The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1914-01-29

$~AeANsAsA6 ny OSVAO0O Gb0O OCCO1t NUOUl
the work of the Weather Bureau in
forecasting the coming Of storms,
frosts and floods. Not few think
that tlBr observers must necessarily
get their data by reading the plan.
cts, the stars and the moon. As q
matter Of fact the forecaster Of the
Bureau foretells the coming Of dis.
turbances in a businesslike way, very
similar to that in which Q man who
has ordered a shipment OF goods
would estimate the date Of its arrival
Suppose \ business man had OF.
dsred carload Of pineapp1es 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 ;fefrigera'
tor cars, and the average number Of
days to be allowed these cars foz
their trip across the continent to
New York His estimate. however,
" I'D be subject to error because tho
steamship might be delayed by fog,
or the cars might meet with an &C.
c:tent.
Storms. like pineapples, as rule
% not originate in the United States.
Tnsy come to US, some from the Phil.
ippines. Japan, Siberia, Alaska, Can.
ada or the Gulf of Mexico The Wea-
tLer Bureau gets cable. telegrarhic
or wireless notice Of foreign storm.
Station after station, or vessel after
vessel reports the storms arrival in
Its n. .ghborhood, SO that the general
d'-e' uon and rate Of progress can
y. determined very early. In fact,
sl,e arrival Of some storms can be
foretold ten days in advance.
The forecasters watch for the re-
gion OF low barometer which IT, the
sto m center around which the winds
blow. This whirl or eddy moves bod.
lily forward with the general eastward
drift Of about $50 miles day in our
ATTITUDES. AS the lines Of equal pres
sure (isobars) around The low center
crowd closer together, the winds at.
tending the storm increase in force.
The forecaster determines the direc-
tion of 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. If
a storm coming from Siberia drifts
eastward around the North Pole and
reappears in Alaska, it should APP
pear 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 a wrong
road. Some Of these storms deplete
themselves by running into regions
of high barometer which are of great
er magnitude and extent than the
storm itself. Some of them, how.
ever, travel completely around the
world.
To keep tab on cold waves that
come into the United States from
Canada and Alaska, the Weather
Bureau studies the Canadian Wea-
Their 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 businesslikJ system used
in tracing the track of a storm is
applied in determining the arrival 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 HOODS
are covered by Geographic reports
sent by local observers. AS this
rain reaches the main channel, the
height Of the water in the channel
is determined by successive gaging
stations Past records establish how
much height, say Of 20 feet at
Dubuque, Iowa. win produce at Dav-
export, another station 80 miles down
the river, and at each point full al
lowance Is made for the effects OF
water from tributaries, and from ad-
dftional and local rainfall As ~
suit of these observations in the
recent flood, the people OF Cairo
had warning q week or ten days In
advance. The Pittsburgh district can
be given only ~ to "a hours notice.
because . flood 10 upon them within
"a hours after q heavy rain storm.