DECEMBER, 1898.
January. ....... Fehruary ........ March ........... Aprll .............
June ............. July ..... ....... August ........... September ...... October .... ....
May ........ ......
MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW.
____
~ ~p~
+ 2.9 $0.91 $10.2 -2.94 $1.3 t0.31 -2.2 +1.70 -10.1 -4.0 -0.49 +8.0 4 .0 1 +5.1 +1.49 -0.4 -0.86 +O.l -0.3 -1.67 -0.5 -1.16 -3.1 f3.14 -3.4 -1.26 -1.1
+ 0.6 -0.14 0.8 -1.02 +I.O -1.40 -2.2 +o.si + 2.1
- 0.9 f1.54 +3.3 -1.M t 0 .Y -0.68 +1.2 w2.31 - 1.3 - 0.5 +2.15 - 1.4 +1.6l -3.4 +1.07 -1.6 t 0 .1 5 + 0.8
- 2.Y -0.2d - 1.8 +0 .S M.3 +%A5 t l .4 -1.N - 1.1
- 2.0 -0.88 + 0.8 H .9 1 w.7 -2.31 -1.8 - 0.94 - 0.4
- 2.3 -1.09 - 0.3 +0.67 -3.5 -1.@2 -1.3 -2.98 - 0.2
+ 1.4 M.41 t 0.6 +O.% -2.8 +1.17 -0.1 -0.64 -1.8
545
- 1.4 t2.06 -1.6 -1.56 -2.9 -2.05 +4.0
-11.5 -1.79 -0.8 +I.# t1.5 fl.69 -3.6 - 0.4 +0.71 -1.3 -1.97 +3.4 $1.00 +5.9
- 1.6 +3.58 +3.X -1.78 -0.9 -0.09 -4.4 - 2.8 +0.62 +5.3 t0.07 -2.3 -0.48 ,+1.6
.. .... $0.1 -1.75 +0 .2 -0.M -1.2 +0.99 +0.5 -0.3R +0.5
spring, seeming to indicate that climatic conditions are unfa-
vorable here for raising fruit, except in the western moun-
tainous portions. By far the most advantageous climatic
influences are deficiencies in temperature and excess of pre-
cipitation during April and May. If the ground during these
months is cold and wet, germination and growth are delayed,
and become slow and irregular, the difficulty of securing good
stands is increased, and notwithstanding occasional remarka-
ble recuperative power of vegetation, as shown for example,
in July and August, 1895, the final results following any wet,
cold April or May will be unsatisfactory. During the remain-
der of such years crops seem to be especially susceptible to
unfavorable influences. April and May of both 1895 and
1897 were very unfortunate, and May, 1S91, particularly so,
with frost as late as May 8 heavy enough to kill corn and
cotton.
In North Carolina the heaviest precipitation usually occurs
in July and August. The experience of the past few years
seems to show that the average rainfall for the State is in
excess of the real raquirements of crops. Moisture is impor-
tant a t this time of the year for cotton, which also can not
withstand any considerable deficiency in temperature during
July. The mean temperature for July, 1891, was the lowest
experienced since 1872, and the cotton crop, which had
already suffered from cold weather in Rlay was seriously
injured, and was practically ruined by subsequent excessive
precipitation in August. Excessive precipitation causes rank
growth of all crops and delays formation of fruit and its
maturity, and also favors the growth of fungus diseases, as
was the case notably in 1898.
Departurea from normal temperatwe (out prerLpllaiioii i t a North Carolina.
(First column, temperature departures; second column, precipitation departures.)
-1.72 -3.18
-0.54 -0.07 -0.52
-0.96 July ......... .. ..... August .............. September .. .. . ....
November ... . . . . . . .
October ............
December .... ......
Year ............
p~
-1.44
+1.!20
-2.25
-1.14
t1.36 +1.37
-1.57
+I.:35
+1.19 +I.% -0.55 -0.60 ___
+O. i 9
-1.4 $0.49 - 1.4 -0.33 -0.2 +%61 -0.4 +O.O8 $0.1 S1.40
-1.0 t0.35 + 0.5 -0.28 .#.9 -3.47 -0.7 -2.37 +1.4 $'2.16 +I.8 fo.35 + 3.8 -3.17 -0.1 SO.89 +0.9
$0.3 +I.% - 3.7 -2.56 -2.0 -1 67
$0.6 -0.20 - 0.2 -0.31 ,-L O -1.22 f1.3
t O .6 -5.30 - 1.6 -1.64 t0.6 -4.33 $0.3
-1.0 -1.90 + 1.0 -0.17 $5.0 +].a5 $2.7 1.5
-.
instances may he noted: Damage by hail was considerable
during May, June, .and July, 1891, and in May, 1898. The
hurricane of August, 1893, damaged crops throughout the
State about 20 per cent by floods and winds.
