The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1918-02-08
DEFINES A

The United States weather bureau
has issued a series Of warnings and
definitions of tornado conditions
which are briefly summarized below.
1t says that tornadoes r usually
preceded by high temperature and hu-
midity-a weather condition generally
said to be "sultry," "sticgy," o r "op-
pressive." Rain may come before,
with, or after a tornado, or, very rare
ly, there may be no rain at all. The
barometer does not f%oretell a tornado,
though it indicates low pressures; and
tornadoes always occur in a Glow"
area.
The season in which tornadoes may
be expected varies according to the
region. They may visit the Gulf
States in winter, and as the season
advances the region of greatest fire.
quency is in the Plains States and the
Mississippi Valley, from April to
September, inclusive. In this region
May is the worst month, with April
next. East of the Appalachian Noun
tains, however, tornadoes rarely &C.
cur until after July. Generally they
come between 3:3O~and 5 p. m., but
they may even come at night.
What to Do.
Persons may somewhat avoid lorna
do danger by watching the local signs
and reading the weather maps, which
at least show the conditions which
favor tornado formation. The local
signs are heavy, dark clouds, first in
the southwest, almost Immediately
followed by clouds in the northwest
and north. A funnel-shaped cloud is
a sure sign, though there may be g
tornado when such a cloud is not read.
! ill., seen. If a funnel cloud can moi
be seen, the whirling motion of the
air may be known by a peculiar roar
ing noise, somewhat like the rumble
of distant thunder or the approach Of
: a heavy train of cars
If one can see the cloud and get ar
idea of the direction in which it i:
moving, the zone of safety is at righ1
angles to the direction of motion. Thu
southern margin is usually more dan
gerous than the northern, and thi:
should be remembered in seeking
d place of safety. The width of tn
path of greatest destruction is ordi
!. narily not more than a few hundre'
yards, though this destructive dia
meter may be from some rods Wild
to a half mile, or sometimes wider
However, the worst part is compare
:yely narrow, and relative safety ma.
e be had only a short distance at RICH
e angles to the line of the advance o
t the tornado.
l In some of the Plains States Their
e are so-called Cyclone" cellars, an
where these are not available tn
s southwest corner of the celler of
'rame building is the next best place
Brick buildings are not so safe, bu
the cellar is probably the safest plac'
Z in them. In the Omaha tornado o
e 1913 very few brick houses were ser
iously damaged. These are ordinarll,
unroofed, though sometimes the wall
: crumble or fall outward.
: Tornadoes and Cyclones.
e Weather men define a tornado as
n violent windstorm, with rain or hail
thunder and lightning, in which tn
air masses whirl with great velocit'
around a central core, while the who'll
: storm travels across the country IN
A narrow path at high speed. The thun
der and the whirling motion hav
given rise to two theories OF the derl
. walton of the word, as to whether
: is derived from the Spanish tronada,
: a thunderstorm, or from the Latin
"tornare," to turn. =,
A cyclone. in the definition OF tn
weather bureau, Il not necessarily
!, windstorm of great velocity, but ratn
er a widespread storm mat move
with no great speed. Its widtn ma
3 cover several states. This cyclone 0