Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-02-29
LAND or rnE BALMY AIR

btrds the delicious atmosphere, ana
the clear sky Of our last few days agt'h
recall the pleasant fact that we i've
In a land in which 1t is surely good TO
dwell.
These perfect days. moreover nave
occurred at time when the dispatches
were telling Of the terrible storm rag
ing over the British Isles during the
early part of this week. and OF inc
blizzard that covered the eastern part
OF our own country most of last week
Should not these dontrasted conditions
serve to remind the people of Titan OF
how fortunate they really are in re-
rpeot to their climate of their own
land? For Utah is the land OF the
balmy air Of sunshine, of clear SKIES
of freedom from cyclones and hurri-
canes, and even from real billiards..
The chief peculiarly Of our climate is
its dry atmosphere, with moderate eN-
tremes of temperature and light ram
fall Winds from the west are deprived
of their moisture In the Sierras, whlle
air currents from the south and east
are dried by precipitation in the dis
tant parts of the Rocky mountains.
The rim of mountains around the
Great Basin protects Utah from the
greater storms that originate ON the
Pacific, and tempers the severity OF
the sudden changes In winter caused
in other parts OF the country by the
northern snow storms, or bizzards.
The drynoss of the air has the same
effect. For while the dry air permits
the thermometer to rise high during
the day, 1t also compels 1t to fall dur
ing the night; SO that the heat of the
summer noon is tempered by the cool
ness of evening in a way unknown In
humid regions.
In several respects, the thermometer
serves to mislead the stranger who
from afar notes It's readings. Thus,
when it is said that our average daily
variation in temperature Is 30 degrees
the reader is inclined to think that
our changes from heat TO cold must
be extreme and sudden But the read
der has probably not noticed that
neither the days nor the nights change
this variation represents the GOODNESS
of the coolest part OF our nights as
compared with the warmest part of our
days--a change that is neither menace
ing nor disagreeable on winter nights
when we are by the warm fireside in
houses, or soundly sleeping under our
blankets; while in summer this change
To-, Nat ..Ct
and midnight is really the greatest boon
which even our own fire climate can
bestow upon weary mortals.
So, too. when the stranger reads that
the mercury sometimes rises to 90 de-
grees on summer afternoon In this
city, he is inclined to think that such
n heat must be all but unendurable
while as matter OF fact, owing to
the dryness of the atmosphere, IL pro-
duces less discomfort than does heat
OF So degrees in the moist regions of
other places.
The fact is that the dryness OF the
air relieves the heat by increasing tn
evaporation. When a person becomes
overheated by exertion, the millions of
pores in the skin begin to battle and
cool the heated body But IL the moist
ure OF the body evaporates rapidly, as
It does in dry regions the bodily tenn
perature Is quickly reduced because go
much heat is absorbed by the moist
ure In the process Of evaporation. Thus
the sensible heat the amount of
heat which we readily feel as heat, Is
much less in dry than in u moisture
laden atmosphere
For the whole state the records for
the last % years show that the nor
NAL average temperature liz As degrees;
the average highest temperature is 100
degrees; the lowest average cold Is Il
degrees below zero, The lowest ever
recorded In the state, so below zero
occurs only In the high mountain
places; for. owing to the diversified
surface. the climate Is far from uni
form. Thus. the absolute extreme
readings OF the weather stations would
be misleading n we did not bear in
mind that they represent extremes
due TO unequal conditions as 10 alti-
tude ana exposure. Even then, the
itiPlNH AllhAA lIlnlNlM u we NlN nor
remember that The dry air tempors
both the cold of winter and the heat
OF summer since Il Is The moisture
In the air that gives the wintry at
mosphere IT'S biting sting, while Il IL
also the degree OF humidity that nc
counts for The relative discomfort u
the summers heat
Our records show that the rainfall
throughout the state averages II .6g
inches per year, tho normal number
or clear days In the year Is 2Oi; OF
partly cloudy days, ~ Cloudy days
total only 80 ana rainy days only 30
Truly this Is The land OF the unclouded
tkg.
For salt Lake city the normal tenn
Uerature for the year IS STA degrees, r.,
and The normal daily range, on varia'
ton In "a hours Is 2O,2 degrees. Tho
average minimum ~ one degree below
zero. The highest temperature even
recorded Us l02 dogrecsi the lowest, q
below zero.
Tho average precipitation Tor THU
city Is 1909 inches; the relative hu
midlty OF the atmosphere, the near
ness TO saiuration, ~ sos per cent tn,
- normal hourly wind movement is o.