Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1919-03-27
PAST WINTER HAS
Been WET SEASON
But There Have Been Wetter
Ones And Last Year Broke
Record Of 10 Years.

should the question be asked of the
average person as to what kind Of
winter we have just had in Salem, the
chances are that said average person
would say that il was one of the worst
ever experienced and that it just rain
ed most of the time.
All Of which would not be true.
The really only absolute authority as
to how much rain has fallen during
the three winter months just passed
and how many days of sunshine and
Of cloudy days we have had during the
winter is the official weather reports.
These reports are kept by an Off
cial weather observer in Salem and
monthly reports made to the head Of
flee in Portland. In turn, these re-
ports are filed away in the weather
bureau Of the Department Of Agricul-
ture at Washington, ID. @.
Hence it is to the weather reports
as kept in Salem that the true weather
conditions of the past winter months
may be estimated. And while it may
be said that this has been rather wet
winter, there are others. And taero
is also the satisfaction of knowing
that while it was trifle damp in the
valley, California was getting more
than its share of the same unusual
rainfall.
Now for the winter months of De-
cember. January and February just
passed the official record is as fol-
lows: December, clear days, 5, part
cloudy 8 and cloudy 20. January, clear
7, part clear 2 and cloudy %. Febru-
airy, clear /, part clear 3 and cloudy
"a. For the winter of l9lS.l9l9 the
record stands, clear 10, part clear ii
and cloudy So. The December rain
fall was 3.76 inches. January S.6S and
February $40, making q total Of 2O.-
"a inches for the three months Of the
lgls-l9l9 winter.
For the winter of 19l7.l91s, the
records are as follows. December, clear
days 3, part clear 8 and cloudy 20.
January, clear Z, part clear and
cloudy 20. February, clear 10, part
clear 5 and cloudy Is. Hence for tho
winter Of l9l7-l9lS, there was Is clear
days. II part clear and 63 cloudy. The |
for the three winter months
was, December IA 03 inches, January |
A .39 inches and February 5,67 inches,
Il total Of "a. 10 inches. The rains OF
December, 1917, broke the record Of
the past 20 years.
The weather records for the winter
Of l9l6-19l7 show that in De-
cember there was 8 clear days, 8 part
clear and II cloudy. For February |
clear days 6, part clear and cloudy |
II. The three winter months of 1916
1917 did pretty well for clear days as
the number was 23, of which l6 were
part cloudy and "a cloudy. The rain
fall for the winter was December, All
inches, January 1870 inches and Feb
ruary 2.S3 inches. This was a rather
dry wintes as the total rainfall for
the three months was only S.S4.
Going back one year more to the
winter Of l9l5.l9l6, we find there was
6 clear days in December, 10 partly
clear and Is cloudy. January for 1916
ldu CltdI uhgeJ paitiJ NiNui az" -
cloudy. February was bright winter
month as it had II clear days, 5 part
" clear and only 7 cloudy days. The
weather for this winter showed 30 clear
days, % partly clear and 81 cloudy.
The rainfall for the l9l5-l0l6 winter
was-December 7.22 inches. January
60 inches and February, 6.f3 inch
IS "A total Of 1874 inches.
II is pretty we'll understood that the
three winter months are the rainy
months in the valley and If there ism 7
his rainfall the farmers feel there
viii be a dry spring. /
The records show the winter rain
falls to be as following, regarding De-
.ember, January and February as the
winter months: