UNITED STATES SIGNAL SERVICE
Q MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. A
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POL. xv. WASHINGTON CITY, OCTOBER, 1887. No. 10.
INTRODUCTION.
This REVIEW treats generally the meteorologicnl conditions
of the United States and Canada for October, 1887, and is based upop reports of regular and voluntary observers of both countries. Descriptions of the storms which appeared over the north Atlantic Oceau during the month ?re also given, and their approximdte paths s h h n on chart 1, on which also ap- pears the distribution of icebergs reported, and the limits of fog-belts to t h e westward .of the fortieth meridian. I n
trming the centres of the paths of these storms, data from the reporb of two hundred and fifty-one vessels hhve been used. The most important storm of the month passed eastward from Newfoundland during the S3d, and advanced over the ocean,
north of the trans-Atlantic tracks, to the British Isles by the
29th. When compared with the average for corresponding months of previou8 years there was a deficiency in the aggregate quantity of ocean ice, reported for October, 1887. There was,
also, a marked dimiuution in the number of fogbanks reported, when qompared with reports received for September and the summer montbs. The mean temperature of the month is decidedly below the
normal in nearly all parts of the countryeeast of the Rocky Mountains, the deficiencies being greatest 1n the Lake region,. wliere, they range from Po to 8 O . In the middle and south Pacific coast regions the month was much warmer than usual
for October, I n northern California the mean temperature
ranges from 4O to loo above the normal.
The precipitation was excessive in the south Atlantic and east Gulf states; also over sereral comparatively small areaa to the west of the Mississippi, but over the greater part of the country i t was deficient, the rainfall in the central valleys being decidedly below the average. Under the heading “Drought ” mill be found a table showing the average precipitation in the various districts for the Brat ten months of’ the year, with the normals for the corresponding period of former years. It will be seen that thus far the rain- fall of 1887 is belQw the normal in a majority of the districts of the country. In the preparation of this REVIEW the following d&, received up to November 20, 1887, have been used, viz., the
regular tri-daily weather-charts, containing data of simulta-
neous observations taken at 133 Signal Service stations and 22 Canadian stations, as telegraphed to this offlce; 174 monthly journals and 176 monthly means from the former and 28
monthly means from the latter; 268 monthly registers from voluntary observers ; 69 monthly registers from United States
Army post surgeons ; marine records ; international simulta- neous observations ; marine reports through the co-operation of the “New Pork Herald Weather Service;” monthly weather reports from the local weather services of Alabama, Illinois,
Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New England, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee? and the Central Pacific Railway Company ; tsust- worthy newspaper extracts, aild special reports.
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE (e.
The distribution of mean pressure for October, 1887, de-
termined from the tri-daily telegraphic observatious of‘ the Signal Service, is shown by isobarometric lines on chart ii.
The mean pressure lor the month is greatest in the northern plateau and north Pacific coast regions, the area of barometric maxima being inclosed by the isobar of 30.16. Within t h i s
area a number of stations report mean pressures of 30.18-the maximum for the month. Over the Gulf of Saint Lawrence,
southern Florida, and southwestern Arizona, the pressure is
slightly below 29.9-the lowest monthly mean reported being 29.84, at Puma, Ariz. The mwthlr barometric means range
between 30.0 and 30.1 over nearly the whole country, the ex- ceptions being a narrow area extending from Lake Superior
eastward to the Atlantic coast, along the southwesteru border from western Texas to the Pacific, aud in Florida and aloug the east QuIf coast. The differeuce betwee?. the highest and
lowest monthly means reported is .34, which 18 about the same as the range for the preceding month. The meaii pressure, as compared with that for the preceding month, khows an increase in all districts west o f the Mississippi ;
an increnwe also occurs in Illinois and Indiana and thence south- ward to the Gulf coaat. The excess over much the greater
part of the region meutioned ranges from .06 to .19, the maxi-
mum departiires occurring in the northern and middle plateau districts. Along the Atlantic! coast, and in the Lake region
pressed i n inches and hundredths).
and Saint Lawrence Valley, the mean pressure is below that for the preceding month, the deficiencies generally ranging from .04 to .08 along the Atlantic coast, and from -08 to .14 in
the Lako region. The departures from the sormal October pressure for the various stations are given in the tables of miscellaneous mete. orological data; they are also graphically exhibited on chart
iii by lines connecting stations of normal or equal abnormal values. From the latter it is shown that the deficiencies occur in southorn Arizona and California, and in all districts east of
tho Mississippi River. Tho deficiencies in Arizona and Cali- fornia are very slight, not exceeding .04, but in some districts east of the Mississippi they are quite marked, New England and the Canadian Maritime Provinces showing maximum de‘
ficienciea rangiug from .lo to .13.. To the westward ol the Mississippi the mean pressure is everywhere above the normal, except in California and southern Arizona the excess ranging from .10 to .16 in the northern plateau and north Pacific coast
regions.
