The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1914-03-21
SOLVING THE WIND
One Biz Problem That Bothsrs
tho Weather Foreeasters.
CURRENTS THEY CAN'T STUDY

CURRENTS THEY CAN'T STUDY
Atmospheric Conditions Away Absvs
ths Earth Are 0sysod Thsir Reach
and Ar Consequently Unknssn Fse-
tsrs-Msthsds Of the Ansisnts.
The art Of predicting the weather y
one In which II seems 1t Hrst sight the
modern scientist ought easily to sur
pass his ancestors. Yet II uay b.
doubted whsther he II really more
successful In II than they were. The
meteorological department boaated
some time back that their forecasts OF
weather a. published in the daily pres
were Justified BY the result In h2 per
cent Of the cases recorded. A. the per-
centase Of correct guesses In sum
eiently extended list. however. would
exactly equal the Incorrect. this DOES
not show 4 very great superiority for
scientific methods over pure conjsc-
ture.
Yet the meteorological department
enjoys the advantage. ~ our ances-
tors. Of course. did not. OF elaborate
and accurate recording instruments.
like Secchi's meteoro9raph. togsthes
With tslexraphic reports from weather
stations dispersed nearly all over the
surface Of the globe. Its relative non
success shows perhaps that there b
still factor 10 the problem which II b
at present impossible to estimate.
This = the more extraordinary b.
cause the modern method Of forecast
ing the wsather differs entirely from
that practiced BY the ancientx. With
them II was simply question Of time
and season. or. Whist b the sane thing.
Of the appearance or dlsappearance Vt
certain STAN.
When Hesiod's husbandman saw the
P1eiades be knew It was time for him
to begin bis harvest. and when they
set forty days later. his plowing. This
might still b good enough rule for
countries near the equator. where the
prevalence Of trade winds. which blow
unlnterrupfedly In the direction 10
which the sun appears to travel.
and where the monsoons. which in the
countries east Of Suex blow for sig
months the other way. help to keep the
weather. II not constant. yet regular.
In other ATTITUDES. however. there b
no such help. and be who would pre-
Dict the weather must therefore con-
one himseif to nndtnE out. what winds
are blowing In other parts Of the
world and when they ars likely 10
rsach him.
A. to TIKI. modern science still r.
psnds mainly % ths observations mads
hy Halisy. who discovered IN ~ ~
satssnth csntusy during voyass h
~ Tropics how tbs sun % warned H.
air at the. equator that the heatsd aif.
rising after II manner. dispesssd itssif
toward the poles and was replaced By
q rush Of cold air from the regions
farther from the sun.
This. which explains the phenomenon
Of trade winds. was really the founda-
tion Of modern msteorology. although
It was reserved for HALEY. some dfty
yeaB later. to point out that, thanks to
the rotation Of the earth on it, own
axis. both kinds Of winds stray some
what from their apparent objective.
Later Doves Flaw Of rotation" was
tain attitudes the wind will nearly al
ways follow the suns motion-t O.. will
pass from N. through N. e., and from
d q. to D.. completing the circle BY
passing from l. to N. through the
west. but will very seldom move the
reverse way.
Finally. there comes In what 10
known - the law of Busy Ballot.
which 10 that. In the northern hemi-
sphere. II one stands with ones back
to the wind the line Of lower pressure
b always on ones left hand.
This enables rs to understand what
b meant BY the ,cyclonic and anti
cyclonic disturbances which are 90
frequently mentioned In the odicial
forecasts as approaching us, general
y from the Atlantic.
II within any particular spot the
pressure II lower than II IL outside 1t.
the wind blows round 1t In the con-
trary direction to the hands Of
watch and 10 called cycionic from the
similar behavior Of the West Indian
hurricanes named cyclones. This IL
because the lowest pressure to any
one standing with his back to the wind
= always on ones left hand. II. how
ever. the pressure within the area in
question IL higher than outside II. the
wind blows round 1t ciockwise and ia
tcaiied anti-cyci0nic.
One circumstance against modern
methods Of forecasting the weather
correctly outweighs all those In their
favor. The winds that can be OBJ
served are all those blowing Close to
the earth's surface. What h the ef-
feet Of the currents prevailing at even