Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-07-09
Brief Notes on Its Physical Fea-
lures, Resources, and Development,
UTAH
Il, RULING WEATHER coNDrrro Ms OF THE ARID WEST
By ]. H. Paul.

The reading of the thermometer
does not always reveal what To MS are
| the real conditions-the sensible eff
| fects-of the climate of the semi-arld
| plateau The dryness of the atmos-
| phere has certain peculiar effects. For
while the dry air permits the them
mometer to rise high during the day,
It also compels it to fall during the
night. so that the heat Of the sum
mer noon is tempered by the GOODNESS
of evening in a way unknown in humid
| regions
WHY THERMOMETER MlSLEADS,
In several respects, the thermometer
serves TO mislead the stranger who
from afar notes its readings. Thus
whom it is said that our average daily
variation in temperature Ii 20 degrees,
the reader is inclined to think that
our changes from heat to old must
he extreme and sudden. But he has
probably not noticed that neither the
days nor the nights change this much
from DAY To- day. The variation re-
corded by the thermometer represents
the GOODNESS OF the coolest part of our
nights as compared with the warmest
part of our days--a change that is
neither menaclng nor disagreeahle on
winter nights when wo are by tho
warm fire side in houses, or sopndly
sleeping under our blankets: while In
summer this change In the relative
temperature OF midday and midnight
is really the greatest boon which even
our own fine climate can bestoW upon
weary mortals,
So, too, when the stranger reads
that the mercury sometimes rises to
90 degrees on summer afternoon in
any Of our cities, he IL inclined to think
that such a heat must be all but un-
cndurablo, while, MS g matter Of fact,
owing to the dryness Of the atmos-
phere. II produces less discomfort than
does heat Of SO degrees In the moist
regions of other places.
HOW lXTREM Es ARE TEMPERED
The fact is that the dryness OF the
air relieves the heat by increasing the
evaporation. When a person becomes
nverheatod by eNertion the millions OF
pores IN the skin begin to bathe and
cool the heated body But n the
moisture Of the body eyaporates rap
idly, az Il does IN dry regions, the
bodily temperature IA quickly reduced
because much heat Is absorbed by the
moisture IN the process ~ evaporation.
Thus the sensible heat" the amount
of heat which wo readily feel. Is much
less IN q dry than in a moisture laden
atmosphere,
For the whole state the records for
the last 90 years show that the normal
| average temperature Is As degrees; the
| average highest temperature, / 90 de-
| grepsi the lowest average cold, l2
| degrees helow zero The lowest ever
| recorded in the state. 90 below zero,
| occurs only IN the high mountain
| places, for owing 10 the diversified
surface, the climate Is far from un-
! lInrn Thus the absolute extreme
| readings Of The weather stations would
| be- misleading II we did not bear In
! mlnd that they represent extremes due
| 60 unequal conditions of altitude and
| exposure Even thon the records
| might mislead lf we did not remember
| that the dry air tempers both the
! cold of winter and The heat of SUM
! mer, since IL Is the moisture IN the
air that gives the wlntry atmosphere
/ its biting sting, while u * also the
| degree of humidity that accounts for
| the relative discomfort Of the sum
| mer's heat
LAND OF SUNSHINE
our records show that the rainfall
| throughout the state averages 1850