The monthly barometric ranges a t the various Signal Ser- vice stations are also given in the tables of miscellaneous me- teomlogicd dsta.. To the ertstwmd of the one huiidredth meridian the ranges for thih month conform, as usual, to the general rule, that is, they increase with the latitodo anddecrewe
BAROMETRIC RANGES.
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266 MONTHLY WEATHER BEVIEW. OCTOBER, 1887.
slightly, though somewhat irregularly, with increasing longi tude until reaching the meridian named. Over the eastern Rocky Mountain districts the ranges5rst increaso with the lati tude to the fortieth parallel, and thence decrease with ixicreas ing latitude to the northern boundary of the United States, In the states bordering 011 the Atlantic coast the extremc
ranges are .34 at Cedar Keys, Ha., and 1.32 at Eastport, Me. over the interior of the country, .55 at Shreroport, La., and 1.41 a t Saint Vincent, Minu.; on the Pacific co:i&, .43 at Sau
Francimo, end .86 at Port Angeles, Wash. In the Rocky Mountaiu region and extreme northwest the ranges exceed the normal October rango by from .3 to .6
el~ewhere no marked departures occur.
AIEEAS OF HIGH PRESSURE.
Six comparatively well-debned areas of Iiig.11 pressnre have appeared within or near the field of observatiou in the United States and the adjacent Canadian frontier during tlie month. Three of these areas apparently entered Washington Territory from the north Pacific, crossed the country, and passed into the Atlautic from the coasts of North Carolina and the middle
Atlantic states. Two moved southeastward from the westeru Baskatchewan Valley into the United States, one of which, progressing in t h e same general direction, reached t h e Atlantic op the coast
of New Jersey, tho other, trending northeastward in Nebraska, passed into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence from the northern
coast of New Bruuswick. The sixth high area moved from the British Possessions northeast of Manitoba in a generally southwesterly direction toward Texas and New Mexico, and at the close of the month trams of it were still apparent in that vicinity and to the
north westward. The mean direction of translation was southemt, and all
marked trends occurred between t h e ninetieth and one hundred
and second meridians. The maximum high area of the month was that described as number v, and the cool wave which accompanied i t was felt generally throughout the United States. Two aregs of relatively high pressure appeared within the limits of observation on the coasts of the United States and Canada on the morning of October Ist, oiie central to the south-
east of Nova Scotia, extending inland over the Maritime Provinces and adjoining regions, tho other off tho north Pa- cifio coast, uear tho shores of Oregon and Washington Territory. The passage of t h e former across the country in September has been described in the REVIEW for that month (see high area number vii) and its subsequent probable progress noted. It apparently continued its movement to the northeast and passed farther seaward beyond the limits of observation on the night of the lst, without specially influencing weather conditions on
the adjoining coast. I.-The high area referred to as on tho north Pacific coast advanced inland during t h e night of the lst, and on the morn- iug of the 2d was central in northeastern Oregon. Moving southeastward, with but little energy, over the Rocky Moun- tains and northeru slope i t passed into Nebraska and was
central near North Platte on the morning of the 3d. The pressure was then above the normal from the Missouri Itiver westward over the northern and middle slopes and plateaus to the enstern borders of California, Oregon, and Washington
- Terribory, and from about *the thirty-fifth parallel northward
to British America; elsewhere i t was below the normal. The maximum pressure, which mainly covered Wyoming, Nebraska, and Kansaa, averaged less than .1 above the normal, but as an area of low pressure, about .8 below the mean, then existed in the vicinity of Mackinaw City,Mich., the gradients were quito marked, and violeut gales prevailed on t h e Lakes. During thesucceeding night tbe ares wassljfibtlyre-enfbrced by higher pressure which apparently descended from the vicinity of Manitoba. Afterwards it moved southeastward, and on tho night of the 4th wm accompanied in its progress by a cold
-
wave which caused killing local frosts in Wisconsin and east- ern Minnesota. I t continued to advance in the same general direction, and reached the coasts of the Carolinas on the after- noon of tlie Gth, whero it remained upproximatcly stationary,
with slight oscillations in pressure, u p to the night of tho 8th,
when the barometor fall to the normal under the influence of
:t low area over the Lakes. 11.-During the uight oftlie 6th tlie pressure over Washing- ton Territory and Oregon was considerably increased, appar- ently by the approach of s higher area from the north Pacific. Tho temperature throughout the northern plateau region fell slightly below the normal, and light local frosts occurred ju
southern Idaho. On tho moruing of the 7th a decided de- pression existed over the eastern dope of the Bocky Mountains and the Missouri Valley, influencing weather cotiditions from the upper lake region, Ohio Valley and Tennessee, arid eastern- Gulf statos westward to tlie Pacific. The area of comparative high pressure, about .G above the minimum at thecentre of the disturbance, was comprised in the region to the north and west of a line drawn diagonally from t h e Red ,River on the British border to the fortieth piLraIlel on thecoast of California.
