MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW.
Editor: Prof. CLEVELAND ABBE.
VOL. .XXIX. APRIL, 1901. No. 4
. -~ . . . .. ..
~~~~
... . . .. ._ ~
.. ..-
~
INTRODUCTION.
The MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW for April, 1901, is based
on reports from about 3,100 stations furnished by employees
and voluntary observers, classified as follows : regular sta-
tions of the Weather Bureau, 159 ; West Indian service sta-
tions, 13; special river stations, 132; special rainfall sta-
tions, 48; voluntary observers of the Weather Bureau,
2,562; Army post hospital reports, 18; United States Life-
Saving Service, 9 ; Southern Pacific Railway Company, 96 ;
Canadian Meteorological Service, 32 ; Mexican Telegraph
Service, 20; Mexican voluntary stations, 7 ; Mexican Tele-
graph Company, 3 ; Costa Rica Service, 7. International sim-
ultaneous observations are received from a few stations and
used, together with trustworthy newspaper extracts and spe-
cial reports.
Special acknowledgment is made of the hearty cooperation
of Prof. R. F. Stupart, Director of the Meteorological Service
of the Dominion of Canada ; Mr. Curtis J. Lyons, Meteorologist
to the Hawaiian Government Survey, Honolulu ; Sefior Mauuel
E. Pastrana, Director of the Central Meteorological and Mag-
netic Observatory of Mexico ; Camilo A. Gonzales, Director-
General of Mexican Telegraphs ; Mr. Maxwell Hall, Govern-
ment Meteorologist, Kingston, Jamaica ; Capt. 8. I. Kimball,
Superintendent of the United States Life-Saving Service ;
Commander Chapman C. Todd, Hydrographer, United States
Navy ; H. Pittier, Director of the Physico-Geographic Insti-
tute, San Jose, Costa Rica; Captain Franpis S. Chaves,
Director of the hieteorological Observatory, Ponta Delgada,
St. Michaels, Azores, and W. M. fihaw, Esq., Secretary, Meteoro-
logical Office, London. Rev. Josef Algue, S. J., Director,
Phillipine Weather Service.
Attention is called to the fact that the clocks and self- registers a t regular Weather Bureau stations are all set to
seventy-fifth meridian or eastern standard time, which is
exactly five hours behind Greenwich time; as far as prac- ticable, only this standard of time is used in the text of the
REVIEW, since all Weather Bureau observations are required
to be taken and recorded by it. The standards used by the
public in the United States and Canada and by the voluntary
observers are believed to conform generally to the modern
international system of standard meridians, one hour apart,
beginning with Greenwich. The Hawaiian standard meridian
is 157O 30’ or loh 30” west of Greenwich. Records of mis- cellaneous phenomena that are reported occasionally in other
standards of time by voluntary observers or newspaper cor- respondents are sometimes corrected to agree with the eastern
standard : otherwise, the local standard is mentioned.
Barometric pressures, whether “ station pressures ” or “ sea-
level pressures,” are now always reduced to standard gravity,
so that they express pressure in a standard system of absolute
measures.
FOREUASTS AJYD WARNINGS.
By Pro!. E. B. Qrssxcvrr. in o k g e o! Foreoant DlvldOn.
Forecasts of wind and weather for the first three days out
of steamers bound east from United States ports were macle
daily during the month and published ou the weather maps
issued in Washington, Baltimore, New Sork, and Boston.
Three important disturbances appeared over the United States during the month. The first of these occupied the west Gulf coast on the morning of the lst, and moved thence
to the middle Atlantic and New England coasts by the 4th,
its passage being attended on the 3d by gales of 40 to 50 miles
an hour from Hatteras to Eastport. The second traversed the United States from the north Pacific to the middle Atlan-
tic coasts from the 1st to the 6th ; thunderstorms occurred from Texas to the Ohio Valley, and northeast shifting to
northwest galesover the Great Lakes, during the 5th ; high east-
erly shifting to north and northwest winds prevailed on the
middle Atlantic and New England coasts during the 6th and
7th. The third assumed definite form over Texas on the morn-
ing of the 17th, moved thence eastward over the Gulf States
during the 18th, recurved northeastward over the South Atlan-
tic States during the 19tl1, reached the Middle Atlantic States
on the 20tl1, from which region it drifted westward over the
Ohio Valley and dissipated. The rain which attended this dis-
2 L -1
turbance was heavy, and in the Ohio Valley the rain which
began on the 18th and continued through the 31st resulted in
destructive floods. A detailed description of these floods will
be found under the heading Rivers and Floods. The character
and value of the warnings which were issued by the Weather
Bureau in connection with the floods are indicated by the fol-
lowing editorial in the St. Louis, Mo., Republic of May 7,1901:
HONOR is DUE.
Hereafter it may be assumed that the Weather Bureau man will be held in high esteem throughout the Ohio Valley. During the flood period now gradually closing millions of dollars have been saved through the warnings that have been given by this branch of the Gov- ernment service. It is so seldom that the Weather Bureau receives credit for correct forecasts that the widespread commendation for the timely warnings that have been given the people of the inundated section is notable. So accustomed have the people become to observing the mistakes of the Weather Bureau that the almost universal regard which the public really feels for the service is seemingly hid beneath showers of good natured banter. That any b l k of abolishing the service should ever have been se- riously considered Beema utterly preposterous. The actual amount
saved to the people through the warnings given in the great flood is a thousand times more than the annual cost of the service. All praise
to a department that is too Often slighted.
146