THE SAN DIEGO WATERSPOUT.
By FOR^ A. CARPENTER, Weather Bureau.
The weather map on the morning of December 9, 1898,
presented the unusual spectacle of an area of high pressure
with a crest exceeding 31.1 inches a t Denver. Although this
high was 600 miles northeaet of San Diego, its abnormal
intensity was probably responsible for as severe a local
storm as this station has ever experienced. The principal
feature was a waterspout accompanied by thunder and light-
ning, which bore a close resemblence to one of the dreaded
chuhascos which rarely occurs north of latitude 18O.
The first instrumental indication was a t midnight, when
the barometer fell steadily. This was accompanied by a conse-
quent increase in temperature, the thermograph showing an
easy upward curve until 2 :80 a. ni. (local time), when it regis-
tered 5S0, the maximum for the arty. The wind was blowing
with gradually increasing velocity from the southeast, eouth,
and southwest, from which last direction a maximum velocity
of 23 miles was recorded.
On the evening of December 8, the western sky presented
an nnusual and beautiful sight. Countless cumulus clouds
with well-defined bases, towering tops, and uniform size ex-
tended over the southwestern sea as far as the eye could
reach. This extravagant display of clouds culminated a t
2:80 a. in. in a succession of thunderstorms lasting until
uearly sunset. This was the first thunder heard since August
20, 1897. The first shock was unusually loud, rattling the
windows and awakening sound sleepers. Rain fell almost
immediately to the amount of 0.43, ending a t 4.40 a. m. The
temperature suddeldy dropped So, a d the barometer rose.
The wind shifted to all points of the compass, but with low
velocity, settling into a northeast breeze of 20 miles, from
which direction a few houre later, i t slowly veered to the
southeast, attaining a maximum velocity of 85 miles a t 9:50
a. m.
It was just before this maximum of 35 miles per hour (the
highest velocity of the year), that the waterspout was observed
about 8 miles distant a little north of west from the \Treather
Bureau office, or 2 miles of-f Point Loma. A gray maw of
nimbus cloud overhung the moderate swell of the sea, and
from this cloud a convex projection first appeared, rapidly
changing its form in an erratic manner, but quickly termina-
ting in a slightly inclined column of whitish vapor. It
was about 1,000 feet in height and probably averaged one-
tenth that amount in diameter. The location and dimen-
sions of the waterspout wera ascertained by considering the
observations of several persons located a t dif-ferent elevations
and portions of the city, and taking into consideration the
known height of the promontory of Point Loma.
For ten minutes this sheath of condensed vapor moved in
a northeasterly direction toward the shore with a velocity of
about 20 miles an hour, when i t apparently dissolved into
the black imss of nimbus cloud which, throughout the exist-
ence of the waterspout, had served for a background. Shortly
after i t disappeared, rain fell in torrents on the low hills
closely skirting the shore line. At La Jolla, 12 miles north
of this station, 3 inches of rain fell in a few hours. The
recently plowed grainfields in this locality looked as i f tanks
of water had been emptied in various spots. Several culverts
on the railroads near this place were washed away.
During the night the fishing fleet put into the harbor, and
as the other coastwise craft were detained by the gale, the
,
646 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. DECEMBER, 1898
Georgia.. . . . . . . . . . Idaho .. . . . . . . . . . . . Illinois . . . . . . . . . . Indiana.. . . . . . . . . . Indian Territory.
waterspout was not observed by anyone in its immediate vi-
cinity. This was probably fortunate for the sailors, although a
closer observation of this phenomenon would have been highly
interesting, ae it is believed to be the first time a waterspout
has been observed on this coast so far north as San Diego.
5.8 8.1 5.5 3.4 3.1
---
THE WEATHER AND STORMS OF MALTA DURING
OCTOBER, 1898.