A portion of this higG area crosrsed the Rocky Mountains on the night of the 7th and on t h e morning of the 8th covered the northern slope, but the main area remained on the north Pacific coast. The temperature over Montana fell from P to 80
below the normal, and killing local frosts were reported in that territory on the night of t h e 7th. The detached area moved southeastward into tho Missouri Valley, atteuded by killing. frosts in soutliern Dakota on the night of tho 8th; aftorwards it remained approximately statiouarg in that rogion uutil it becamo merged in the higher aroa advancing from the Paci5c. The Innin area began to move soatheaRtward from the coasts of Washington Territory and British Colunibia 011 the after-
ROO^ oftlie 9th. -Light local reins fell 011 the mountain.slopm during its passage, and light snow in portions of Montana. The advance wave of this high area progressed rapidly, and by the morning of tho 10th covered the entire country from the Mississippi, Ohio Valley, and upper lakes westward to the . Pmi5c, except portions of the west Gulf states and the territory bordering Mexico and California. The maximum pressure,
about .6 above t h e normal, which had apparently been receiv- ing succossire re-enforcements from the Pacific near northern Washington Territory and British Columbia, still remained
sentral wost of the mountains in northorn Idaho, near the British border. Local rains wore iiumerous ou the eastern slopes of' the mountains and in the central valleys, and con- tinued throughout tho Lake regiou and portioiis of' New England,
whero they had accompanied the progross of the depression above referred to. The maxiinuin prossure subsoquuntly :rossed the mountainl, and on the morning of the l l t h , with no
marked change i n energy, was contra1 over eastern Wyomiug and adjacent portions of Dakota and Nebraaka. while the idvanced waves had moved farther to t h e eastward and south- ward. The attendant cool wave, whose teinperature ranged in a few instances as low as 13O below the normal, caused many local frosts in the Missouri Valloy and adjacent slopes. Ltains had gonorelly ceased, but still coutinuod in the Rio Grade Valley, whore 6.54 inches had fallen at Brownsville, rex., during tho preceding twenty-four hours, and in portions
3f New England and tho Maritime Provinces. High winds,
generally from the northeast, had also prevailed on the coasts
)f' Texas for about sixteen hours and liad not yet materially
lbated. During the next sixteen hours the centre of the high %rea movod, with diminished. energy, into northwe8teru Texab: tad Indian Territory, where It aasumed tho form of a narrow
trough, open towards the Mexican frontier and reaching north- sastward to the Arkansas Riror. Gales from the north and
jast still continued on the Qulf coast from the mouth of the Mississippi wostward, and had also set i n on the Lakes from the northwest. During the night of the 11th the area re-
luaiued approximately stationary, but the pressure near the :entre decreased about .2, and the attendant cold wave, which
OCTOBER, 1887. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 267
extended northeastward from Louisinpa, Texas, and India] Territory to the borders ofthe LakoR, caused general frosts, bot1 light and killing, tliroughou t the Ohio Valley and Tennessee, ~d jacent portions of the Lake rogion, the soutliorii portions of tlit
upper Mississippi and Missouri valleys, and portions of Missis sippi and Arkansas. Northeast galee were reported on thc
Qulf coast from Galveston, Tex., e'astward to Mobile, Ala., an( &ill continiied at the former. They had, however, subsidec on the Lakes. Within the succeeding eight honrs the pressurc
A t i l l furtlier decreased, and at tlie afternoon report of t h e 12tt the maximum was bounded by au isobar of 30.10, atid coverd mainly the Rio Qrande Valley, southern slope, westeru QUI states, southern portions of Missouri and Illinois, and the Obi(
Valley and Tennessee as far eaatward as the eighty-seconc
meridian. Its subsequent path cannot be definitely traced, but, appar ently, the western portion of tho area united with a Iiighei area approaching from the northwest, wliilo that part east o
the Mississippi probably moved northeavtw?rd off the coast, as
traces ofits progress seemed apparent during the night of tlir 12th over northern Alabama, eastern Tennessee, and northenst w@rd towards tho coast of New Eiigland, where the :lttendaul cool wave caused numerous local frosts. Gales had again sel
in on the Lakes, north of which another depression was then moving, and the passage to the south of this portion of the high area aided materially, in conjunction with another high pressure farther west, both i n their production and continuance III.-Moriiing reports of the 12th indicated the presence 01
an area of high pressure i n the western Saskatchewan valley
A depressiori then existed to the eastward over the lakes north of Manitoba. Moving southeagtward the high area crossed the border and entered the northern slope on the after uoon of the 12th. Rains and southwest gales were reported
from the Lake region, north of which the disturbance above referred to was tlien advancing. It continued its progreRs in
t h e same direction, with but diglit modifications in euergy. After reaching the Mississippi River near the northern bound. ary of Iowa on the night of the 13th, i t trended more to the eastward, and the gales nnd rains coased as it approached the Lakes and as the disturbance passod to the eastward down the
Saiiit Lawrence Valley. The temperature fell rapidly 'as i t
progressed across the Lnke region, and on the night of' the
14th numerous killing frosts were reported from Ohio, Penn- sylvania, aud western New Pork, where the temperature fell in many instances to 16O below the iiormal. Its path from the
morning of the 15tli, when it mas central near the soutlioast- ern coast of Lake Erie, was more to the southward. I t reached the New Jersey coa& within the next sixteen hours, and dur- ing the succeeding night caused niany locd frosts from North Carolina nortliward over the coast region to New England. During the 16th i t passed off the cotast into tlie north Atlantic. 1V.-From the 14th to tlie 19th, inclusive, t h e pressure on
the north Pwiflc coast was subject to marked fluctuations.
