Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-07-02
THE RECORD
JULY RAIN
Character Of The Present
DoWnpouP
GENERAL IN THE TERRITORY
Director Jesunofsky Gives
Some Explanation of Air
Currents and Other Caus-
es of Storms and Methods
of Observation.

The character of the weather in
| Arizona seems to be changing. for the
| better Not only has it been generally
remarked, so far this year, that the
| weather was remarkably cool and
| nice for summer weather but this
section has now been visited by
| rain storm that. for steady down
pouringnesS, seems, to those accuS-
toned to climates with more rain i'm
summer, a reminder of home. and
| not altogether welcome one to those
engaged heavily in alfalfa seed and
| cantaloupe raising.
While there were some premOnitiOns
| earlier in the evening of Friday, the
rain really began in due quantity and
form at 1920 Saturday morning and
kept on without interruption until
this morning when it was continuing
with unabated force.
1t has been Il remarkable rain storm
in several respects. II is the heaviest
rainfall for any twenty-four hours I'm
July-shown by the records of the
weather office in Phoenix since its
establishment in 1896" said Director
Jesunofsky of the Arizona section of
the Weather Bureau service. last
evening. BY $50 yesterday after
noon, il had amounted to close to LIS
inches Its closest Competitor was the
rainfall of July 20, 1900. hwich totaled
10 inches; and for the first nineteen
days of the month il is easily in the
lead, during the last fifteen years. In
this connection il may interest read
Irs Of The Republican to know that
the greatest rainfall in any July since
the observation office was established
occurred in July of 1896. which was
4.25 inches. and the smallest in July
Of 1906, which was 20 Of an inch.
In general. the storm extended
southeast over the greater portion Of
Arizona. At Flagstaff, yesterday
morning. the precipitation had been
about the same as in Phoenix. Ow
ing to the existence of the two rain
centers. one in Arizona and another
in Manitoba, Canada. there was 2
general condition of cloudiness over
all the United States west of the 9Sth
meridian, and owing To a high bar
ometric pressure To the east of the
9Sth meridian there was clear. fair
weather over that section of the coun-
trv"
What is meant by high and low
paper man.
High and low pressures mean
above or below the normal Of air
pressure. as registered by the barom- |
eter." took up the directors assistant. !
What is the 'nOrmal?'"
THE normal pressure is that reg
istered by the barometer at the 43rd |
parallel of latitude and at sea level. |
Under those circumstances. it has been |
found that the pressure is sufficient !
to send n column of mercury or |
quicksilver 80 inches high continuous |
ly in n tube about a quarter of an |
inch in diameter. Certain conditions |
Of local areas of the air or atmOs- |
>phere cause a greater pressure. and /
the mercury then rises higher in the |
same tube The extremes of variation. |
so far as my experience goes. are not |
more than an inch beyond normal in |
either direction: rather less than a |
total of two inches in all.
What cause or causes are there for |
the varying air pressure?"
"In the main. that the air in its en-
velopment of all the earth. is much |
sike the sea in it's sub development |
of part of it. Both the sea and the !
air seem to have surface limits char !.
acterized by wave action. What may |
be the cause of this we can hardly |
say that we know. Wherever the air, |
by reason of this wave action. is |
deepest the pressure is greatest. Not |
only this. but the air seems to have |
strata or layers in it, as almost ev-
cry one has noticed by its temper
ature in the night. at times and |
places. 1t is also saturated more or
less with moisture in all parts of |
it. air and moisture having the same
chemical cOmponents, generally, but !
in different proportions And when a |
heavier or colder volume of air |
presses upon a lighter or warmer one
II seems to have the effect, Judging by
experience, of condensing the mOis-
ture as fog and precipitating it as
rain
These conditions are continually (
changing" continued the assistant. 1T
is probable that of the nine thousand
ard over charts of the air pressures
and currents over the United States
made by the Weather Bureau since il
was established. and in daily use by
the forecaster at Denver. who is the