The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-04-27
TAKES BIC DROP.
Mercury Down to Thirty-F1ve
Degrees.
What rs Worse Colder Weather
Is Expected Tonight.
WIND TO QUIET DOWN
Heavy Frost Expected by the
Weather Bureau.
Fruit Growers Are Trembling
in Their Boots.
WIND TO QUIET DOWN

Prepare for a frost tonight The fore
cast sent out this morning by the gov
ernment weather bureau in Topeka IN
dicates a lower temperature tonight
than that of this morning. The conol-
tions will also be more favorable Tor
killing frost as there will be little wlnd
and the clouds lift. If this forecast
proves correct and ninety per cent OF
the government forecasts have proven
SO. the fruit crop is still in grave dan
ger.
The high wind which prevailed for
the past 48 hours has proven blessing
In disguise for although the mercury
dropped dangerously near the freezing
point the atmosphere was in such
disturbed condition that frost did not
result. All day Sunday the wind blew
gale from the northwest, averaging
velocity of from 25 to 30 miles an
hour and at o'clock this morning,
was blowing at the rate of 10 miles all
hour.
The mercury dropped to 36 ats O'Clock
this morning, barely three degrees
above the freezing point and several
killing frosts have occurred in this
part of the state when the mercury
stood several degrees higher than it
did this morning.
THE cloudy condition and heavy
wiEd is about the only thing that saved
the fruit in this section of the state
from frost nipping, said Assistant
Weather Observer Flora. 'The wind
which was heavy and general kept the
atmosphere pretty thoroughly stirred
up and the temperature even. Some
times it happens that when the gov
ernment thermometer on top OF the
weather station records temperature
q number of degrees above the freez-
ing point that killing frosts occur.
THE high wind Sunday and last
night kept the atmosphere in such
state of commotion that there could
not have been any great difference in
the temperatures. The fruit may be
set back somewhat by the bath Of cold
air which it received yesterday, for
believe that when exposed to sudden
change as it was Sunday fruit will
catch cold just as a person would do.
The out of the ordinary conditions
which have existed for the past 4S
hours were caused by storm center
which. hung over Topeka during Friday
and the night following and the high
barometer which existed in the north
west. This high came down from the
northwest and crowded the low which
prevailed during the preceding 4S hours
out of place and to the south.
The weather station in this city was
a busy place all day Sunday despite
the fact that Weather Observer Jen-
nings is not striving to make record
by unnecessary labor. The conditions
were such yesterday that the entire
force spent the afternoon in sending
out warnings to nurserymen and 9TH
ers interested of the danger of frost.
The precaution proved to be unneces-
sary but had the wind suddenly lulled
and theAStarS ShOne there would pro-
badly have been an accompanying
glitter on the grass that would have
been the death knell to tender vege-
tation. The minimum in the temper
ature readings for the past As hours
oh af ~ mn 1ir1Gy
and since that time the mercury has
been slowly climbing upward though
the gait has been faltering.
The minimum temperature was
reached Sunday evening at o'clock
when the government thermometer
registered AZ while the maximum 55
was reached at o'clock in the after
noon. The average temperature for
the day was eight degrees below nor
NAL. Just year ago yesterday the
mercury dropped to the freezing point
which is the low record for the past
21 years and as result there was no
fruit crop, though it had been badly
damaged by preceding late low tenn
peratures.
The southwestern portion of the state
was favored with the highest tempera-
lures recorded. the minimum at Dodge
being Sc degrees, or one degree higher
than the temperature in Topeka. The
minimum was reached in the north
western corner of the state at Dresden
where the minimum was 2S, foul
degrees below freezing with the condi.
tions favorable for heavy damage tC
the fruit crop.
Baker reports a temperature two
degrees below the freezing point as
does MaXville on the Santa Fe rail
road in the central portion of Kansas
Usage City reports a freezing temper
ature and scum ice formed at McPher
son where the minimum was 32 For
Scott in the southern portion of tn,
state had a minimum temperature O.
"a.
A heavy sprinkle of rain fell yester
day afternoon in the vicinity of tn,
asylum. though not a trace was re
corded at the weather station located
in the Columbian building in the hear
of the city. William. Gilchrist, wh,
has charge of the delivery of the mail
from the postofficeF to the trains vouch
es for the statement that a number O
snowfiakes fell at o'clock this morn
ing. He is a strictly temperate maj
and there is no reason to suspect tha
he saw things which did not exist
strange as his statement seems.
At o'clock this afternoon the win
was blowing from the,northwest at tn
rate of "a miles an hour and the mer
curry stood at 40 degrees above zero
five degrees lower than at the sam
hour Sunday.
The wind will in all probability de
crease in velocity towards sunset an
as the sky is practically free fror
clouds frost may be expected. 1t
not thought that it will be sever
enough to destroy the fruit cvop. al
though tender plant life and vines wi
in all probabilities perish. The follow
ing were the temperatures since
o'clock this morning:
O'Clock. ...-...37 IL O'Clock
s o'clock k-.......37 II O'Clock.
o'clock. .3S 1 o'clock.
10 O'Clock. ......3S o'clock
Frost Damage ST 100000.