Areas of comparative high pressure would frequently. appear -which would develop sufticient energy to force pdrance waves
inland that would frequently cross to the eastern slope of
the mauntains aiid cause local frosts and rains, but no other
marlred weather modifications. At times the entire area would apparently advance in the s?me manner and eventually disappear before reaching the Missl?slppl, without sliowing
a well-defined oxtended ti'ack or having any special appar-
ent influence on tlie weather condltlons generally, the press- ure meanwhile oil tlie coast having been materially re-en- forced so as to form a new liigli area. On the night of the 19tl1, however, a compariLtively well-defined area of high
pressure, about .3 above tlie uorinal, advanced inland to east. erti Oregon. Moviiig slowly to tlie soutlieast, i t crossed the
mou~~taiiis, and on tlie moruiiig of the 21st i t covered the greater portion of the couutq from tlie mountains eastward
to tllq Missiwippi, except Montana, where the pressure hid.
begun to decline i n iidraiice of a disturbance approaching from the northwest, Depressions of temperature of from 6 O to 19O
occurred throughout the area, and killiug frosts were reported in Kttn~as. High witids had attended the progress af' a de- pressihn over the Lakes since the 19th, and still continued,
appareutly augmented by the advance of this high area. Dur- ing the next sixteen hours it moved southward, with diminished energx, to the west Qulf coast in sdvauce of a low area fol- lowing froni the Northwest. Trending afterwards to the north- east, it passed during tlie night of t h e 21st to the east of the Mississippi, covering the couutry from the Ohio River south- wnrd'to the Qulf and eastward to the south Atlantic states and the borders of the Virginias, causing numerous local frosts therein and in uorthern Oliio and sonthenstern Wisconsin. Gales had abated on t h e upper lakes, but still continued a t
eastern ports on Lakes Erie and Ontario. It continued its pro- gress towards the middle Atlantic coiist, the gales abating on the lower lakes as it advanced, aud during the 23d passed into the Atlantic, apparently still coiitinuiug its direction towards
the nortlieast. Killing local frosts were reported in the coast regions of the middle Atlantic states and New England on the uight of'the 22d, where the temperature fell from loo to 16O below the normal.
V.-Afternoon reports of the 22d sliowetl a marked increase in' pressure in t h e western Saskatchewan valloy near the moun- tains. Suow vas then falling in that region and along the valley to the ertstward north of Montana, at numerous poiuts in that territory, and in Dakota and the northern border of Ne- braskts, also at several stations in tho upper Mississippi valley.
