The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-08-23
THE WEATHER MAN.
How He Forecasts Atmospheric Condi-
tiOns With Much Precision.


Of weather a certain place will
have, and the reason why his fore
casts often prove to be correct,
make up story of which the
general public knows but little.
In the first case forecasts are
based on barometric readings, u
low barometer indicating a storm,
a high barometer the contrary.
Nearly every one knows this, but
comparatively few people know
that in this country all storms,
with but one exception move in
one direction, and this is true, no
matter what the direction of the
wind may be.
La the United States the gen
eral direction of the motion of all
storms is from west to east, but
they may take any easterly course
that is, northeast, east or south
east-and it is these variations
from the regular course that so
often upset the weather mans
predictions. A storm, therefore,
being reported as raging in any
locality they in charge Of the
weather bureau, assuming that 1t
will take the regular course, pre-
dict similar conditions for points
of that in which the storm is re.
ported as existing. Often his
predictions will come true but
frequently the storm will switch
Its course TO some other eaSterly
direction, and then, to use com
mon parlance, he is up against it.
To this rule that all storms in
the United States move IN one di-
rectlon there is but one eXcep-
tion. This is another class OF
storm sometimes affecting the
country which are called sub
tropical cyclones which first move
toward the northwest, but about
latitude thirty degrees north,
curve around toward the porth-
east and move IN the same direc-
ton as ordinary storms.
The winds circulate around
these storms in a spiral inward
course in the opp site direction
to the movements of the hands of
q watch Therefore, if a storm
passes north of place the winds
will first be southeast, east or
northeast with warm, cloudy or
rainy weather, and will then shift
to northwest, with clearing skies,
but if the storm passes south of
a station the wind will shift from
northeast through north to north
west, and the weather will remain
cold, at first rainy, while the wind
is northeast, then clearing as 1t
shifts to northwest.
The area of cloud and ram ac-
companylng storms is most eX.
tended on the east side, often coy-
erlng hundreds of miles in ad-
vance of the storm centre; while
on the west side the clouds rapid.
ly break, showing clear sky.
The storm centre is the region
where the barometric pressure
is lowest Usually the barome-
ter reads about 30 inches; if 1T is
found to read below 30 90 ) inch
es) itls an indication that storm
is present. The lower the baron
eter, the higher will be the winds,
the more severe the stCrm-and
the heavier will be the rainfall.
An interesting feature IN con
nection with the fact that storms
along the east Atlantlc coast move
from the southwest toward the
northwest, is that the direction
of the storms in that region was
first discovered by Benjamin
Franklin IN 1850. On one occa.
sion Franklin, who lived IN Phila-
delphia, wished to take observa'
tions Of total eclipse of the
moon; he made arrangements
with brother living in Boston TO
take simultaneous observations
there. But a few hours before
the time of the eclipse sc 'ere
northeast storm with rain set in
at Philadelphia, which spoiled
Franklin $ view Of the eclipse.
AS the wind aud rain came from
the northeast Franklin supposed,
of course. that the t)rm came