The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-03-20
BALMY FRANCE.
American Troops to Find More
Agreeabel Climate Than Their Own.

Washington, March 16.-American
soldiers on the battle fronts in France
will probably escape our American
torrid hot spells of summer and our
blizzardy winters. extremes of heat
and cold in France being less severe.
They may expect however periods OF
sustained cold in the trenches, cold Of
the moist, penetrating character Pc
culiar to the continental climate Of
northern Europe, but in general no
startling change from weather condi-
tions at home.
An exhaustive study of the subject
by Preston C. Day. chief of the cli-
matOlogical division, of the weather
bureau, shows that winter in northern
France is not so severe from the
standpoint of low temperatures, but
there is a constancy of moderately
cold weather which Is not usually ex-
perienced in the United States, Rath-
err low temperatures sometimes occur
there, but such extremity of cold
weather as has been experienced
this winter in the United States. Is
unknown, The coolest weather OF
record in Northern France ranges
from about zero. Fahrenheit, to 10 de-
Grees below.
Summer in northern France is
cool. as compared with most Of the
United States. the average temperu-
ture for July and August, the warmest
months, being 63 to IS degrees, even
lower than along our northern Dor.
der. Moderately hot weather some
times occurs, but extremely high tenn
peratures, such as occasionally are
experienced in much of the United
States. are unknown i'm France. Tenn
perature as high as 100 never has
been reported i'm France. while in the
United States 100 to 10 degrees have
occurred generally.
With the transition from winter to
spring the rapid warming up. famii
lar to residents in most sections of
the United States. is not SO notice.
able In France. the average temper
ature for March being only to 4 de-
gress higher than for February. April
and May are moderately cool and not
unpleasant, the length Of the day in
creases much more rapidly than In
most rections of the United States,
and there Is a correspondingly large
increase in the amount of sunshine,
while rainfall is comparatively light.
although occurring rather frequently.
The summers are pleasant as COM
pared with much OF the United States,
the day temperatures being mostly
moderate and the nights cool. Occa-
sionally hot weather Is experienced.
but the heat is not SO excessive and
the heated periods are usually of short
duration.
Fall also Ia usually pleasant, es-
pecially In September and October.
The rainfall usually becomes heavier.
however.
The battlefronts Of France lie in a
latitude north of the United States.
Paris Is farther north than any point
IN the United States. being 500 miles
nearer the North Pole than Chicago.
Along the northern coasts of France
temperatures are very similar to
those OF our northern Pacific coast.
the monthly average at Dunkirk,
France. and Seattle, Washington, be-
Ing identical for nearly half the
months of the year and differing only
slightly for other months.
Not considering the higher noun
tains. rainfall in the eastern half of
the United States, especially in the
south, Is much greater than in France.
Compared with Paris, the average
rainfall ut Chicago is one and one
half times as large; at New York,
more than twice as large and at New
Orleans, nearly three times as large.
Over the lowlands OF Northern
France snow is fairly frequent and
MAY be expected from November to
April, inclusive. although it rarely at
tains any considerable depth on the
IL n
eastern and southern France, parti-
cularly in the mountains bordering on
Germany where the winters are long
and cold, snowfall is more frequent
and much heavier.