Local rains mere also reported from stations both in the Mia-
souri aud Mississippi valleys. A storm of considerable energy was then central over the middle slope. During the next six. teen hours the pressure continued to increase, and OR the morn- ing of the 28d the high area, bounded by an isobar of 30.6, .68
above the normal, was still central in the same region. Mean- while the depression had progressed into the Mississippi Val- ley, where the minimum pressure was slightly over .5 below the normal. The gradients were therefore marked. Heavy raius prevailed near the centre of t h e disturbance and light local snows continued to the northwestward towards the region
of high pressure. The cold wave accompanying the high area extended southward to Texas and Arizona and westward from the low area to the Pacific, except over portions of Oalifornis,
where tho variations from the normal were slight. The tem. peraturo at Calgarry, N. W. T., apparently near the centre of
tlie high area, was reported at Go, 3 3 O below the normal, and killing frosts occurred both in Idaho and Oregon. During the next eight hours the aren began to move to the southeast, and heavy gales set in on tlie Lakes. Crossing the northern slope, it moved thence eastward towards the southwestern coast of Lnke Michigan, near which i t w m central on the afternoon of the 25th, without any marked change in energy. The high winds subsided over the Lakes as i t progressed, and, as'the low
area travelled in advance, pawed rapidly to the northeast. Its iubsequent course was to the northeast over Michigan into auebec, thence through southern Ontario, the northern por- ;ion of Maine, dnd New Brunswick to the Gulf of Saint Law-
"ence, which it reached on thenightof the 26th. At this time, hoiigh the western limit of t h e nucleus of maximum pressure, mpresented by the isobar of 30.6, was adjacent to the western :oast of tlie Qulf of Saint Lawrence, and the eastern boundary, qmsented by the same isobar, was probably not far seaward, jet the waves of high pressure in rear covered a vast extent
)f territory and extended in irregular loops Eoutliwestwurd to ,he middle and southern slopes and theuce northwestward to .he Pacido coast. As the main area moved farther eastward )ff the coast detached areasofcomparative high pressure formed tpparently in the broken waves iu rear and gradually disap-
)eared. The Jargest of these subordinnte high areas, enclosed >y an isobar of30.30, extended, at the last report on the 27th, u a belt about three hundred and fifty miles wide from t h e ;outhern slope northwestward to the eastern border of the north Pacific region, with the maximum pressure central in western
3olorado. During the 28th the centre of this area moved north-
268 MONTHLY WEATHBIX REVIEW. OUTOBEB, 1887.
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westwaTd into Idaho and western Washington Territory, with slightly increased energy, and remained nearly stationary in that vicinity until the 29th, when it apparently became merged in a higher area moving southward from Manitoba. The heavy gales produced on the Lakes by the passage oi this high area in rear of a marked depression caused great loss of life and property, especially on Lake Michigan, and the cool wave which accompanied i t was felt gonerally through- out the country, and did considerable injury. VI .T h i 8 high area apparently approached north eastern Dakota and the adjoining border of Minnesota on the after- noon of the 28th from the British Possessions to the northeast of Manitoba,. The general direction of the path of maximum pressure was to the southward down the Red River and Mis- souri valleys, and, early in its progress, its waves extended westward over the mocntains so aa to unite with the high area central in Idaho. As it advanced eouthward high winds arose on the Lakes, over which a depression had recently passed, Local rains aud snows were also frequent over that region and
e h n d e d northeastward as the depression moved seaward, and aa the advance waves of the high area progressed eastward.
At the last report on the 29th the centre of pressure bounded by the isobar of 30.6, extended in' the form of an elhpse from southwestern Oolorado to western Wisconsin, the longer axiE pointing to the northeast. Low areas at this time existed near Manitoba and on the coast of the Carolinas. A line drawn diagonally from Fort Garry, Manitoba, to Puma, Ariz., approximately represented the isotherms of normal tempera. tures, those to the westward being above, and those to the eastward below the mean ; depressions of' 25O existed, in a few instances, near the centre of tho high area, elsewhere they were not so marked. During t h e sncceediug night the high area moved farther to the eouthward and slightly to the west. ward, causing local frosts in the lower Mississippi valley from Alabama northward, and in the western Ohio valley. The gales subsided on the Lakes and the precipitation generally ceased. During the 30th the pressure throughout the area de- creased materially and at the last report on that date the maximum, bounded by an isobar of 30.3, extended in a crude
semi-ellipse from t h e western Qulf states and Rio Grande Valley northwesbward into Utah and Wyoming. On the night of the 30th the cool wave extended eaatward over the enstern Qulf and western portions of the south Atlantic states, causing
numerous local frosts, both light and killing. The pressure throughout the area still fur€ her declined during the 31st, and at the la86 report of the month the isobar of 30.2, enclosing the maximum pressure, extended in a trough from the coasts of the western Gulf states aud the Rio Grande Valley north- westward into Idaho and western Montana, apparently not specially affecting weather conditions in the vicinity. Anoeher area of comparatively high pressure was at the close of the month apparently central in the Britiah Possess- ions to the north of Lake Superior.
AREA8 OF LOW PRESSURE.
