Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1914-04-06
Secrets OF the
Weather Man

Many people have an idea there is
something mysterious and occult
about the work of the Weather Bu-
reau in forecasting the coming OF
storms. frosts and floods. Not a few
1hink 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 dis
turbanues in businesslike way, very
similar to that in which a man who
has ordered a shipment of goods
p would estimate the date OF its arrival.
Suppose a business man has or
dered a.carload of pineapples from
rhe Hawaiian Ishlands 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 refriger-
ator ears, and the average number of
days to be allowed these cars for
their trip across the continent to New
York. His estimate, however, would
ne subject to error because the
steamship might be delayed by a fog
or the cars might meet with an aCci-
dent.
Storms, like pineapples, as a rule
10 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 cable, tele-
graphic or wireless notice of a for
eign storm. Station after station or
vessel after vessel reports the storms
arrival in its neighborhood so that
the general direction 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 re-
Gion of low barometer which is the
storm center around which the winds
blow. This whirI or eddy moves bod
lily forward with the general eastward
drift of about $50 miles day in our
latitudes. The forecaster determines
rhe direction of movement of the
storm and its velocity.
When weather disturbances are re-
ported, the forecasters know from eX-
Derience about how long it takes
ehem to reach our Pacific coast, and
then how long after they will reach
rhe Atlantic coast. For example, if
~ storm coming from Siberia drifts
eastward around the north pole and
reappears in Alaska, il 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.
IInnxnnotnl rnndfttAnc 81
storms or divert them from the
straight track, just as a refrigerator
car may be thrown off it's schedule or
De 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 Bu-
reau studies the Canadian weather
reports. England sends reports from
Iceland, the British Islands and
Continental Europe, and daily reports
dlitions in Russia and Siberia.
The same businesslike system used
in tracing the track OF a storm is ap-
oiled in determining the arrival OF
trosts.
Flood forecasts are made in much
the same way Information as to the
amount of rainfall at the headwaters
of streams that cause floods are COW
cred by telegraphic reports sent by
local observers. AS this rain reaches
che main channel. the height of the
water in the channel is determined
by successive gaueing stations. Past
records establish how much height,
say, of twenty feet at Dubuque, Iowa,
will produce at Davenpert. another
station eighty miles down the Missis-
sippi. This plan is followed all tile
way down the river, and at each point
fun allowance is made for the effects
OF water from tributaries, and from
additional and local rainfall. AS a
result OF these observations in the re-
rent flood the people of Cairo had
warning week or ten days in ad-
vance. The Pittsburgh district can
be given only twelve to twenty-four
hours notice, because flood is upon
chem within twenty-fOur hours after
a heavy rain storm.