4 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. JANUARY, 1896. -- 8,a.m. &.a.m. 10,p.m. 0,y.m. 14.p.m. 13.a.m. 18.p.m. 2O.p.m. 23 p.m d a .m : s38:p.m. 31 a.m. ~138:p.m. 31,p.m. ............. ............ ............. 1.p.m. 6.a.m. 8.a.m. 6.p.m. 7,p.m. 14,a.m. 17.a.m. 16 p.m 18'a.m: 19:a.m. 83.a.m. S7.a.m. 28.a.m. 8Op.m 81:p.m: 31,a.m. ......... .............. ~~~~ en- of the low to the eastern side, first appeared on the morn- ing map of the 17th. By the morning of the 18th a well-de- fined system of circulating winds around a central area of low preasure appeared in Iowa and moved eastward passing off. the coast of New Brunswick on the night of the 19th. 1X.-The origin of low area No. IS is given as eastern Wyo- ming. There is no evidence, however, that it was not an ofT- shoot of a low pressure area on the Pacific coast which fol- lowed No. VIII. This storm developed as it approached the Great Lakes, and gave the first severe stormwinds of the month. It decreased in severity after passing the Lakes and passed beyond the region of observation as a very moderate disturbance. X.-This appeared on the morning of the 23d as an ill-de- fined area of low pressure over central Texas. It developed very slightly and remained almost stationary during the next thirty-six hours, but the morning map of the 25th showed a rapid inovenient and an increaae in intensity. By the morn- ing of the 26th pressure had fallen to 29.04 at Sctugeen, and the storm had moved 1,500 miles in thirty-six hours; in its further course it gradually diminished and passed down the St. Lawrence Valley as a storm of moderate energy. XI.-This belongs to that class of storms that occasionally pass from the Pacific along the southern border of the United States and up the Atlantic coast. On the morning of the 27th an extensive ridge of high pressure extended from eastern Tennessee to western Montana. Pressure was lowest on the south California coast. Rain was falling in Arizona and rain and snow in Texas. Twelve hours later the precipitation area covered the greater part of New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana ; the south California low had deepened slightly, and the ridge of high pressure had advanced to the southward, doubtless causing the extensive precipitation of rain and snow in Texas and New Mexico. By the niorning of the 28th the ridge of high pressure had braken into two parts, onecentral over the middle plateau, the other over the Ohio Valley. The south- ern California low had lost energy and an independent storm center appeared in the central Gulf. The temperature throughout the Lower Mississippi Valley and the Gulf States was below the normal for the season, and extensive snows pre- vailed from Kansas and Oklahoma eastward to central Ten- nessee. The low drifted eastward rapidly and passed up the Atlantic coast, givingrain on the immediate coast and heavy snow in the interior. XI1.-This appeared in Alberta on the evening of the 27th, and passed rapidly southeastward until reaching the Lake re- gion. Here, as sometimes happens, the rate of movement was much reduced, and the storm occupied the La.ke region for about thirty-six hours. XII1.-This appeared in the Saskatchewan Valley on the evening of the 29th as an ill-defined depression, and at no 43 U 47 46 89 51 82 8.9 4-I 89 46 45 46 4S 47 38 45 49 46 47 &d 47 M 46 51 81 60 47 81 ...., time in its course did i t develop stormwinds or extensive pre- cipitation. X1V.-This appeared o t i the west Florida coast on the even- ing of the 29th. It remained almost stationary over the Florida Peninsula until the evening of the 31st, giving heavy rains on the coast as far north as New Jersey. MOVEMENT OF CENTERS. The following table shows the date and location of the center a t the beginning and ending of each area of high or low pressure that has appeared on the U. S. Weather Maps during the month, together with the average daily and hourly velocities. The monthly averages will differ according as we consider each path as a distinct unit, or give equal weight to each day of observation; in the first case the monthly average is taken by paths, in the latter case by days. h#8. 2.0 8.0 4.b 1.5 M0,lWmawt of C43Il.t.LQ -. 1 First observed. - MUM. 550 96'7 7% 1,OOO ............ Number. I- High areas. I ................ Ill. .............. 111 .............. I V .............. IVn ............. V... ............ \'I ............. VI1 ............. VI11 ............ VI11 n ... ;. ..... IX .............. IXn ............ X ............... 