Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-12-30
WEATHER RECORDS broken
ASMERCuRY H|TS20BELOW::
BUREAU PROMISES RELIEF
Coolest December Day in History of City, Accompanied
By Highest Barometric Pressure Ever Registered
Here; Few Cases of Suffering Among Poor
Reported to Charities.

Twenty degrees below zero was the
temperature registered on the official
weather bureau Thermometer in the
'ederal building at o'clock Saturday
morning.
This broke all records for Decem-
ser in the ~ years of weather bureau
history here. The lowest temperature
heretofore recorded in December was
II below zero, which was reached in
December, 1879, and also in 1884.
The extreme cold was accompanied
by the highest barometric pressure
ever recorded at Omaha, 5i.07 inches.
Only FIVE times heretofore in the his
tory of the weather bureau has a
barometric pressure of more than 81
inches been registered here.
Center of Barometer.
This high air pressure is caused by
the weight of the extremely cold,
dense air Omaha was the center OF
the high barometer in the morning. 1t
extended also to Huron, S, D., Sioux
City, Des Moines and Morehead,
MINI.
THE backbone of the cold wave is
broken" is the word Colonel Welsh
of the weather bureau gives out. His
weather map shows wave of rising
temperatures sweeping over the
northwest part of the country. The
indications for Omaha are for Slowly
rising temperature.
The prediction came true for last
nights, temperature was 5 above zero
at 7 o'clock.
The lowest temperature last winter
was 23 below, on ground hog day"
The lowest temperature ever recorded
in Omaha was 81 below, on January
s, 1884. ~
Cold Nation Wide.
The present aa55fd 'extsfids. over a
large part of the country, all the way
to the Atlantic coast and far TO the
south. In New York City Saturday
morning the temperature was 2 be-
low zero and this was made worse
by donnie galeJ Boston had 4 be-
low. These are extremely unusual
temperatures for the east coast, where
they Zee" worse than they look be-
cause of the high humidity.
Albany, N. Y, reported 10 below
and Buffalo 4 below. Chicago had
zero.
In the north: Bismarck, N. D., So
below zero; Moorhead, MINI, 80 be-
low; Duluth, Minn., so below; St.
Paul, Mimi, p below.
In Kansas and western Missouri
temperatures ranged from 2 to II
below zero.
Eastern Nebraska felt the cold wave
more than the central and western
end of the state. Norfolk had u be-
low zero; Lincoln had II below. Val
entine had only l8 below and North
Platte only 10 below zero. Cheyenne
exhibited the same astonishing tenn
perature as it did on Friday, record
ing temperature of 40 above zero.
Boise, Idaho. had 81 above zero.
Few Suffer from Cold.
Despite the unusually cold weather
few cases of suffering among the poor
were reported to charitable organiza-
hSns or the police.
A few men sought the shelter of
the police station.
Associated Charities had, scores of
calls for food, coal and clothing. but
no extreme cases were unearthed by
workers who visited the poorer dis
tricts of the city.
Salvation Army, Volunteers of
America and missions gave sheker to
many poor people Thursday night
and Friday morning.
Trains Delayed.
Out in the state there were light
snow furric. and considerable wind
during the cacir part OF the night.
GereT.)iy a.p2 we're I all t..
,ay FROM 70 .;uutes 10 two hours,
rot IN mi oi the snow, but by
re,i>"N o. :. cold that prevented the
engines tr"u making steam.
IN so'o,- Instances freight trains
we're aanuiied, This applied to those
Continued on rase Two, Column Oge.)
TIL IHTL1