Duriug the month eleven low areas, whose paths have been
traced on chart i, have appeared within the range of observa- tion, or sufficiently near to permit their approximate location. Eight of these' were first observed in the Saskatchewan Valley,
whence six passed to the Atlantic through, or adjacent to, the Qulf of Saint Lawrence, and the other two, i t is believed, pur-
sued approximately a similar course, a1 though they moved into the British Possessions beyond the fleld of direct obeerva- tion, one near the eighty-second, the other near the ninety- seventh, meridian. One low area apparently developed in the northern plateau, moved southemtmard into Wyoming, where it divided, one subordinate depression passing to the Atlantic through the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the other through Texas into Mexico. Two others, of' cyclonic energy, moved from the Gulf of Mexico in R general northeastward direction, one of which united in Maim with n depression from the Bas-
katchewan Valley, passed northward and subsequently north-
eastward with it to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence; the other cros.sed the peninsula of Florida, and, moving approximately parallel with the coast, was central at the close of the month off the middle Atlantic states. The mean direction of translation was slightly to the south of east, and the development or first location of the respective centres, and also their subsequent paths, farther to the north than usual. The month in general has been particularly uufavorable to lake navigation. The paths of nine low areas (including the two aboveuoted a8 having passed into the British Possessions) having either crossed or been sufficiently near the Lake region
to have afl'ected more or less seriously atmospheric conditions therein and endaugered or caused the loss of many valuable
lives and much property. Storms numbers i and r i i i were notably eve re (see descriptions and extracts). The following table furnishes interesting information relative to these areas of low pressure:
1
--
I Firat observed. Last observed. 1
19.5
70
38.9
Average rate of proyresb, 27.9 miles par hour.
..
The low area referred to in Imt REVIEW a8 ceutral at the close of September near Grand Traverse Bay in northern Michi- gan was, on the morning of the lst, approximately in th-e samo position. Moving Ruhsequently northeastwards into the prov- ince of Ontario, i t crossed north of the La,lies towards the Saint bawrance Valley, down which it apparently passed into the
Atlsntic i n advance of lower area closely following. Fre- quent rains fell to the south of' its path over the Lakes, north-
ern New England, the Maritime Provinces, and in the valley during its progress. The high mea which on the night of the 1st was adjacent to the coast of t h e Maritime Provinces, im- ,
poded somewhat its movement seaward. Gales on the Lakes did not immediately succeed its translation, owing to the rapid advance of a greater depression in rear, but those which set in after the passage of the latter mere probably materially augrnentml by the proximity of this area to the eastward. I.-Morning reports of the 1st indicated the presence in the Saskatchewan Valley, adjacent to the junction of the two main branches of the river, ofa well-defined low area which had ap- parentlx during the preceding night moved eastward from the mounta.in slope. Conditions in advance were favorable for its rapid translation, as a deprossion existed over the Lakes and tho pressure towards the Atlantic coast waa below the
normal, except in portions of New Englaiid and tho Maritime Provinces, where it was rapidly declining. The low area moved eastward during the lst, towards the lakes north of
Manitoba, but during the succeeding night trended more to the south, and on the morning of the 2d was centml in Minne-'
sots. Higher temperatures and local rains @tended ita pro- gress. Its general sub~equent direction was eastward into
tho province of Ontario until i t reached the region to the north of Parry Sound, where its progress for sixteen hours, from the afternoon of the 3d to the morning of the 4th, waa materially
retarded. Changing its direction subsequently to the south- east, and moving more rapidly, it, crossed the Saint Lawrence River near the eastern shore of Lake Ontario on the night of the 4th and, passing through New England, was central off the :oa.st of New Hampshire a.t the last report on the night of the
OUTOBER, 1887. MONTaLY WEATHER REVIEW. 269
6th. Afterwards, apparently, it moved off to the northeast dong the coasts of the Maritime Provinces. Local rains at tended its progress across the Lakes and on the coasts, and heavy gales on the afternoon of tho 2d, and on the 3d and 4th prevailed over the Lake region aud caused many disasters t c shipping and much loss of property. On the morning of the
3d, when the depression was central north of the Straits 01
Mackinaw, the pressure had reached the minimum observed during translation. A barometer reading of 29.26, .8 below the normal, was then reported from the station at Mackinaw City, Mich., aud as an area of coniparntive high, nearly .1 of an inch above tho normal, then existed to the southwestward, the gradients at that time and during the day were quite marked
and tbe gales more thau ordinarily severe. The following extracts will show the severity of this storm :
DETROIT, MICII., October 4.-A Hpecial to the “News” from Marquette,
Mich., says: The heaviest gale ever recorded at the Marquette signal statiou is still raging. I t began Sunday noon, with a thirty mile wind from the south.
west. It shifted to the west, and since midni ht Sunday has.averaged avelocity of thirty-eight miles an hour on the open %ke. Four times yesterda the wind reached a velocity of forty-two miles at the station, .or fifty on the fake.
