Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-10-20
FIRST SNOW OF THE
SEASON ARRIVES
Considerable Drop in Tempera-
ture Followed by Rain, that
Turns Into Snow.
COVERS THE ENTIRE WEST

Preceded by drop in temperature
of 26 degrees one OF the earliest snow
storms of any marked severity that
has ever visited Nebraska held Oma-
ha and practically the entire state in
it. grasp yesterday. Late Wednesday
the storm, which at times assumed the
proportions of a blizzard, struck
western Nebraska and swept rapidly
eastward. Early today it started to
rain in Omaha and at o'clock tenn
perature of 50 degrees was recorded:
Shortly afterward the first flakes OF
snow fell and soon the storm was at
its height, accompanied by a cold
wind, which in some parts OF the
state attained a maximum velocity OF
twenty-five miles per hour.
Fair Friday. @
Although low temperatures were
predicted for last night, the bulletin
issued by the local office of the United
States weather bureau forecasts that
the storm will have spent its fury by
late today and will have passed on
eastward. Tomorrow will be fair, it
is predicted, with a gradual rise in
temperatures throughout this sec
ton. I'll
While snow in October in this dis
trict, is not an unusual occurance,
traces having been recorded many
times, it is seldom that snow in any
quantity has fallen this early III the
season and indications are that the
present storm will hang up new
record for snowfall for this month.
But once since the local weather bu-
reau was established on November !,
1870, has snow in an 'appreciable
quantity fallen previous to October
20. This was in 1898 on October
II and 10, when 81 inches of snow
was recorded. There were traces OF
snow in October in 1885, 1887, 1888,
1898, 1894, 1895, 1896, $685. 1910, 1912
and 1918, but in most cases they oc-
Cured later in the month. The late
President William Mckinley was in
Omaha at the time Of the storm in
1898.
More Severe in West.
In Wyoming and South Dakota the
storm seems to have been most Sc
we're. Temperatures as low as and
10 degrees are reported from these
states, while snowfalfs OF between five
and six inches were recorded. In
western Nebraska the temperature
and amount of snowfall were about
the same as those reported f1onl
South Dakota and Wyomingd At
Lander, Wyo., and west OF there tenn
peratures of 10 degrees were recorded
and in the Yellowstone National park
the mercury descended to 8 degrees.
1t was IA above in Cheyenne and
points in eastern Wyoming and west
ern and northern Nebraska.
Word received from North Platte,
Valentine and other towns west OF
Oman. reported three or four inches
of snow, and with snow still falling.
A twenty-mile wind is also reported
in those sections.
fOur Inches dt NoIlolk.
Although railroads and telegraph
and telephone companies report little,
if any, difficulties in this section, dis
patches from Norfolk state that rail-
road schedules on all lines have been
upset and that telephone and tele-
graph communication is hampered by
a heavy northwest wind and wet
snow. At an early hour today the
snowfall at Norfolk had reached four
inches.
Omaha Offices and business houses
were permeated by the odor Of moth
balls. Knee lengths had given way
to underestimate of a more substan-
tial character and overcoats and furs
that had been in cold storage through
out the summer months had been
resurrected. Street cars were taxed
10 capacity by persons who ordinarily
walk to work and the streets seemed
half deserted by pedestrians. In to-
Gays weather bulletin shippers are
cautioned to protect shipments of the
next twenty-four to thirty-six hours
from temperatures of Is north and
west, rs east and 80 south.
Two Inches at Sioux City.
Sioux City, Ia, Oct. 1.-TWO inch
es of snow covered the ground in this
section, and is still falling. 1t is the
first snow of the season.
Sioux Falls, S. D., Oct. 19.-Sioux
Falls awoke this morning to find a
snow storm of the blizzard variety
raging in the northwest. A tempera-
ture but slightly below the freezing
point prevented drifting, but blanket
of snow two inches deep covered the
city. The storm began shortly be-
fore midnight and was continuing I'M
abated at s o'clock this moraing.
Storm at Shenandoah.
Shenandoah, la, Oct. lo.-(Special
Telegram. )--Snowfall that began
about 9 o'clock this morning entirely |
covered the ground and trees. South
west Iowa was blanketed byI the edge
of a blizzard that ragged dyer Nc |