Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-06-17
Hurricane Forecosters at National Airport
Have Some New Twists for 1856 Season

specializing in predictions of tide
surgeS during hurricanes. During
this season he expects to broadcast
his finding for the first time. If he
is able to predict how high the
storm driven water will get, it will
help shore dwellers enormously.
The staff of hurricane specialists.
led by Conrad p Nook, provides the
forecaster with sort of second
guesser- before-the-fact, someone to
point to hidden possibilities in
situation or to dig out a bit of his
tory that might be pertinent. The
final responsibility will still be the
forecaster's, however.
Case Histories Ready
All the past storms have been
catalogued here for the first time.
Their gyrations will help in pre-
dieting the high jinks of the ap-
preaching vixens. But there is no
short cut to accurate forecasting.
With every hurricane there are
always things that happen that
never happened before Mr..
Schmidt said. 1T won't change this
year. There will have to be some
new things crop up. It's worse than
three-ring circus, trying to figure
out when different moving things
are going to meet"
Cecil Gentry, assistant director
of the Florida project, was in WASH
ington last week discussing hur-
ricane matters with weather
authorities here.
His researchers are planning q
new cross-examination of the hur-
ricanes. Three airplanes will fly
into the storms at widely separated
levels, collecting simultaneous re-
ports on the composition Of the
disturbances.
There has been conjecture that
airplaneS could seed" baby hurri-
canes before they grow up, and
strip them of their power. 1t may
be attempted by the Florida scien-
fists this year. But a number of
problems present themselves. The
seeding plane might precipitate
some other terrible demonstration
OF Natures fury, for instance.
Why have the hurricanes started
clobbering us WaShingtonians in
recent years?
Mr.. Schmidt said that for the
past couple years the Southern
edge of the westerly winds has
been blowing across belts farther to
the north than before and they have
brought the hurricanes with them.
Will the same situation maintain
when this years hellions get going?
Mr.. Schmidt said he just couldn't
say this far ahead.
Tokes Over From Miomi
Washington is the forecast CEN
ter for the coastal and marine area
from Cape Hatteras to Long Island
Mr.. Schmidt picks up the ball after
the Miami forecast center tracks a
hurricane from its birth to Hat
teras. After the storm passes New
York. Boston weathermen are re-
sponsible for the forecasts.
The Hurricane Warning Service
was reorganized in 1885 and has
been improving since. Airplanes
play more important role each
year in the detection and pursuit
of the storms. But surface ship
ping still rate as the principal dis
coverers, Mr.. Schmidt said. Cargo
and passenger vessel crews are
trained to report any unusual
weather.
A hurricanes average life ex-
pectancy is about nine days. Au-
gusts are normally the longest,
with average spans Of IL days. July
and November hurricanes are the
shortest, about eight days.
September, August and October,
in that order, have the most hurri-
canes. There haven't been any in
February, March or April since
1887, when the United States be-
gan keeping count.