A terrible sea is running, and the windat 1 p. rn. was blowing thirty-four miles, with no sign of a break in the storm. On the 8d the wind increased in violence, blowin a gale from the north-
west. Estimated velocity between forty and fifty mses per hour. The wind abated somewhat on the 4th, but continued to blow hard until sundown, when
it died down.--dir. Qw. L. Collie, voluntaq observer, Delavan, Wis. The westerly gale hauled to the northwest and moderated some at ChicaBo,
butthe wind is still blowing fresh from that quarter. Early in the morning
the wind was raging with unabated violence in the vicinity of the straits, where
the velocity was forty-eight miles an hour. The storm wns central over
Georgian Bay, and heavy winds prevailed throirghout the lower lake re ion.
Very few vessels reached here during t)le day, but all that did bore rnarfs of rough urn e outside. Prom the reporta of vessel captains the storm was fur more t o r r i l e on Lake Michigan than those who were safely ashore can realize. The steamer “Jewett,” which ww never known to turn tail in a gale of wind, bucked against the wind and sca at the foot of the Lakes for six hours without making any perceptible headwa -C?Licago !lbibum, October Gth.
The observer at Mackinaw 8it Mich., reports that the propeller “Cali-
fornia,” bound from Chicago to aontreal, foundered off the island of Saint Helena at 1.80 a. m. on October 4th. She wna laden with io0 bnrrels of ork
and 20,000 bushels of corn, and went down in about fifiy feet of water. k n e lives.were lost ; the vessel went to pieces and will probably prove a total loss. At midnight the tug ‘,‘+Green ” left for the lake and this morning picked up
the schooner I ‘ Canton, ore-laden, from Escanaba, and though only drawing
twelve feet of water she din gcd along the bottom, and few tugs other than the
“Oreen” could have brou&t her in. Captnin Berlin, of the “Canton,” re- porta a fearful experience on Lake Hiiron. He came down the lake in a tow
of six vessels. Sunday night tow broke loose from the tl1g and went adrift. Por twenty-four hours immense 8eaa broke over the staunch little vessel but she weathered it bravely and reached the rivers in good tlmo and safe.--Tokdo
Bee October4th. $esterday afternoon Messrs. Sullivan and Hubbard, of this city, recoived a
dbpatch stntin that the schooner “Pulaski,” owned by them, while on the way from Sanfwky to Manitowoc, coal-laden, had gone ashore during the storm and was a totel loss. Capt. P. J. La VOW, in a dis atch, says the
schooner had been run close to shore and anchored, but tge heavy wind
dra ed her ashore, where the heavy seas soon tore her to pieces.-Z‘oZedo Bee,
Oct% 6th. CLEVEIAND, OHIO, October 4th.’+uuday ni ht and yesterday violent west- erly gales succeeded one another in such q u i 5 succession as to be almost a
continual hurricane. Trees, signs, chimne 8, and roofs siiffered, but no serious
damage wns done here.-€ ’ortla?id (Me.) Jaily Press. ERIE, PA., October M?i.-A two-masted schooner went whore at Ripley shortly before dark last evening. The gale raged furiously all the afternoon. The lest seen of the craft there wero six men in the rigging. The United
states revenue cutter “Perry” went to the reeciie, but, on acconnt of the darkness, it is feared that the men were not saved. The name of the schooner
is not known. Several tugs which ventured to go to the relief of the vessel
were obli ed to put back.--l’oZeda Bee. A galetegan at 6.10 p. rn. on the 2d and ended at G.46 p. m. on the follow- ing day; maximum velocity of the wind, fortyeight miles er hour, from the
west, was recorded at 10.62 p. m. on the 2d. A similar ve!ocit was also re- cordedfrom theuorthwest at 12.42 , m. on the 8d.-Obsmer, Adwaukee, We. a10 prevailed during t l e day of the 4th ;. s c h o o n e ~ “City of Green
Bay” and“Havannah,” from this ort, were lost in the gale, with nine sea- men. The vessels and cargo aro vaEed at $80,000. The storm is reported to have beeu the most violent of the season.-Otsmer, Escanaba, Mich. A gale began ahout midnight on the 2-8d) and continued high all day, reaching its maximum velocity, thirty-five miles fer hour, at 12.10 p. ni. Some trces were blown down, and the high smo e-stack of State Pnuting
Bouse was blown over.-Ob8mer, Lansing, Nich. A severe gnle set in frob the soutliweflt at 7.27 a. m. on the Sd, and con-
The weather is thick.
