Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-01-23
uncle SANS
TELL I! |! |! STORMS! 0! ! {!
Robert McWade..

81, Robert New ade,5 a.
Washington, Jan. 22.-There are
millions of folks all Owe the lana
who have, an idea that there's some
thing uncanny, mysterious, or occult,
about the successful way in which
nclc Sans weather sharps forecast
the coming Of unpleasant events; and
not a few Of them imagine that the
"Obseryers" must necessarily get
their data by reading the planets, the
stars or the moonf1 As q matter of
plain, honest, everyday fact, the fore
caster of the bureau f~oretells the COM
ing or such disturbances in a bust
ness-like way, Just as a man who has
ordered a shipment Of goods would
estimate the date OF it's arrival. Let
us see how he does it.. &c.,.
Suppose a business nan had order.
ed apcarlOad of $pineapDles from. the
Hawaiian Islands, He would know
the average time 1t would" take the
stea mer to make the trip to the Pa:
cifc. port, the average. time for ,un.
loading and lloading intosrefrigerator.
cars, and the average number Of days;
10 be allowed these cars for their.
trip across the continent to New
York. His estimate, however, would
be subject to error because the steam:
ship might be delayed by fog, or the
Storms, like %pineapples. as a rule
cars might meet with an accident.
do not originate in the nited States.
They come to us, some from the
Philippines, Japan. Siberia, Alaska,
Canada or the Gulf of Mexico. The
Weather Bureau gets cable, telegraph
ic ra.wireless notice of q foreign
storm. Station after station, or vessel
after vessel reports the storms ar
rival 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 foretoid 10 days in advance.
+. The.fOrecasters watch for the re-
gi0n OF low barometer. which is the
storm center around which the winds
blow. This whirl or eddy moves bod.
lily forward with the general east.
ward drift of about $50 miles a day
In our ATTITUDES. As the lines Of
pressure (~isobars) around
the low center crowd closer together,
The winds attending the storm in
crease In force. The forecaster de.
.terrnines the direction of movement Of
The storm and its velocity.
When weather disturbances are re-
the forecasters know from ex-
oerieHte. about how long it takes them
o reacff our Pacific coast, and then
low long after they will reach the
Atlantic coast. For example, if
storm coming from Siberia drifts
eastward around the north pole and
eappears in Alaska, it should appear
n Washington and Oregon in about
wo days; should get to the Great !,
lakes in six days and to the Atlantic
in seven or eight days.
Unexpected conditions may delay 1,
forms or divert them from the :
traight track just as a refrigerator ,
ar may be thrown off it's schedule or .
shipped by accident on a wrong
Dad. Some of these storms deplete
themselves by running into regions T
t high barometer which are of great
r magnitude and extent than the :
torn itself. Some of them, however,
ravel completely around the world.
To Keep tab on cold waves that
ONE into the United Estates from
'anada and Alaska, the Weather Blu.
eau studies the Canadian weather re- t
orts. England sends reports from a
the British Islands and Con- II
mental" Europe, and daily reports b
from st. Petersburg On the con- "
itiOns in Russia and Siberia. I'll
The same business-lik system u.s. Il
4 in tracing the track of a storm is G.
pplied in determining the arrival of e!
.osts.. e.
Flood forecasts are made in much e.
le same way. Information as to the
mount of rainfall at the headwaters ~
streams that cause floods are COW e!
by Geographic reports sent by o.
cal observers. .As this rain reaches b;
le main channel, the height of the pl
alter In the channel is determined by al
,ccessive gaging stations. Past rec. k
'ds establish how much a height, IL
" of 20 fet at Dubuque, Ia, will tC
'odnce at Davenport. another station A
miles down the Mississippi. This 81
IS followed all the way down the
YER, and at each point full allowance ;
made for the effects of water from :
ibutaries, and from additional and 2
cal rainfall. AS a result Of these .
in the recent food, the :
,ople, OF, Cairo had warning a week =
ten days in advance. The Pitts .