Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-01-15
1881 SET RECORD
AS HOTTEST YEAR.
Capital Had Cumulative Ex-
cess Temperature of 964
Degrees, Records Show.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

b1 IhoMhS
Nineteen hundred and thirty-one was
queer weather year.
The meteorological statistics for the
IL months have just been assembled at
the United States Weather Bureau. Here
are some of the outstanding anomalies
1t was the hottest year on record, Tor
the United States.
Europe, to the contrary has been
cold. The same condition probably
holds in Northern Asia, where recent
dispatches from the Manchurian war
front tell Of the sufferings OF the COM
batants because OF the extreme cold.
Previous Record Broken.
Every part of the United States, ex-
cept a narrow strip along the gulf coast
was hotter than normal, with cumula-
tive temperature excuses ranging from
so to 1000 degrees, according to the
records compiled by J. B. Kineer, chief
of the Division of Agricultural Meteor
ology.
Over a large part Of the country east
OF the Rockies all previous records for
cumulative temperatures were broken
sometimes by large margins. The City
of Washington, for example, had an ex-
cess Of temperature over normal OF 1854
degrees and an excess of 100 degrees
over its previous hottest year, 1921.
Huron, S. OAK, had an excess OF 2,lSl
over normal and 900 over its previous
years record
The outstanding temperature excuses
came during the first and last four
months of the year, the middle six
months Of warm weather swinging close
TO the normal. Thus, while individual
records for the hottest Summer day
were broken in many places, any single
day excess was not so notable.
Frost Line Held North.
There was not single killing frost
south Of a line extending eastward
from Little Rock. Ark, through South
Carolina. Ordinarily the Winter frost
line goes much further South, into
Georgia and the Gulf States.
Following are some of the temperature
excuses piled up for II months at rep
resentative Weather Bureau stations;
Atlantic Coast StateS-Eastport, Me,
sos degrees; Portland, Me, 1,lS5; Bos-
ton, 1928; Providence, 1051; Hartford,
1,433; New Haven, 1897; New York,
1858; Philadelphia, 1874; Atlantic
City, 1905; Baltimore, 1875 Washing
ton, 1902; Norfolk, 7l6; Richmond,
$50; Asheville, 1873; Grsenville, 1865.
East Central area-Memphis, 72o;
Chattanooga. 76l Lexington, sos; In
disnapoliS, $50; Cincinnati ,32s: Day
ton, LIZA; Columbus, 1884; Pitts
burgh, 67s.
Great Lakes area-syracuse, 1.4s4;
Rochester. 1888; Buffalo, l,l05; Cleve-
land. 1,495; Sandusky, 1900; Toledo,
1887; Grand Rapids, 1899; Chicago,
Middle West-Minneapolis 2,268;
Madison, 1857; Des Moines, 1904;
Peoria, 2,O24; st. Louis, 1852; Kansas
City. 1884 Wichita, 1882; Lincoln,
Nebr., l,766; Omaha, 1919; Sioux City,
2,2s5; Pierre, 1852; Huron. S. Oak,
2,34l; Bismarck. N. OAK, 2,054.
Far west-Helena, 1888; Cheyenne,
$50; Denver, $50; FL Paso 46S; Phoe-
nix, S26; Salt Lake City, 28s; Boise,
41e; Seattle, 6s7; Portland. Greg, 500;
Sacramento, 655; San Francisco, Sol;
Fresno, STA; Los Angeles 1900; San
Diego, 1888.
Gulf area-Mobile, 342; Birmingham,
SIG; New Orleans, 424; Little Rock,
$50: Fort Worth e24; Austin, 444: |
Houston. %; San Antonio, 1875; Miami, |
-+167; Tampa, -265: Key West, -243; |
Brownsville, Tex, -l54; Del Rio, Tex, |
--353.
Broken Records Cited.
rOllOWuE some Oh the
number excuses OF temperature above
the previous highs:
Des Moines, 400; St. Paul. 50o Huron,
6. Oak, 900; Moorehead, 800; Devils
Lake, N. Oak, 1.100; Chicago, 100;
Washington, 100; Baltimore, 200.
The following cities experienced the
hottest day in their history, so far as
the records show: Ithaca, N. Y; Min
neapolis, Pierre, 8. OAK; Salt Lake
City, Reno, Spokane, Wash; San Jose,
Calf.
Two stations in the Southwest were
tied for the lowest temperatures re-
corded for the year in the United States
up to December l-Gavilan and DulSe
New Mexico. The thermometer hit 80
below at both Of these mountain sta
tions late in November. The coolest
temperature reported TO the Weather
Bureau within the possessions Of the
United States for the year was last
January at Eagle, Alaska, when the
official instrument recorded ST.
December was the fourth consecutive
month with abnormally high tempers-
lures. says Mr.. Kincer, the average for
the four month period amounting TO
from 6 to 8 degrees above normal over
large areas and setting a new record for
warmth for such an extended period.
In other words, the climate over the
warmer sections during the last four
months has been shifted southwark
some 200 to more than 400 miles. For
example for these four months Central
Indiana has enjoyed Tennessee weather,
Des MoineS, Iowa, was shifted south
ward to st. Louis, Mo, and st. Louis
has reveled in temperatures normal to
Meridian, Miss more than 400 miles
farther South.
very unusual situation exists at this
time in many central and northern Sec
tons through the absence Of frost in