Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-01-22
STATEMENT ISSUED SHOWING
HOW COMING OF STORMS Is
FoREToLD.
CLOSE TAB KEPT ON
STORMS IN FAR.oFF LANDS
Bureau Knows Of Location, Velocity
and Other Conditions Attending Az.
preaching Atmospheric Disturbances
Thru TeIssraphic and Cable News
Nc Guesswork Goes.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
Washington. Jan. 81. - How the
weather bureau forecasts storms,
frosts and floods has been explained in
interesting fashion in a statement just
issued from the department Of agricul-
ture. The statement makes 1t clear
that there is no prophecy Of the goose
bone variety. 1t says that many people
think there is something mysterious
and occult in work of the weather bu-
reau in forecasting the coming OF
storms, frosts and floods. Not lie"
think that the observers must neces-
sarily get their data by reading the
planets, the stars and the moon. AS
matter of fact the forecaster OF the
bureau foretells the coming Of dtstur-
Dances in businesslike way, very SIM
liar to that in which a man who mas
ordered a shipment Of goods would
estimate the date Of its arrival.
Suppose a business man had ordered
carload of pineapples from the Ha-
waiian Islands. He would know the
average time 1t would take the steamer
to make the trip to the Pacific port,
the average time for unloading and
loading into refrigerator cars. ana
the average number Of days to 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
Keep Tab by Wire.
Storms, like pineapples. as rule do
not originate in the United States.
They come to US. some from the Phil
ippines. Japan, Siberia. Alaska, Can
ada or the Gulf Of Mexico. The weather
bureau gets cables, Geographic or wire
less notice Of foreign storm. Station
after station. or vessel after vessel
reports the storms arrival in its neigh
borhood, SO that the general direction
and rate Of progress can be determined
very early. In fact the arrival Of some
storms can be fcretold ten days in
advance.
The forecasters watch for the re-
gion of low barometer which 10 the
storm center around which the winds
blow. This whirl or eddy moves bod
lily forward with the general eastward
drift Of about $50 miles a day In our
ATTITUDES. AS the lines Of equal pres
sure Qsobars) around the low center
crowd closer together. the winds at
tending the storm increase in force.
The forecaster determines the direction
Of movement Of the storm and its
When weather disturbances are re-
ported, the forecasters know from ex-
perience about how long it takes them
to reach cur Pacific coast. and then
how long after they will reach the At
lantic coast. For example. If a storm
coming from Siberia drifts eastward
around the north pole and reappears in
Alaska, 1t should appear in Washing
ton 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
Sometimes Delayed.
Unexpected conditions may delay
storms or divert them from the
straight track just as a refrigerator
car may be thrown of 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 greater
and extent than the storm
itself
To keep tab on cold waves that come
into the United States from Canada
and Alaska. the weather bureau studies
the Canadian weather reports. England
lie
Islands and continental Europe, and
daily reports come from St Petersburg
On the conditions in Russia and ST.
IBERIA.
Frosts and Floods.
The same businesslike system used
in tracing the track Of a storm is ap-
piled 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 floods
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 re-
cords establish how much a height,
say OF twenty feet at Dubuque, Iowa,
will produce at Davenport another
station eighty miles down the Missis-
sippf. This plan is followed all the way
down the river. and at each point full
allowance 10 made for the effects Of
water from tributaries, and from addi-
tional and local rainfall. As q result of
these observations in the recent flood.
the People Of Cairo had warning a week
an aov IN "a