The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-05-31
DROUGHT MAY BREAK RECORD
WEATHER BUREAU PROMISES
NO IMMEDIATE RELIEF.
iiicolsidcfaDlc Rainfall Yesterday
apparently Does not Mean that
More is COming-Dry Period is
One OF the Longest i'm Past Thirty
cight Years and is Worst so Far
This Century.

N'S"' Ac'rS anu is worst SO Far
This Century.
Charleston, May 25.-Notwith-
standing the fact that light local
showers fell here yesterday after
noon the forecast for today is gem
orally fair, and, according to the
weather bureau, there is no heavy
ram In sight for this city. The
drought bids fair to exceed all re-
cords for the past thirty-eight years
or even since the weather department
began to keep the precipitation fig
ures FOR this district. Much has
oeen written and said about the
damage which the drought has caus-
ed to the planters Of this vicinity,
and it is feared that the dry weather
Is by no means at an end.
The figures compiled by the local
once or the weather bureau show
that up to and including last night,
the precipitation in the Charleston
district has been 11.33 inches since
the first of January. This is a state
OF affairs which has not existed here
In any previous year of the present
century. Between the 18th of April
and the oath Of May there has been
only one day on which the rainfall
has amounted to more than .O1 of an
inch. This day was May 16, when
~ inches Of rain was measured.
In the month of January there
were five days upon which there was
sufficient rain to be measured "he
total fall was only Sc. The normal
for the month was 3.45 inches and
the deficiency for the month amount
ed to 2.S9 inches.
February had only four days of
real rain, although the total was Ill
! inches, or nearly double the rain in
January. The normal for this month
was 3.41, which made the deficiency
for the month 2.3O inches, and the to-
tai deficiency since January 15.9 in
ches.
In Mar h rain fell on four DAYS,
making total Of 1.27 inches Of rain
fall for the month. Although the
amount Of rain had increased the
| normal had increased in great ter
! proportion and the deficiency from
! the normal, which was 3.72 inches.
was 2.45, and the total deficiency
7.64
April showed more rain than any
other month so far this year, this
month having seven days of rain and
total precipitation of LA inches.
The normal was also less in April,
amounting to only 299, and the de-
| ficienoy for the month was only 1.25.
This made the total deficiency since
the first of the year $50.
The month Of May has a normal
rainfall of 3.47. With the highest
amount Of all the early months Of the
year as normal fall, this May has
| thus far had the worst record Of the
| year. There has been only one day
in the month upon which the rain
amounted to more than OF inches.
| This was the 10th, - inches falling
upon that day. The total amount for
this month thus far has been .13 in
ches. The deficiency from the nor
! NAL for the part Of the month that
has already passed is 2.44 inches,
and there is a possibility that it
may be 3.34 inches.
From these figures it may be seen
that there have been but 22 days in
the la days which have passed since
January l, on which the rainfall
amounted to .01 inches or more. In
this period, there has been only one
small stretch Of time in which what
might be termed a normal amount of
rain fall. This period was from the
5th to the 18th of April.
Record breaking Drought i'm Column