Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-06

quoted records of the United
States Weather Bureau appear
Il to be the most abused archives
owned by Uncle Sam.
1t seems they always are getting
smashed, broken, eclipsed or other
wise maltreated as they tumble before
the onslaught of new records. thirsty
for fame and itching to get on the
front page of the newspapers.
The public, quite naturally, is inter
ested deeply in every such upset, and
1t pictures with vivid imagination the
grim. countenance OF the official data
dispenser as he goes about his some
what sporadic duties of picking up the
pieces of passe records and hanging
up the nice new gold-bordered ones.
The reading public, under the sur
face, is bloodthirsty to the extreme
when II comes to weather disturb
ances. 1t likes it's records not merely
MANNED or otherwise partially dis
abled, but wholly and completely
knocked off the weather map.
1t wants to see ambitious young
data step into the ring, grab poor old
defenseless records by the whiskers
and proceed to rend them 1.-THE records)
limb from limb, as it were.
Unfortunately, however. Forecasters
Mitchell and Weightman. Official
matchmakers for the sport, are very
/, stingy with their big battles. They
: seem averse to satiating the secret APP
petites of weather fans in quest of
excitement. Very frequently they
throw cold water on the hopes of re-
porters who, in trying to serve the
public. call up to verify report that
a record was broken the night before
or to inquire as to possibilities of one
being shattered in the near future.
Washington's climate is not particu-
larly conducive to record shatterins.
The city is not immune, of course, to
the vagaries of whimsical Mother Ma
ture, but it's proximity to the Gulf
Stream and it's favorable location in
the Temperate zone combine to pro-
tect 1t from unkind elements.
Despite the grdmbling of the critics,
the National Capital is favored singu-
larry by the weather, according to no
less an authority than Senior Fore
caster Mitchell. 1t Is a city of
means" rather than extremes of cli-
mate. Severely low or markedly high
: temperatures are rarities, it is pointed
out.
THE forecaster often is asked if it
= is not true that Washington is
difficult city for which to predict me-
neurological changes. Invariably he
replies that such is not the case.
washington presents no mere pit
falls for the forecaster than any other
city," Mr.. Mitchell declares. Predict
ing weather is no simple task in any
place, but to say that the forecaster's
job here is more difficult than else
where Is to state a falsity. i have not
found it so, at least
The Capital, of course. has it's
SHOWS which cover the public build.
:, ings, the slopes of Rock Creek and
fthe other scenic wonders with a blan-
ket OF glistening ermine, but seldom
is it visited by snowstorms that could
be termed blizzards
It has its 'cold waves with below
freezing temperatures, but only rarely
is it greeted by so-called zero
weather."
It has its hot days, when the ma
chinery of Government is forced to
slow up and cool off, but when the
mercury does reach. the 100-degree
mark it is news event worthy of
special consideration.
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
Washington offers the best that Ma.
ture can afford, with but little of her
conditions of each season of the year
lend their aid in the Identification
program OF the city of powered ave.
nues and sylvan parks, splashing Po-
tomac Park with the springtime pink
of Japanese cherry blossoms or
splotching the wooded ravines of Rock
Creek Park with the riotous colors
Of Autumn.
Anyway. one can't dispute those
aforementioned records of the Wealth
er Bureau. Here are a few facts
CLEANED from them over a period of
more than half a century, from a
compilation by s. L. Mosby, Govern
ment meteorological:
Washington's average maximum
temperature for the four warmer"
months June, July, August and Sep
tember} during a 53-year period is
S26 degrees Fahrenheit.
The average minimum temperature
for the colder months December, jan
;, uary, February and March, is 2s.7
degrees.
The year-around average of daily
mean temperatures, viz, the mean
Of highest and lowest marks each day
for the SO years, was SIS degrees.
The record number. of days with
the temperature 80 degrees or higher
for one month was established in