The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-01-12
Mercury Drops to Ten Degrees
Below Zero.
Was Coolest at Six O'clock This
Morning.
WITH SNOW.
Over Three Inches on Ground
in Topeka.
Wind Falls During the Night to
Three Miles.

| Topeka is experiencing another touch
| OF real winter weather today The mini
mum temperature for the day which is
also the minimum for the season was
reached at 6 O'Clock this morning when
the mercury dropped to a point 10 de-
grees below zero and stayed there for
an hour or SO.
The snow which has fallen during the
past Sc hours has amounted to 3.4 inch
es and the ground is covered to that
depth as the temperatures have been so
low that the snow has not melted. The
snow is one of the dryest that has ever
fallen in this part of the country, the
| precipitation measured as rain amount
| ing to but IS of an inch Under ordi-
nary conditions the amount of snow
which has fallen would have produced
"a of an inch of precipitation measured
as rain.
Just about dark Monday evening the
mercury started on its journey toward
| the bottom of the thermometers and
the bottom by sunup this morning.
While the mercury is lower by two de-
grees than it was during the cold spell
| last week the cold is not nearly as
noticeable on account of the almost
| total absence of wind. Then the at
| mosphere is dry which detracts from
the fierceness of the cold and makes 1t
less noticeable
down until the velocity was less than
two miles an hour and hardly notice
able. At O'Clock this morning when
the mercury reached the lowest point
the wind was blowing from the south
at the rate of miles an hour. The
mercury is climbing and 'above freez-
ing weather was predicted for TO-DAY
when the mercury was 10 below zero
this morning by Assistant weather
Observer Flora, though not in an Of
fetal capacity.
When the mercury strated on its
downward course about z O'Clock Mon
and last nights weather conditions
came under the head of "stiA cold.
Although the nercury IS WeiiAbetoW'
the zero mark the condition is not an
exceptional one for this part of the
world as the records of the weather
bureau indicate that colder weather
has been experienced in Topeka eleven
times during the past 22 years
Last winter was an exceedingly
moderate one as was its predecessor,
but on the 18th of February, 1905, the
mercury registered % degrees below
zero and on the 25th of January
dropped to 13 degrees below. The in
dications are that the end of the cold
spell is in sight and that there Will
be no more zero weather not even to
night. The forecast indicates fair
weather for tonight and Wednesday
and a rising temperature tonight.
10 Below in Potwin.
While the government thermometer
on top of the Mulvane building in
dicates that the minimum tempera-
ture of the past "a hours was 10 de-
grees below zero, thermometers nearer
the ground indicate that the minimum
was nearer 20 degrees below. At the
residence of Weather Observer I. B.
Jennings in Potwin a reliable thermo-
meter indicated minimum of 19 de-
grees below zero at 1880 o'clock this
morning.
The difference is explained by Mr..
Jennings in this way, "In a night such
as last when there is scarcely any
wind blowing to keep the air in mo-
ton and mixed the coolest portion of
the atmosphere seeks the lowest pos
sible level The temperature on Kan
sas avenue under these conditions
might be a number of degrees lower
than that on top of the Mulvane build
ing where the government 1nStru-
ments are located.
while the mercury was 10 degrees
below zero at my home this morning it
was undoubtedly several degrees lower
at points where the altitude is not as
great as it is in Potwin. For instance
a thermometer on a sandbar in the river
would indicate a much lower tempera-
ture than one on the bank, or in Pot
win. This mornings cold was of the
still variety and on account of its den
sity the mercury was lowest near the
surface of the earth.
Mercury Rises Above Zero.
All day long the sun has shone.
but at the best work made by the
mercury indicates that it failed to
reach the above freezing point
anticipated early this morning. At
2 O'Clock this afternoon the mercury
marked Is degrees above the zero
mark and II degrees below the freez-
ing point.
The prevailing wind has been from
the south and this has assisted ma
terialiy in reducing the temperatures
for the wind has been warm, that is,
warm when the temperatures are con-
sidered. Through the morning hours
the mercury was low, in fact at 10
o'clock it had failed to rise above the
zero mark and at noon it was only 8
degrees above that point.
There has been but little. chance for
the snow to melt with such tempera-
lures and the only melting which has
occurred has been where the rays of
the sun have been direct. The fol-
lowing are the temperatures since z
O'Clock this morning:
o'clock 10 below zero.
O'Clock 9 below zero.