The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-13

| / taken place 1t occurred the
1st of March. There may be other
IGTTSYI cold days during this month, and
even next, but they will not be
recognized as part of the winter, for the
government says that December, January
and February shall constitute the three
winter months, and If there any cold
spells before or after this they are not
counted in as part of the winter, but only
as extremely cold days in either spring or
fall This last winter has been one OF the
coolest that the local weather bureau has
had TO deal with for number of years.
No one who has had to go out Of doors
much this winter but has realized that II
has been very cold for three months, but
the temperature has not only seemed cold,
but it has been officially cold, and there is
decided difference between mere personal
impressions and official figures in the mat
ter of the weather 1t is remarkable when
the two are sometimes compared what
great variance is manifest.
AS an instance of this, the other morn
ing the city shivering with an arctic
temperature. AS a matter of. fact it was
not unusually cold for winter morning,
but the fact that the wind was coming
from the northwest and was blowing what
cold there was across town at a forty-mile
clip, pressing it against the chilly faces
and through every crack and barrier of
warm clothing, made il seem fifteen de-
grees colder than il really was. There
have been many such days during the last
winter, but then there have been quite
number when every one, indoors and out,
realized that ii was cold and needed no
official figures from the weather man to
prove 1t.
The weather bureau has been established
thirty-three years. and there is on record
just one winter colder than this last one. the
difference between the two being very little
In the winter of 1855 the mean tempera-
ture was 1916. and this last winter it was
23S, which made a difference of two-tenths
of a degree. That was all that kept this
winter from being a record breaker and as
it is 1t will give the oldest inhabitants
something to talk about until the next
record-breaking winter comes along The
old weather prophets have been reciting
tales of the cold and hardships that oc-
CURED in the winter of 1885 ever since
that year. and because several of the pre-
vious winters have been exceedingly mild
many of them thought that change of
climate was taking place. and that this
whole part of the country was getting
warmer; but the cold weather of the three
last winter months. which started along in
November, exploded this idea, and those
who predicted the change of climate had
to look for excuses for the return of the
cold weather.
Another thing that made this winter so
disagreeabe that ii very stormy,
and there was snow on the ground the
greater part of the time. There is an old
loa& e Co. 10 l,@
on whichever day of the month the first
snow falls there will be that number dur
ing the winter. Just the exact number that
was to occur this winter is rather confus-
ing from the fact that each one who made
a prediction has different number. and on
inquiry among many of the old Inhabitants
it was found that the snowfalls would be
between twenty-five and thirty-nine. Now
the question is, what constitutes a snowfall?
Is ii every time a few flakes fall from the
sky, or does il take whole day Of showing
to make one snowfall?
WHAT A SNOWFALL is.
w. T. Blythe. who has charge of the
local weather bureau. when asked how
many snowfalls had occurred this last win
ter. wanted to know what the questioner
called a snowfall, whether it was a mere
trace of snow or days showing The gov
eminent does not recognize snowfall un-
less when it melts it will be equal to one
hundredth of an inch of rain. To get this
it generally take a whole day of showing
SO practically snowstorm that lasts TWEEN
ty-four hours Is looked upon as a snowfall
by the government. There were twenty
four SHOWS last winter that the government
recognized as snowfalls, which is an ex-
ceedingly large number for this locality.
And the falls of snow altogether, counting
traces which the average person would
think was snowstorm. were thirty-eight,
so the man who prophesied thirty nine
came very near getting il right.
December of last year was an exception
from the fact that IT was colder than that
month generally Is. The mean temperature
for December last winter was 24-2 degrees,
which is considerably below the normal
average, and therefore II was the coolest
December that the weather bureau has any
record Of The same month in the winter
of 1885 was much warmer, the mean tenn
perature being 32.2 This winters Decem-
Der average was five degrees lower than
that OF the same month in the preceding
year. 1902, which was on the whole a rather
mild winter. The warmest December was
in 1889, which was comparatively warm
winter. The mean temperature for that
month during that year was 46.S.
January, which is always known as the
coolest month of the year because il is i'm
the middle of winter had an average tenn
perature of % degrees. This, however was
not the coolest January that has been
known, for it had one predecessor which
holds the record. In 1898 the mean temper-
allure for January was l7.9, which is the
coolest month on record. In 1878 the aver
age temperature of this month was lower
than during last winter That wear the
mean temperature was 1913. A year ago
the mean temperature came UP to 26S In
| thirty-three years there have been eighteen
Januaries where the temperature has
ranged between average of % TO 2S de-
grees. This is lower temperature than
| any other winter month has for there have
only been fifteen Eebruaries in which the
range OF temperature was between % and
29 and of this same month there were
seventeen Where the average was between
80 and 80. In 1882 the average temperature
of February was ~ degrees In January
/ there have only been twelve in tkirty-three
| years where the mean has ranged between
! 80 and - degrees. In the month of Decem-
/ Der the records show warmer weather and
/ there nave been twelve Defenders where
/ the mean temperature was between "A and
/ %. while there have been sixteen with an
average temperature between 81 and 80
FEBRUARY'S. TEMPERATURE.
| February, for the first three weeks. was
/ going ahead steadily as a record breaker
/ Then three warm days occurred They
were not summer days by any means. but
they were warm compared TO what had
been. These days were the 2lst. 22d and
| 23d. which brought the mean temperature
for the month up again toward average
| figures. After that came another cold
| wave. that February averaged very well
with the other winter months. The mean
| temperature was p degrees so il did not
| turn out abnormally cold month. al
| though II was cold.
| The difference between last winter and
the other cold winters was. say the
| weather bureau men, that IL was prac-
| too lv ona LONG cold uyaVa Haratnfora