Weekly journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1908-1929, 1914-01-28
HOW STORMS ARE
FORECASTED BY
BUREAU
NOTHING OCCULT ABOUT
WORK OF WEATHER
MEN AS MANY NOW BE-
LIEVE

- SOiiiSNilAliS SlNl lOuS dill
occult about the work of the wealth
er bureau in forecasting the COM
ing storms, frosts and floods. Not
a few think that the observers
must necessarily get their data by
reading the planets, the stars and
the moon. As a matter of fact
the forecaSter of the bureau fore
tells the coming of disturbances II
a businesslike way, very similar 10
that in which a man who has or
dered a shipment OF goods would
estimate the date of its arrival.
Suppose a business man had or
dered a carload of pineapples from
the Hawaiian Islands. He would
know the average time it would
take the steamer to make the trip
to the Pacific port, the average time
for unloading and loading into re-
frigerator cars, and the average
number of days to be allowed these
cars for their trip across the CONT
nent to New York His estimate,
however, would be subject to error
because the steamship might be de-
layed by fog, or the cars might
meet with an accident.
Storms, like pineapples, as a rule
do not originate in the United
States. They come to us, some
from the Philippines, Japan, Siberia,
Alaska, Canada or the Gulf OF Mex
leo. The weather bureau gets cable,
telegraphic or wireless notice OF a
foreign storm. Station after sta
ton, or vessel after vessel reports
the storms arrival in its neighbor-
hood, so that the general direction
and rate OF progress can be deter
mined very early. In fact, the ar
rival of some storms can be fore
told ten days i'll advance.
The forecasters watch for the re-
gion of low barometer which is
the storm center around which the
wind blows. This whirl or eddy
moves bodily forward with the gen
eral eastward drift of about Csc
miles a day in our ATTITUDES. AS
the lines of equal pressure ESQ
bars) around the low center crowd
closer together, the winds attend
ing the storm increase in force
The forecaster determines the di-
rection OF the movement of the
storm and its velocity.
When weather disturbances are
reported, the forecasters know from
experience about how long it takes
them to reach our Pacific coast, and
then how long after they will reach
the Atlantic coast. For example, il
a storm coming from Siberia drifts
eastward around the North Pole
and reappcars in Alaska, it should
appear in Washington and Oregon
in about two days, should get to
the Great Lakes in six days and
to the Atlantic Coast in seven or
eight days.
Unexpected conditions may delay
storms or divert them from the
straight track just as refrigerator
car may be thrown off its schedule
or be shipped by accident on al
wrong road. Some OF these storms
deplete themselves by running into
regions OF high barometer which
are OF greater magnitude and cx
tent than the storm itself. Some
OF them, however, travel completely
around the world.
To keep tab OH cold waves that
come into the United States from
Canada and Alaska, the weather bu-
rcau studies the Canadian weather
reports. England sends reports from
Iceland, the British Islands and
Continental Europe, and daily re-
ports come from St. Petersburg on
the conditions in Russia and Siberia.
The same businesslike system
used in tracing the track of storm
is applied in determining the ar
rival OF frosts.
Flood forecasts are made in much
the same way. Information as TO
the amount of rainfall at the head
waters of streams that cause floods
are covered by telegraphic reports
sent by local observers. As this
rain reaches the main channel, the
height of the water in the channel
is determined by successive gaug
ing stations Past records estao-
fish how much height, say of p
feet at Dubuque, Iowa, will pro
duce at Davenport, another station
80 miles down the Mississippi. This
plan is followed all the way down
the river, and at each point full
allowance is made for the effects OF
water from tributaries, and from
additional and local rainfall. As al
result OF these observations i'll the
recent flood, the people OF Cairo
had warning d week or ten days
in advance. The pittsburg district
can be given only y TO "a hours
notice. because i flood is upon them
within p hours after a heavy rain
storm.
POOR PELKEY.
TAFT, Jan. 2+.-Kid Kenneth
IL