1,a.m. 2,a.m. 6.a.m. 8,a. ni. 8.a.m. I0,a.m. 13, p.m. 18,a.m. =,a.m. '25, a.m. %.a.m. S.a.m. 50,a.m. Pums ..... ....I.. ....... Mean of 11 paths.. ............... Mean of 88.5 days .................. ..... ..... 0.5 3.5 1.0 3.5 8.5 6.5 7.0 1.6 8.6 4 0 E ::: i o ' 1.5 M.0 ,.... .... g48 m ....... m 1.ooo 100 1,ooo 800 4a9 1.m 114 750 850 800 10,m 888 68Q E -- Low areas. I ................ 11 ............... 111 .............. IV .............. [Vn.. ........... 1,a.m. 1,p.m. 2.a.m. 2,a.m. 5.8. m. - 2 3 c; - 0 85 5!2 M 54 39 55 47 39 55 '&a 55 44 88 4Q .... .... .... 48 50 a 49 46 ar 50 a8 'I4 87 48 I a4 M 51 29 .... .... ... - VI .............. VII. ............ VI11 ............ VIIIn .......... - d ti cl - 0 85 113 111 104 114 1oR 122 1111 87 74 119 117 99 113 .... .... .... 69 ei 98 180 1M 05 la8 ge 127 101 107 gs 118 111 118 81 .... .... .... - 10 a.m. 15:a.m. l4.p.m. 17.u.m. Last observed. rx .............. S ............... SI .............. EII.. ........... KTII ............ KIV ............ Rums.. Mean of 15 Mean of 48 paths.. days.. 19.p.m. 83,a.m. 27a.m. 29.p.m. ................. ............... ................ d p .m . 29:p.m. - NORTH ATLANTIC METEOROLOGY. . [fieesur8 in inaha and nrillivnekra.: &ad force by Beturifort eeak.] NORMAL CONDITIONS. i . OCEAN FOQ. The normal barometric pressure for January over the North Atlantic Ocean, as deduced from international simul- taneous meteorological observations taken a t Greenwich nom and not reduced to standard gravity, is highest, 30.20 (767), in a small area between the Azores and the Windward Islands; it is lowest, 29.50 (749), in a region between Green- land, Iceland, and Spitzbergen. As compared with Decem- ber the normal pressure for January rises about 0.05 in the region southwest of the Azores, but falls in the extreme North Atlantic. - d s M - 0 88 61 I 76 87 76 18 98 80 70 114 07 io1 i ia .... .... .... 68 68 75 125 E G 61 Iza 7% 80 a1 116 65 85 78 .... .... .... -e Miles. 1,100 2900 3' 500 1: wo 1.W 3200 a' 400 2: m 900 3 ,m ........ ........ 25. OOO ........ ........ 800 2 .m 1, 000 'io0 2 w o 8'800 3'm 2:aOo 2 :m 800 1800 8,E 2.400 1,wo 450 2% 400 - ....... ....... - & d 2 B - nh8. 2% 9 M.8 82.4 41.7 19.5 aa. 7 40.0 66.7 81.5 58.8 ria. 8 ..... ..... ..... ..... 89.4 98.5 ..... as. a 41.7 4.2 41.7 25.0 17.9 88.9 4.8 50.0 82.1 31.2 14.6 88.8 14.5 81.8 ..... 88.7 a8.6 - I The limits of fog belts west of the fortieth meridian, as re- ported by navigators, are shown on Chart .I by dotted shad- ling. Near the Grand Banks of Newfoundland fog was re- 1 p r t e d on 20 datee ; between the fifty-fifth and sixty-fifth me- i ridian on 6 dates ; and west of the sixty-fifth meridian on 3 dates. Compared with the corresponding month of the last seven years the dates of occurrence of fog east of the fifty- fifth meridian numbered 13 more than the average ; between the fifty-fifth and sixty-fifth meridians 3 less than the aver- age; and west of the sixty-fifth meridian, 3 less than the average. JANUARY, 1896. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 6 OCEAN ICE. The positions of icebergs reported for the current nionth are shown on Chart I by crosses. On the 2d ice was observed in N. 45O 34‘, W. 50° 35’. On the l l t h , in N. 47O 4o’, W. 49O 58’, a large berg was noted. On the 13th heavy ice was en- countered near St. Johns, N. F. On the 23d, a berg 100 feet high and 300 feet long, was reported in N. 48O 16’, W. 50° 39’. From January, 1882 to 1888, inclusive, arctic ice in small quantities was reported east of Newfoundland, but in no case was it sighted south of the forty-third parallel. I n 1S89 and 1892 no ice was reported. In 1890 vast fields of ice and enor- mous icebergs were encountered over and near the Grand Banks, north of the forty-third ptlrallel. In 1891, on the %th, 3 large icebergs were observed in N. 46O 3o’, W. 52O 46’, and on the 31st patches of soft ice were encountered in E. 45O 5o’, W. 59O 20’. In 1893, on the 5th, a large berg Gas not,ed in N. 47O 35’, W. 48O 34; on the 8th, n long, low- berg was observed in N. 4S0 lo’, W. 47O 26‘ ; on the 18th, a berg was noted in N: 48O, W. 46O. In 1894 more ice was reported during January than in any corresponding month for the past 18 years. TEMPERATURE OF THE AIR. [In degree8 fixh.ren?m’t.] The distribution of the monthly mean temperature of the air over the United States and Canada is shown by the dotted isotherms on Chart 11’; the lines are drawn over the high irregular surface of the Rocky Mountain plateau, a1 though the temperatures have not been reduced to sea level, and the isotherms, therefore, relate to the average surface of the country occupied by our observers ; such isotherms are con- trolled largely