Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-25
AUTUMN WEATHER BEGINS
FoRECASTER PREDICTS FROST
BEFORE ANOTHER DAWN.
Extension Of the Cool Wave Which
Yesterday Swept the North
west Section.

Jack Frost is expected to visit Washing
ton some time tonight or early tomorrow
morning before the break O. day, according
to Forecaster Garriott. This change from
the recent tropical conditions hereabouts
will mark the entry Of the autumn of 1907,
and it Is believed thereafter cooler condi-
tons will prevail. 1t is the expectation
that early risers tomorrow morning Will
find thin films Of ice on the grass and
shrubbery in exposed places-the first frost
of the season.
Telegraphic reports received at the
weather bureau today tell OF the appear
ance of heavy frost early this morning in
Iowa, Wisconsin and northern Illinois
The frost line will extend tonight. 1t is
predicted, to the Ohio valley and this sec
ton of the country and the thoughts OF
the busy housewife will be turned to the
matter OF the coal supply and ruddy fires
in stove or CRATE.
The snowstorm in Iceland. reported by
wire yesterday, was said to have been
the first harbinger of the coming of bleak
winter, and Prof. Garriott says tomorrow
will be fair and cooler.
Equinoctial Storm.
The heavy rain storm which ended yes
terday and was followed by real autumn
weather today was the first eQuinoctial
storm Of the fall of 1907, according to Prof.
Edward B. Garriott, official forecaster of
the weather bureau. In connection with
eQuinoctial storms in general, Prof. Garrlott
has furnished The Star with statement
on the subject
He says the term "eQuinoctial storms
has for centuries been applied to storms
that happen near the spring and autumn
equinoctial periods. Like many other popu-
lar Impressions regarding imperfectly I'M
derstood natural phenomena, the general
idea had its origin in observed facts. The
difficulty in this case has been that the
facts concerning the character and sea-
sonal and geographical limits of storms
that are associated with the equinoxes
have given way to fancy. The rainy season
OF the tropics, and the storms of the middle
ATTITUDES that occur in the spring and fall,
have been confused with the severer storms
known hurricanes. cyclones and ty-
phoons that are experienced in the tropical
and suStropical regions and even In the
middle ATTITUDES in certain seasons OF the
year.
The rainy season of the tropics. which is
entirely distinct from the season of equi-
the sun over the equatorial regions. When
the sun in its northward journey crosses the
imaginary line of the equator the rainy
season sets in over the northern equato-
rial region, and the rain belt keeps pace
with the northward movement of the sun
until the time Of the summer solstlce, about
farthest north in its course. About that
time the rain belt reaches into the north
ern subtropical regions, like florida, and
the rainy season begins in those regions.
In Tropical Countries.
In tropical countries Ike the Isthmus Of
Panama there is Usually short, dry sea-
son in the interval following the north
ward movement Of the rain belt and its re-
turn southwark with the sun. The charac-
teristics of the rains of the tropics are con-
trolled largely by geographical and topo-
graphical features. They come in the form
of local thunderstOrms that are often at
tended by torrential rains and sometimes
by severe wind squalls. Their occurrence
is usually confined 10 the afternoon and the
early portion of the night: The season or
severe tropical or equinoctial, storms in the
northern hemisphere. and more especially
in the tropical and st.btropical north At
lanttc ocean, does not begin until the sun
has about half comDleted Its return course
of the autumnal equinox. and Their season
extends from August to October. inclusive.
In the north Atlantic ocean these storms
are called hurricanes. i'm the Indian ocean.
cyclones, and in southeastern Asiatic wa
tiers, typhoons. In the Pacific area the ty-
phoon season begins earlier and continues
later than the hurricane season of the
north Atlantic ocean.
Cause and Effect.
At first sight It appears that astronomical
events that forerun by several weeks me-
neurological phenomena cannot be asso-
ciated with those phenomena in the relation
of cause and effect. Meteorological changes
and conditions, due to astronomical causes,
do not necessarily coincide in time of oc-
currence. The greatest heat of a summers
day does not occur when the sun is the
meridian, nor IS the greatest heat of sum
mer experienced in the E-idd!e ATTITUDES of
the northern hemisphere when the sun has
reached the northern limit of its course.
If, therefore, the term "equinoctial
storms" is to be preserved. and it undOubt
eddy will be. 1t may properly be employed
to designate tropical storms, or hurricanes,
cyclones and typhoons that occur in the
northern hemisphere during the six or seven
weeks that precede and follow the autumn
nal equinox. Many such storms may follow
in rapid succession; each is an equinoctial
storm. There is no one special storm to
which the term the equinoct.al should be
applied.