By JOEN H. GROUT, JR., Vnited States Consul at Valetta. Malta
The month. of October, 1898, will long be remembered by
the residents of the Maltese Islands on account of its un-
usually severe storms and rainfall. The rainfall alone from
the first to the middle of the month has been more than has
been recorded for a like period for a great many years. At
the time of the beginning of the usual fall rains, moisture
was badly needed by the growing crops. The amount that
has this year fallen has been so extensive in quantity as to
very seriously injure the crops and add to the prevailing hard
times. The soil of Malta is very light in depth, and the over-
abundance of rain which has recently fallen has proved a
dieaster instead of a blessing.
On October 1, in the forenoon, a cyclone ewept the islands.
With it came a great quantity of rain and the result was that
everything was 0ooded. To this was added much destruction
by the exceedingly high gale. The storm lasted about three
hours.
On October 19, these islands were visited by cz severe hail-
storm which, i t is said here, has never been equalled a t Malta.
The stones were indeed of an abnormal size, in many cases larger than a good-sized duck egg, ancl in some {laces larger than an orange, several of half a pound were weighed, t ree in a pound were numer-
OUB, and they came down with terrific force, smashing glass and every- thing breakable right and left, amidst deafening noise. Such a heavy downfall is unprecedented, and the oldest inhabitant can not remem- ber the like of it. Fortunately, the cloud-burst did not last long, other- wise there would have been the danger of roofs giving way under the weight of the ice, which would have accumulated on the terraces. A sultry southwest wind had
been blowing for some days, and in the morning a breeze from the northwest set in. The weather was fine until about 1 p. m., when banks of clouds appeared in the northwest. But no signs were visible of what was impending. The wind suddenly roee, and shortly after, the storm broke out like a thunderbolt from the blue, just as did the tornado of the 1st instant.
Hail falls nearly every season in Malta, but its size is very
diminutive, seldom being greater that one-fourth of an inch
in diameter, a t times i t is a little larger, but the hailstone is
practically unknown.
All during this week the sirocco has been blowing with an
amazing perseverance, but the day before yesterday a t ?:20
p. m. the premonitory signs of a etorm were seen on the west-
ern horizon. Dark, low, heavy clouds began to gather little
by little, distant thunder was heard and lightning seen in
the skies; these were soon covered over by dark clouds; a t
1:45 the i r p r , as i t is called in Maltese, mas in full action.
The wind veered to the west,, i t kept on rising higher, clouds
of dust were driven before it, and a t 3 p. ni. the storm was a t
its maximum. All this time, a distant rumbling noise was
heard, everybody was wondering what was the cause of it,
but its explanation was soon forthcoming. Hail began to
fall and kept coming down for over five minutes.
[NoTE.-We perceive that the local English newspapers as
well as the manuscript of our consul speak of the storm of
October 1 as a cyclone, a gale, a cloud-burst, a tornado.
whereas the storm of the 19th was simply a hailstorm or the
Maltese irpar. It is not certain that the popular nomencla-
ture in Malta and England is any better than that in the
United s tate8.-ED. ]
The storm came indeed as a surprise.
10 13 25
THE AVERAGE FREQUENCY OF DAYS OF HAIL
By Miss ALICIA DE RIEMER and C. ABBE.
DURING 1893-1897.
The records published regularly in the MONTHLY WEATHER
REVIEW show the number of days in each month on which
hail fell ,at one or more stations in each State. Thus, in Ala-
bama i t fell on six days iu April, 1893; twice in April, 1894,
and three times in April, 1895, 1596, and 1597, respectively,
or on the average 3.4 days annually. The following lines
give a summary of this published data for the five years.
1893-1897. The relative frequency of hailstorms must be
computed from this data by different methods according as
we desire to ascertain the relative frequency per month in
any one State, or the relative frequency during any month in
the dieerent States.
4
14
18
98 172 282 167 39 292
254
136
103 38
97
158
188
128 219
81
285 loer
~
6
5
4
2 0
0 0 0
3 2 0 2 1 1 2 1 1
5
0
1
0
1 0
2 6 0 2
I )
0 1
0 2
0
0
I! 6 0
4
0
2
16.9 21.3 42.2 49.2 12.9 42.2 31.4 35.8
25.2 9.2 88.2
28.3 22.4
8.9 28.9
102.
