds. and calm follows at
/ once. for no vessel could stand such q
wind for even half a minute. During
the coming and going Of "williwau"
! the barometer may be watched 20 drop
4 tenth OF an inch or more and rise
again at once
Similar in name If not in nature is
/ the willy willy" with which Kal-oor-
| lie gold diCgers are acquainted. 20 their
/ cost. Dust devils" some people call
them. Half dozen may be seen dane
/ ing harmlessly along over the desert
Il.
/ city and ON all the shop windows I'm
\ Hannah street with dust and sand.
binding every passerby. The willy
/ willy" is a thief Of the worst kind. It
Will steal the washing from line or
| the roof from a shed. In some parts Of
/ the country wire ropes are anchored
| over the roofs OF huts To save them
/ FROM the attacks of these odd little
whirlwinds
Most people have heard OF the "fohn"
\ wind of Switzerland. that warm. dry
/ gale which comes over the mountains
/ and in spring viii melt two feet OF
snow in day. Its cause is most pc
/ culiar. The "fohn" comes from the
south. As 10 strikes the Alps il Is wet.
like most gales which have crossed the
sea. but the south face Of the noun
! tains receives It's rain. and as IL crosses
the SUBMITS il is dry. The moving air
current is also compressed and there
fore Dramatically heated. As il falls
into the northern valleys in cataract
OF air il gains heat AZ the rate OF half
Il degree FOR every 100 feet Of descent
IL usually blows for two or three days.
causing great suffering 10y its dry heat
and oppression. While il lasts the tenn
perature is about thirty degrees above
the average. The chinook OF Brit
ish Columbia and the western side OF
the United States is very similar 20 the
"fohn."
England has adopted the American
word blizzard" for gale with snow.
/ But the blizzard. however. must Yield
10 the ierocious Duran" OF the central
steppeS Of Asia and the 'purga" of
northern Siberia. To be caught in gales
/ such as these means death in 4 very
few minutes. however warmly clad, FOR
the very air becomes unbreathable. so
| filled is il with spikes of ice drift.
"khamsin" is the hot wind from the
desert which blows out OF the Sahara
/ upon Egypt. The word means fifty.
from the idea that il lasts for fifty
days. The "khamSin" is terribly hot
and dry and sometimes brings peSti-
| lence with il.
Red snow we have all heard Of. 1t
/ Is caused 10y a microscopic infusorial
/ growth and only occurs in snow that
has lain unmelted for 4 long time In
Spitzbergen recently green snow has
been noted tinted by similar organisms.
Gold dust snow has often been
seen. but only in spring. At one time
it was a mystery how the surface Of
new fallen snow came TO be strewn
with shining yellow deposit. Now it
is known 10 be due 10 the pollen OF
pine trees.--PcarSon's Weekly.
! ChicLcn HnN .lnl snl nIln