The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1914-01-21
HOW THE WEATHER
SHARKS FORECAST
STORM and FLOOD
Special to the Daily Express.

nave al tucd Aiidl lAcIt - oVlutttitho
mysterious and occult about the work
Of the weather bureau in forecasting
the coming of storms, frosts and
floods Not a few think that the OBJ
servers must necessarily get their data
by reading the planets. the stars and
the moon. As a matter Of fact the fore
caster OF the bureau foretells the COM
ing of disturbances in a businesslike|
way. very similar to that in which a
man who has ordered a shipment Of
goods would estimate the date Of its
arrival.
Suppose a business man had order
ed carload OF pineapplss 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 Tor unloading
and loading into refrigerator cars, and
the average number OF days 10 be al
lowed these cars for their trip across
The continent to New York. His esti-
mate. however, would be subject to err
ror because the steamship might be
delayed 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 u.s. some from the Phil
ippines, Japan. Siberia. Alaska, Cana
da or the Gulf of Mexico The weather
bureau gets cable. telegraphic or wire
less notice of a foreign storm sta
tion after station, or vessel after yes
sci reports the storms arrival in its
neighborhood, so that the general di-
rection and rate of progress can be
determined very early. In fact, the
arrival OF some storms can be foretold
ten days in advance.
The forecasters watch for the region
of low barometer which is the storm
center around which the winds blow
This whirl or eddy moves bodily for
ward with the general eastward drift
of about $50 miles a day in our lati
mdes As the lines OF equal pressure
tisobarsl around the low center Grove
closer together the winds attending
the storm increase IN force The fore
caster determines the direction o.
movement OF the storm and its yeloc
ity.
When weather disturbances are re
ported. the forecasters know from ex
perience about how long ii takes then
to reach our Pacific coast and thel
how long after they win reach the AT
lantic coast. For example, If storm
coming from Siberia drifts eastwar'
around the North Pole and reappear
in Alaska. it should appear in Wash
ington and Oregon in about two days
should get to the Great Lakes in si
days and to the Atlantic coast in sevel
or eight days.
Unexpected conditions may della
storms or divert them from tn
straight track just as a refrigerato
e car may be thrown off its schedule O
a be shipped by accident on a wron
d road. Some of these storms depict
i themselves by running into regions q
g high barometer which are of create
magnitude and extent than the storr
d itself. Some of them, however, trav'
{ completely around the world.
0 To keep tab on cold waves that com
e into the United States from canad
and Alaska. the weather bureau stu'
II les the Canadian weather report
0 England sends reports from Ieelan'
the British Islands and Continents
y Europe. and daily reports come frol
e St Petersburg on the conditions
e Russia and Siberia
The same businesslike system use
n in tracking the track Of a storm is a
piled in determining the arrival (
frosts
Flood forecasts are made in muc
the same way. Information as to Il
amount Of rainfall at the head watei
4 OF streams that cause floods are co
cred by telegraphic reports sent
local observers. AS this rain reachl
the main channel. the height of q
water in the channel is determined
al successive gaging stations Pa
re records establish how much heigf
20 say 90 feet at Dubuque, Iowa. will pr
TO duce at Davenport. another station
miles down the Mississippi. This pl'
al is followed all the way down the rive
ID and at each point full allowance
er made for the effects Of water fro
tributaries. and from additional al
1a.-sl rainfall As result Of these {
servations in the recent flood, the ps
lis ple Of Cairo had warning week
Ii ten DAYS in advance. The Pittsbu
Is district can be given only y to
is hours notice. because a flood is up
shtthem within "A hours after q hea
rainstorm.