The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1906-12-26
WONDERS
Great Achievements of the Gov
eminent Experts.
FORECASTS MADE AWAY H.

FORECASTS MADE AWAY AZ
Farmers Will Soon BE b to F'ick
. Propitious Harvest Week Tar l.,
Advance - American Weather Maps
Row Being Prepared Which viii
Record Conditions Through Siberia.
Beginning Nov. / the United States
weather map will practically be e
tended over the entire northern hemi-
sphere, says a Washington dispatch to
the New York Globe.
Maps are 10 being prepared for use
by the f~orecasters Of the government
which will include Irkutsk, Tomsk and
Ekaterinburg, In Siberia. In addition,
the '1celandic Low" which means the
area Of low winter barometer Of the
north Atlantic, will loon begin making
reports by cable. The opening of cable
service to Iceland, recently announced,
will make this possible.
Already the weather bureau receives
reports from western Europe, includ-
ing London, Paris, Hamburg and a half
dozen points in Great Britain. Every
morning a cable from the Azores GOV.
ers conditions in the south Atlantic re-
gion, including Lisbon, and arrange
ments are now nearing completion for
daily reports from the "Bering Sea
Low" barometric area. In the summer
storm cas- the West indies region is
well reported.
Broadly speaking, the northern hemi-
sphere will after Nov. / report daily
on its weather conditions to the wealth
er bureau at Washington. There will
still be large gaps, as, for instance,
the Aleutian island chain from Alaska
across to Siberia, which will have to
be covered later by governments for
wireless reports or for reports from
steamships crossing the Pacific by the
great circle" route. Nome, Alaska,
will for the time being be the extreme
report from American territory to the
Tar northwest. AS soon as possible
which means when observers can be
engaged-reports from interior Alaska
will be secured.
And beyond this. in the not dis
tant future, there will be an interna.
tlonal weather reporting arrangement,
Just as there is now an international
postal agreement, by which the worlds
weather conditions will be reported in
cooperation, and forecasts will be
made covering long periods of time.
But how long?" was asked Of Chief
Forecaster Garriott at the weather bu-
reau.
1--WE shall be able" he replied, ito at
least notify the Kansas farmer Of the
outlook for weather long enough in ad.
vance to enable him to pick a propi-
tious harvest week. It Is not only i'm.
portant to tell what the weather will
be, but to tell how long it will last; to
forecast a rainy week and a fair week.
I'VE will be able to advise people
when they will be safe in cutting their
hay and allowing it to cure on the
ground or to advise the farmer wheth-
er a coming week will be safe for cut
ting hay. A state fair management
Will be able to learn at the beginning
OF Its week Of entertainment whether
the weather is likely to be good or
whether a postponement would be de-
slrable."
Areas Of low and high barometer
chasing one another v the earth de-
termine weather. In winter the cor.
tinental areas, being colder than the
ocean areas, constitute the areas of
high barometer, while the great water
areas constitute the lows. In summer
these conditions are Just reversed. be-
cause In summer the lands are warm.
er and the a colder.
1t all relates back to the ancient prin.
ciple that heat expands and cold con.
tracts.
The air above a great land area un-
der a July sun extends, rareies, be-
comes light, and. therefore. its weight
Will sustain a less column in the ba-
rometer. So In summer, because It Is
hotter on land than on the seas, the
Tow" areas in general are above the
land areas. In winter, because It Is
warmer over the oceans than the lands.
the atmosphere over the oceans Is
lighter than over the lands. So condi.
dons are reversed, and the 'high' areas
are the land or continental areas, and
The low" are the oceanic areas.
This is the basis Of the whole bust.
hess Of weather fo~recasting.
The greatest land area on earth u
he immense continental plain from St.
Petersburg east to the Pacidc-7,O0O
niles In extent This area has more to
with making weather than any 9th.
" like area on earth because land "a
'ub5ect to greater extremes Of heat and
sold than water. Hence. to forecast
It IL desirable to know condi-
Ions prevailing over this greatest land
yea. It Is this which the weather bu.
eau has now arranged to do.
The arrangements recently closed
With the Central Physical observatory
e 81. P~etershurp will socrro .ooo-A.