Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-04-08
WHENCE The WEATHER
Information About an Every Day
Necessity.
ORIGIN OF WARM and COLD CURRENTS

and Going of the Winds.
Though the United States has re-
versed it's trade balance in material
products since the beginning Of the
world war, and now sends out more
articles and products than other coun-
4 tries send in," says bulletin issued
from the Washington. D. c., head
quarters Of the National Geographic
Society, there is one commodity for
the main supply Of which we look be-
yond our borders and probably always
will. 1t is our weather. necessity
in our daily life, but one that perhaps
we do not always appreciate.
"a certain part of our weather. to
to sure, might bear the brand, made
in the' u. S. A. but it is only minor
portion. For the most part, our sup
ply Of rains, SHOWS, blizzards, cold
waves and hot waves, tornadoes aud
tempcsts come tumbling in from the
northwest and the west. A smaller
percentage comes from the north and
the southwest, and few storms from
the Calf of Mexico and the South At
lantic. But it is worth noting that
none Of our weather enters the cuun-
try through the stretch Of the Allan
tic coast north Of Cape Hatteras. the
section into which pours the vast bulk
of our material imports
Though the United States proper
does not brew its own weather, there
is some consolation to enthusiasts for
the made in America movement in
the fact that the great majority Of
the disturbances that enter the states
originate in Alaska or in the great
warm cauldron Of the North Pacific
between the Alcutian Islands and Ha-
waii, which is almost United States
sea.
Weather disturbances which enter
the United States accompany lows
and 'highs'-scparatcd areas OF low
and high atmospheric pressure rs re-
gistered by the barometcr-which
drift in general from west to east At
mospheric pressure is the result of
the weight Of the great sea Of air
COMPRISING the lower portion. Ma
ttlrally. in regions where the air is
rarcfied and is rising, the weight, and
therefore the pressure, is relatively
low: where the air is contracted and
is sinking the weight is greater and
the pressure is relatively high. Heat
is the chief factor in starting air to
rise over u low; and once the start
is made the movement is conStribut-
cd to by various causes. notably con-
dcnsation into cloud and rain that
gives out to the air the original heat
OF eva rolation. Thus Il sort OF Chin
ney' for rising air is established, and
at its bottom the pressure is reduced.
The areas OF disturbance--lows'
and 'highs'-madc familiar to large
numbers of people by the rough cir
clcs and cllipes that indicate them on
the daily weather maps Of the United
States Weather Bureau. cross the con-
tincnt normally in three or four days.
Usually rain or snow falls in the low
areas or slightly in advance Of them.
The rains that occur in the arid
lrlrts OF the west, however, usually
follow the passage Of lows
"In winter the great factory for
lows is the extensive body Of warm
water south Of the Alcutian Islands
and in the Gulf Of Alaska. This re-
gicn is kept warm by the japan cur
rent. The air over the water is warm
ed and tends to rise. This reduces
air pressure and maintains Il pcrma-
nCnt area of low pressure practically
throughout the, winter. From time to
time such large area Of low pressure
is developed that fragments OF the
area, SO to speak, break Off and drift
with the prevailing winds of the cast.
1t is somewhat like a bubble Of air
under thin ice breaking off from
large hubble and finding it's way with
the flow Of the water 10 another To-
cation. Normally Il new low is
thrown off every few days.
'''hc most common course of these
lows is across the southern lnnhan-
die Of Alaska and over British Colom-
hi;l, to cross tho Canadian border into
the United States in Alberta. For
convenience they arc called Alberta
Storms \ somewhat fewer number
Of disturbances, called North I'aci-
fic StolmS,' originating in the same
general region, enter between Puget
Sound and northern California. South
Pacific storms. entering south of tho
northern boundary of California, arc
still less frequent: for. this is the re
gion of Il more OF. less :permancnt
high the effect Of which is 10 keep
the drifting lows farther north. Row
ana then Il low is formed i'm some
section OF The broad curving band Of
country stretching from Alberta
through Texas, including the Rocky
Mountain states; but these occur
much less frequently than the COWS
which drift, in from the Aleutians.
"In the summer TIC Alcutian region
which produces lows is shifted to
the interior Of Alaska, and from there