by the local topography, and should be drawn and studied in connection with a contour map. DIURNAL PERIODICITY. The regular diurnal period in temperature is shown by the hourly means given in Table I V for all stations having self- registers. NORMAL TEMPERATURE. In Table 11, for voluntary observers, the mean tenipera- ture is given for each station, but i n Table I, for the regular stations of the Weather Bureau, both the mean temperatures and the departures from the normal are given for the cur- rent month. In the latter table the stations are grouped by geographical districts, for each of which is given the average temperature and departure from the normal ; the normal for any district or station may be found by adding the departures to the current average when the latter is below the normal and by subtracting when it is above. The years of highest and lowest mean temperature for Jan- uary niay be had from Table I of the Janua.ry, 1894, REVIEW. In this REBIEW thn absolute January maximum and mini- mum teinperakure for each Weather Bureau sta,tion during the entire period of ohserrat,ion is given on the right margin of Table I. It is proposed to give these data for each month in the successive issues of the REVIEW. Some of the details heretofore published under this section have been omitted to make room for other articles, but the numerical tables cont.ain the information usually given, and its repetition in this text is believed to be unnecessary. PRECIPITATION. [In 6nchc8 d d ?~nft.redthR.] The distribution of precipitation for the month of January: 1895, as determined by reports from about 2,000 stations, is exhibited on Chart 111. The numerical details are given i n Tables I, 11, and I11 ; the first of these also gives the average departures from the normal for each district. Unless other- wise stated, the snow or hail is understood to be melted and added to the rainfall. DIURNAL VARIATION. Table XI1 gives the total precipitation for each honr of seventy-fifth meridian time, as deduced from self-registering gauges kept a t about 43 regular stations of the Weather Bu- reau ; of these 37 are float gauges and 7 are weighing gauges. The normal precipitation for January is showu on Chart I of the Atlas of Bulletin C. entitled “Rainfall and Snow of the United States, Compiled to the End of 1891, with Annual, Seasonal, Monthly, and other Charts,” by Mark W. Harrington, Chief of the Weather Bureau, Washington, 1894. From this chart i t appears that the region of greatest rainfall in January is on the north Pacific coast and in the Lower Missiesippi Valley, including Tennessee and the mountainous portions of Georgia and North Carolina. NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR JANUARY. . PRECIPITATION FOR CURRENT MONTH. The precipitation for the current January was heaviest in the extreme northwest corner of Washington and along the Pacific coast as far south as San Francisco. The .maxima were : East Clallam, 15.44 : Tatoosh Island, 12.50; Neah Bay, 12.44 ; Pysht 18.07 ; Fort Canby, 11.52, also a t Hs;lifax, 10.12. Other details may be drawn froin the charts and tables. HAIL. The following are the dates on which hail fell in the respec- tive States: Alabama, 16. Arizona, 24. Arkansas, 6, 20. California, 15 to 18. Florida, 9, 16. Illinois, 21. Indian Territory, 19. Iowa, PO, 21. Kentucky, 7. Loizisiana, 1, 25. Maryland, 12. Michigan, 31. MissiReippi, 15,16. Missouri, 15,20,21. Ore- Eon, 11, 13, 17,21. South C!arolina,2. Tennessee, 7. Texas, 24, 25. Virginia, 12. Washington, 13. SLEET. . The following are the dates on which sleet fell in the re- apective States : Alabama, 3, 8, 9, 10, 28. Arizona, 17. Arkansas, 1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 24, 26, 87, 30. California, 3, 8, 16, 18, 19, 20, 23. Con- necticut, 6, s, 10, 11, 16, 26. District of Columbia, 9, 3.5, 26. Idaho, 1,4, 11,13, 16. Illinoie, 5, 6, 9, 11, 16, 20, 35. Indiana, 5, 6, 10, 35, 36. Indian Territory, 1, 2, 24. Kansas, 3,4, 5, 14, 15, 80, 21, 25, 31. Louisiana, 27 to 30. Maine, 6, 7, 10, 11,13. Maryland, 5, 6, S, 9, 10, 12, 16, 18, 24, 35, 26, 38. Massachusetts, 6, 9, 10, 11, 18, 32, 36. Michigan, 5, 7, 18, 20, 31. Mis- iss sip pi, 1,3,8,9, 14, 27 to 30. Missouri, 3 to 7, 10, 14,15,20, 24, 26, 27, 39. Nebraska, 5, 13,14, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 30. Ne- Tadti, 4,5,6, 12, 13, 16 to 19,22. New Hampshire, 6,7, 10,11, 13, 86. New Jersey, 6 to 10, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 31, 82, 26, 26. Delaware, 8, 15, 85. Georgia, 2, 3, 28, 29. Iowa, 4,6,6, 18, 21. Kentiicky, 9, 10, 25, 26. Minnesota, 5, 17, 18, 20, 21.