Arizona state miner., 1925-11-14
Have No Standing in Meteo.
rology, Says Weather
Bureau Expert.

WashingtOn.-This is the storm
lime of the year, but there are no
such things as "equinoctial storms
they are a myth and have no stand
ing in meteorology, according to
statement by the American Nature
association. This will shock thousands
who have carried from school days
some hazy information about 'equinoc-
tial storms" such as caught the Shen-
andoah. They are line squalls.
There is no maximum of storm
frequency according to statistics,
either in this country or in Europe,
close to the date of either equinox.
according to the American Nature as
sociatiOn, which publishes an extended
statement on the point in Nature
magazine, by C. r. Talman of the
United States weather bureau. "O1
course in the long run many storms
do occur about these dates, just as
they occur at all other times the
writer points out, "but there is no
scientific reason for supposing their
occurrence can be connected in any
way with the suns passage over what
the schoolboy described as a 'menag-
erie lion running around the earth
Looked for in Autumn.
An "equinoctial" is looked for in
the United States particularly in the
autumn. The autumnal equinox oc-
ours during the season of West India
hurricanes, and it occasionally hap
pens that storms of this character
sweep up our eastern seabOard with
in week or two of the date in ques-
tion, extending their influence far in
land These events have probably
helped to foster the widespread belief
in an autumnal equinoctial storm.
"The Shenandoah was caught in a
line squall," the statement continues.
"A balloon or airplane would not
have been exposed to similar strain
and would probably have weathered
the gale
"In fact, part Of the wrecked air
ship, containing some of the gasbags
was waited to earth u miles from the
scene of the disaster, carrying sew
eral members of the crew to a safe
landing
"The squall that caused this tragedy
Of the air takes its place in the cata-
logue of historic storms. 1t brought tc
general knowledge the fact, pre-
viOusly little realized except by wealth
er men and airmen, that storms car
wreak their fury by blowing vertical
ly as we'll as horizontally. 1t also
naturalized the term "line-squall" in
the popular vocabulary.
"Violent upward and downward
movements of the air prevail in al
squalls and thunderstorms This fact
has been known for many years. but
it has only recently assumed practica
importance. Formerly only the birds
and occasional balloonists were
whirled aloft or dashed downward by
vertical gales, but today such gales
threaten the lives Of an army of aero
nauts.
Squalls, like tornadoes, are of sucf
brief duration and generally of sucf
limited area that they defy predic
ton by means Of the ordinary machin
cry of weather forecasting.
LAS to storms, the big Wind of Ire
land January CT, 1889, according tt
contemporary newspaper accounts
was one Of the great weather dis
asters of modern times
"The Great Storm of 1903 is sup
posed to have been the most sever.
tempest that ever visited the BRITISH
Isles. 1t cost the lives of more thai
5000 seamen, including some 1,5O(
men of the royal navy.
1.-The Barbados hurricane of 17St