Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1908-04-07
FOR WAVES
SAYS FOSTER
ALTERNATING CURRENTS WILL
PASS OVER THE UNITED
STATES
TOLD OF ToRNADoEs
Forecaster Says That Storms In South
Came Several Days Late but
Disturbance Was
There.

Variations Of all kinds are in store
for the great people of the United
States so far as the first of April is
concerned, as viewed by Foster. The
forecaster says that while he has not
always hit the exact disturbances, he
has come very near 1t, or at least the
elements on which he relies for his
forecasts were in evidence. Waves of
warmth and cold will alternate during
the month says Foster. A complete
forecast follows:
Washington, D. c., April 4. - Last
bulletin gave forecasts of disturbance
to cross continent April 3 to Z. warm
wave 2 to 6, cool wave S to g. Next
disturbance will reach Pacific slope
by close of 9, great central valleys 10
to 12, eastern states 13. Warm wave
will cross Pacific slope about 8, great
central valley 10, eastern states II.
Cool wave will cross Pacific slope
about II, great central valleys 13,
eastern states Is.
While April weather will average
unusually quiet this disturbance will
develop above the average intensities
of the month. Jupiter and the moon
will unite their energies and cause a
little stir in the physical forces of the
solar system.
Unusually warm weather will pre-
vail west of the Alleghenies during
the storm week mentioned above
while cooler averages will prevail east
of Blue Ridge. Not much rainfall
may be expected during first half Of
April and in many places, especially
in southern states, some uneasiness
will be felt about the dry weather.
North of parallel 40 crops will not be
far enough advanced for dry weather
to cause any scare.
If the weather controls prices farm
ers and planters and gardeners need
not fear low prices, but the weather
does not control when Spectators
want to butt in against natural causes.
Short grass i'll the best dairy sections
will probably cause dairy products to
demand good prices and dairy inter-
ests will do we'll to keep their low
lands in grass.
Immediately following April a
great high temperature wave will
cross the continent accompanied by
light showers. Temperatures will
persistently remain high and all vege-
tation will rapidly progress, causing
an unusually early spring in northern
sections. particularly in the great CEN
trail valleys
The disturbance following April 4
will have greatest intensities in the
eastern states and will become a
storm of more than average force
about April out on the Atlantic. At
the same time the following storm
will be at its greatest force on the
Pacific slope,
Tornadoes.
These terrible twisters visited
several of the southern states on
March 23. Ny forecasts gave March
1S as the central day of these great
disturbances and stated that some
times they occur two to five days
away from the central day While
I do not claim the forecasts as having
been fully verified no one can claim,
that they were entire failures. Great
weather extremes occurred 16 to %,
clearly demonstrating that the causes
on which I rely were getting in their
work
Sometime it will be possible to give
more exact dates and locations for
these disturbances but progress along
that line must necessarily be slow
and very difficult. 1t is surely posi-
BILE to predict the time and location
Of tornadoes and other great storms
but an immense amount of expert.
mental work will be necessary and
these experiments require better rec.
ords are continually growing more
valuable and a few more years will
give us the much needed weather
records.
Some professor of meteorology
should give his entire time to the
study Of severe storms. lifetime
devoted to such work would be well
spent.