Evening star., 1931-12-22
WEATHER VAGAR|ES
MARK 1881 TO END
Mercury Above Normal Yet
and Uneven Rainfall
Still Unbalanced.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

The year 1881 Is keeping up It's un-
paralleled eccentricitieS to the last.
Temperature and rainfall records for
the three Fall months have just been
compiled at The Weather Bureau. The
Southeastern States had the dryeSt Au-
tunn on record. not even the fabulously
dry 1880 being IN the same class Rain
fall in South Carolina was II per cent
less than ever before since records have
been kept for the months of September
October and November. North Carolina
went 35 per cent and Georgia 81 per
cent below the dryest ever before re-
corCed. Virginia, with only half its
normal rainfall, was per cent below
its previous dry record
The District of Columbia, Maryland,
Pennsylvania and New Jersey tied their
records. Maryland and the District
fall. Pennsylvania had SO and New
Jersey SO per cent of normal This
extraordinary dry spell failed to attract
much attention, according to J. B.
kincer, chief of the section of agrieul-
tural meteorology ct the Weather Bu-
read, because the Southeast had a
rather wet Summer, with boutiful crops
Instead Of a disaster like the 1880
dtought, this dry spell helped the
farmers, coming through the cotton
picking season, 1t was the best cotton
weather in many years.
Weather Plays Franks.
The Strangest thing shown by Mr..
klncers maps is the drenChing of the
Middle West, while the Southeast was
covered with dust clouds. All Summer
this section was suffering from drought
while the cotton farmers enjoyed plen-
tlful rains. Then, it seems, all the
available rain was gathered up and
poured on Iowa, Illinois and Missouri,
with Minnesota and the Dakotas get
ting far more than their share. Iowa
during the Fall months had nearly two
and a half times its normal rainfall,
equaling the wet record. This re-
suited in minor floods. 1t probably
would have been disastrous were it not
for TIE fact the dry Summer had
emptied the stream beds.
All through the Fall and thus far
into the Winter the unparalleled hot
wave has continued. In most parts of
the country, especially the Southeast,
there has been some cutting down of
the accumulated temperature excess
over any other year on record In the
North Central States, however, the ex-
cess has been becoming greater with
the advance of the season From North
to South there has been a steady de-
cline in the temperature accumulation,
and west Of the Rocky Mountains ex-
ceSSlyely cold weather in the last few
weeks may wipe it out altogether For
the Southeast, as far north as Wash
lngton, the temperature for the three
Fall months was about normal
Mercury Above Normal.
an accumulation Of 964 degrees above
% degrees. The following figures show
the general temperature trend of the
Autumn from north to south:
Huron, S. Oak, 218l above average
for the year, daily excess of about 65
degrees; Bismark, S. Oak, 1846 above
average; Minneapolis, l,944; Des MoineS,
,585; Chicago, 1892; Detroit, 1878:
Boston, l,099 Omaha, 1893; Kansas
City, 1926; Springfield, ILL.,, 1890;
Cleveland, 1875; Cincinnati, l,046;
Buffalo. 927: Pittsburgh, 454: Indian
apolis, 972; Memphis, 956; New orleans,
1872; Philadelphia, l,13l; Baltimore,
Ills; Lynchburgh, 343 Raleigh, 454;
Atlanta, 430; Savannah 236; Houston.
81. With some exceptions the further
south the observing station the rela-
lively colder. Tampa, Fla. was SO de-
grees below average.
This doesn't mean. of course, that it
actually has been warmer in Huron,
S. OAK, than in Tampa 1t represents
the variation of each locality from its
own normal At that, the Weather
Bureau records show the Northwest has
been comfortably warm at times when
the South was chilled, and it would not
have required a much greater upset
literally to have reversed the actual
normal temperatures in some Instances.
Trend Is Unchanged.
Only occasional records have been
received for December. but they indi-
cate that there has been no change in
the general trend. Even if the last two
weeks of the year show abnormally low
emperatures-there is no indication
that they will-l93l seems certain of at
least tying the record. It's only close
rival is 1921.
Weather Bureau experts have no ex-
planation for the curious behavior of
the year. All that can be said, Mr..
Kincer explains, is that it appears to
be the elimination of hot period that
started about 1921 and has continued
ever since, with occasional Interrupt
tions in some parts of the country. For
the last three years the average curve
has been generally upward. There is
no indication as to when the hot pc
riod will break.
Generally it has been good year
for agriculture, since the abnormal con-
ditions have helped crops rather than
hurt them. But such phenomena as
the great Southeastern drought are not
encouraging for another year This
dry spell means that the subsoil water,
depleted by the great 1880 drought, has
not been replenished and that agricul-
ture again will have to depend chiefly
on the Winter and Spring rainfall. If
this failed, farmers would be in seri-
Gus plight