43.9 2a.l
6
9 12
I9 1 3 0 0
8 4 i 3 1 3 0 3 4
14
0 0 0
0
I 1
'3 6 0
0 0 0 2 0
Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . lientucky . . . . . . . . Louisiana ... . . . . . Maine . . . . . . . . . . . Maryland .... . . .. Massachusetts . . . Michigan . . . . . . . . . Minnesota.. . . . . . . Miasinsippi . . . . . . . Missouri .. .. . . .. . . Moutaua . .. . . . . . . Nebraska .. . . . . . . Nevada.. . . . . . . . . . New Hampshire.. New Jersey.. . . . . . New Mesico.. . . . . New Turk.. . ... . . North Caroliua ... North Dak0t.a .... Ohio ........ ...... Oklahoma ..... . . . Orecon . . . . . . . . . . . Pennsylvania . . . . Rbode Island.. . . . South Carolina.. . South Dakota ... Tennessee.. . . . . . . Texas.. . . . . . . . . . . . Utah.. . . . . . . . . . . . . Vermont . . . . . . . . . Virginia .. . . . . . . . . Washington . . .. . . West Virginia.. . . Wisconsin ........ Wyoming . . . . . . .
~
i z E
17 9 19 45 11 3 2 1 5 13 8 T2
18 12 15 19 14 21 1 5 3 10 5
28
30 2 9 8 1
5
-
5
@.I 3.8 4.1 3.5 1.1 0.e 5.6 8.4
4.7
6.5
14.4 7.6 11.2 0.9 0.8
2 .1 ,.5
4.0 3.9 9.5 4.6 0.1
3.4 ,,6
4.6
27.4 8.1 1.0
6.1 7.0 2.3 5 3 9.8
1;; ;
21
3
- - L
-
17
37 36 18 Id 3 2 13 21 3e 47 33
10
12
57 25 19 1
14 2I3
L2
22
66 E 46
21
5 9
4 26
18
17 41
2a 33
19 2 13 20 30 45
a
a
3 3 33 1 5 0 0 9 3 0 4 25
P x -
1;
16
21 41 1 5 3 18 22 4'2
39 40 5 43 51 23
17 16 38 34 16 47 23
33 26 6 12 19 17 36 31 45 19 35 2; 0 20 18 !a 37
1;
18 21 5 3 15 29 47 22
21 22
27 40
O I
d,
- - e
~
13
6
16 4
69 12 2
1
13 34 41 29 1 Is
61
1
2!
A 12 13 26 46 12 51 35 55 20
I2 16 31 23 26
28 36 10 19 P2 0 21
46
18
2" 2?2
16
11 15 3:3
18
I
9 14
17
8%
16 26 2s
3 10 27 3 3 39 11
E 1E 4
5
12 20
20 8 21 21 1 4 20 1 16
17
A
15
II
a
14 1 lo
I
4 16
4
8 24 4 1 0
1 2 12
21
1 17 20 3 0
I
6
6 13
11)
1 16
8
10
14 3 10
E
1G
6 14 l2 2 12 11 2
!2
c 5 12 2 5 13
4 12
4
~
i
- x
c
Y - ~
1 15
4 9 19
0 0 0 0 2
9 11 1 2
6 9 4 5 5 5 5 11 2 1
11 6 0 15 6
3 E 13 3 4
14 2 6
5
0
4 2 2
11 1 1
,
I$
A
,
~
- u c
;
4
1.
3 4 4
I 0
1 2
1 0
0
2 1 1 2 4 3 1
!? A 4
1
0
0
2
4
0
3 i 8 3 3 1 1 3 2 14 4 1 1 1 3 E 1
0 2
8 3 1 0
4
0
2 14 0 n 1 0
0 3 0 2 1 0 1 1 0 3 0 0 0
0
0 4 4 0 3 0 0 0 2
0 2 0
1 0 10 1 1 3 0 2 6 1
0
; 1 0
0
.~~
48
89 120
146
133 143
215 73 ._ m 142 10 91 154 131
1%
1% 32
102
174 91 166
58
7.2 15.3 32. 16.8 %.8 39.7 31.4
5.8
I n the latter case, we must divide the niont.hly averages
by the area of the State in order to eliminate the inequality
depending on the size of the State. Table 1 shows, l e t , the
area of each State, expressed in units of 10,000 square miles;
2d, the total number of dates on which hail fell during the
6ve years, both for each month and for the year. Finally,
in the last colunin, the proportionate total number of hail
days for one unit of area. The States in which hail-falls per
unit area have been most frequent are the small States, viz,
Connecticut, 108 ; District of Columbia, 700 ; Maryland, 88 ;
Massachusetts, 102; New Hampshire, 53; New Jersey, 112;
Ohio, 54 ; Rhode Island, 100. But these large numbers result
from the smallness of the divisors, and omitting these States
from consideration, we find the greatest frequency of hail in