The Washington herald., 1907-06-04
WEATHER MAN VEXED
Baffled byCOnditiOns; Blamed
by the Public.
REFUSES TO MAKE a GUESS
"Bay be Nice, May Not" He Says
Craftily. with One Eye on BarOm-
tion of Friz1ly Hodge-pOdge Called
ain the Good Old Summer Time"

Uncle Sans weather experts are up IN
the air over present climatic conditions.
They do not know the direct cause of the
cold spell In April and May which threat
ems 20 continue on uninterruptedly
throughout the summer, but they are
fully advised as to the immediate provo
cation for the temperature that promises
10 put the summer resorts out Of busl-
ness and infiict irreparable damage on
the crops OF the land. 1t was and is
due TO an abnormal distribution Of at
mospherlc pressure and nothing else.
What about the report that the spell
was caused by the globe being jolted out
of its course?" one Of the weather ex-
perts was asked yesterday.
Foolish he replied.
How about conditions in the moon and
other planets Have they had anything to
do with it?"
NO" thundered the expert. ona eve
taking in a barometer near by and the
other resting on the lowering clouds.
ITO tell the truth. young man. we're
| nabbergasted clean habbergasted. and
the worst of II all is" he continued in a
voice Choked with emotion we are held
| personally responsible by thousands Of
idiots throughout the country
Some people say that since the Mar
Unique disaster In 1892 the summers have
been cool; that's so, isn't it?"
Yes, that's So snapped the weather
/ man.
Earthquake Not the Cause.
Did the disturbance at Martinique and
! other Ike eruptions throughout the world
| put the weather out Of ioint2"
! Nothing TO that theory was the re-
ply. 1t was explained long ago. We
are having earthquakes, tornadoes, and
the like every day. They don't affect the
weather. They kick up a great fuss with
/ in a small radius Of their activities. but
that Is all.
Now. I'll tell you the direct cause OF
/ the abnormal weather Of May and April
| but what's behind il we don't know No
/ body knows. It's one Of the problems OF
/ meteorologv that We are trying % solve
/ The abnormal weather ia May and April
[ was due. as / said 20 the distribution Of
! har0metric pressure. During these two
/ months the pressure has been unusually
/ high in the northern attitudes and UG-
/ usually low in the southern ATTITUDES. The
/ natural result Was an abnormal or uu-
/ equal distribution Of pressure causing an
/ inflow Of the northern and colder winds
! from the north 60 the south. The pres
I sure always flows from the high toward
| the low and I'm the case Of the barometer
/ being low iu the south and high in the
north, We thus account for the preva-
/ lence Of cold winds in the South.
Don't ask what caused the high pres
/ sure in the North for I don't know. We
/ are studying the distribution Of pressure
/ over the entire hemisphere and when we
/ find out about il everybody viii be ad-
/ yised
/ Cannot Blame the sun.
A good many people think that solar
/ conditions may be responsible for the re-
/ cent brand Of weather. We have records
Of solar conditions for the past fifty or
sixty years They were taken after very
| elaborate and paiHstaFing comparisons
made with terrestrial weather conditions
The results have been negative largely
They teach MS nothing that illuminates
the pressnt-day climatic puzzle
/ Among other things. 10 IS recognized
/ that the moon has a slight effect upon
/ barometrical pressure. II IS too slight
! however. 10 effect any changes In thC
weather great many people know that
/ the changes Of season are due 10 astro-
! nom!cal causes and. OF course, they jumI
/ % the conclusion that the explanation oi
/ the present dOdhlasted weather is simple
/ We're up against il good and hard, anC
when asked to tell all about present con
ditions. and We reply that we can't do so
people want % know why in blazes Uncle
sam is paying 100000 a year 10 maintain
! a Weather Bureau"
The attention Of the weather man Wa'
/ directed to the fact that il was cold ant
wet last week, that e was cold yesterday
and that it might be cold next week, oi
continue unreasonable throughout tht
year.
Not willing 80 Guess.
You know what has happened h'
said; "as 70 what is in store for Us.
make no predictions. We might have
said in the middle of May that the coij
spell would not continue another week
| but we didn't. and We are not prepared
to make any guesses as 10 how Ions
present conditions will continue"
The records Of the Weather Bureau tel
! some interesting stories about frosts anl
/ cold winds in the gentle spring and IL
the good old summertime For three ol
four DAYS In April, 1895. fruit and vege
! tation was injured by frost In Atlanti,
/ Coast States from New Jersey to South
Carolina.
In May. 1894. for q period Of three ol
/ four days. the temperature was very low
/ for that season from the Missouri VALLEY
I to the Atlantic Coast, and snow fell Il
| Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Tennessee
Southwestern Virginia, and the mountain.
Of North Carolina
In May, 1895. heavy frost killed early
vegetation and fruits IN Northwestern
/ Pennsylvania and Western New York.
other Cool Waves.
From August % TO "a. 1890, a frost-bear
ing cool wave advanced from the Dakotaj
over the Lake region and the interior o
mountain districts Of the Middle Atlantic
States. In the latter part Of the SAM
month In 1892 q cool wave advanced
from the Rocky Mountain and plateau
regions, with frost. and from New Mexic,
over the Dakotas. Iowa. Minnesota
Northern Wisconsin, and Northern Michi
gan.
I'VE can hold out no hope but at tn
same time let no one despair We MAJ
have weather soon. and we may not; w
make no predictions, mind that now,
the weather man remarked
In conclusion. the weather man said:
Il do not believe in moon or planet
having any apprcciable effect on tn
terrestrial weather. The sun alone is {,
be considered, and l hope there is som,
II ground for the belief that the physicis
may shortly give US information regard
ing solar radiations which may assis