A heav
tinued throughout the day. The lake at this port waa very rou h submerging
both breakwaters, and at times the water was forced above bo& iight-house8; the breakwaters sustained heavy injuries. Buffdo River rose seven feet dur- ing the storm, flooding a number of houses, and on the island and alon the
water front numerous families were obliged to vacate their homes. Thesew York Central Railroad was compelled to kee trucks on the tracks in order to protect thein from destruction. Barge “ C. E. Hutchinson ” ran ashore about ten miles from this city wikh a cargo of 85,000 feet of lumber; the vessel became a total wreck, but the crew were saved. Considerable damage wes done in this city; trees, signs, fences, cornices, cliimneys, and roofs being car-
ried away by the wind. Sea captains state that this was the most severe and destructive storm that has ever visited the Lake region so cRrly in the season.-
Observer, Bufhb, N. Y.
11.-This disturbance was first definitely located on the morning of the 4th, north of Montana, near the south branch of the Saskatchewan River. During the next eight hour8 the pressure in t h a t vicinity declined rapidly, probably owing to the approach of the area from the northwest beyond the limits of observation. Subsequently, however, during the day the centre of the depression apparently moved to the eastward, with decreased energy. As it approached the lakes north of
Manitoba it trended southeastward in the form of a trough and covered western Minuesota. Moving farther southward it wm ceutral over Iowa and southern Minnesota at the last report on the Sth, but during the succeeding hight moved northeast. ward towards the eastern portion of Lake Superior. Its sub. sequent course cannot be deflnitely traced, as it passed into
Canada beyoud the regions of observation. Its approximate course waa apparently, however? northeastward towards the
northern coast of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, as a low area (most probably this one) was observed in that vicinity on the 7th, 8th, and 9th, passing seaward; local rains were also prevalent throughout the Lake region and northeastward towards the Gulf on t h e 6th aud 6th, and in portious of t h e Maritime Provinces on the 7th, apparently attondnnt on the passage of a depression to the northward. Directions of wind and records of atmospheric oonditions i n these regions also pointed to the same conclusion. 111.-Night reports of the 5th seemed to indicate the devel-
opmeut of a disturbance near Bois6 Oity, Idaho. The pressure at that time over the entire country \vas below the uorinal,
ranging from about .06 below the mean to .46. Local rains
were falling in northern Oalifornia and the coast regions northward. Eight hours afterwards a well-defined depression sxisted in the form of (I narrow trough, extending from about bhe middle of Utah northward into northern Montana, averag- ing about .6 below the normal. ‘During the rest of‘the day the :entre of the depression moved southeastward, with increased mergy and contrmted limits, into westeru Oolorado, where, on ;he night of the 6th, i t was located as a small oval, pointing qqwoximatoly emt and ,west. Rains had generally ceased,’
mt had extended inwards from the coasts over the mountains tnd slopes to the north of the disturbanco, aud also into por- ;ions of the Missouri and Mississippi valleys. A high south-
3ast wind was reported at Corpus Christi, Tex., aud a maxi- num velocity of thirty miles from the w n e direction during
;he previous eight hours. During the succeeding night the lepression seemed to divide, two separate nuclei being appar- 3nt on the morning of the i’th, one central on the borders )f Oolorado and Kansas, with a pressure about .6 below the
iormal; t h e other near Yrescott, Arizona, .76 below the nor-\ nal. During the day the northern centre of depression moved iortheastward, with dimininshed energy, to the neighborhood )f Saint Paul, Minn., and the southern, eastward iuto New Koxico. Rains generally prevailed from tho Mississippi west-
ward to the mountains, and had fallen at many lake porta. hows also mere reported at a few stations in the northern slope. hadients were close near both depressions. High southeast Kinds continued at Corpiis Ohristi, Tex., and winds were be- ;inning to freshen on the upper lakes and had in afew nstances already reached velocities dangerous to uavigation. During the 8th the northern depression moved southward ‘rom near Saint Paul, Minn., through Iowa into northwestern
qissouri, and nfterwards changing direction to the northeast
870 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. . OCTOBER, 1587.
dnriug tlie succeeding night crossed Wiscousin and reachec the northern coast of Lake Michigan on the morning of thc
9th. Copious rains attended its path both in the valley am near tho upper lakes. Its general course subsequently wa! eastward, north of the Lakes, towards the Saint Lawrence anc down the adjoining valley to the sea. Abundant rains fel along its path and to the southward, and high local winds wen reported from lake stations on tho 10th aud 11th. As it ap proacheil the Gulf of Saiut Lawrence its energy seemed to in crease, and i t passed into the Atlantic on the 12t11, apparentlj
a8 a well-developed low area. The southern depression? whick a t t h e last report on the night of the 7th was central 111 Nen Mexico, moved eastward during the next sixteen hours intc northwestern Texas, thence treuding southward it crossed tht Rio Grande on the morning of t h e 9th, and passed eouthwarc into Mexico, being approximately central to the west of Ric Grande City, Tex., at €he afternoon report of that date. 11 Was accompanied by local rains in the vicinity of its path, anc by gales on the Texas coast near Corpus Christi, which sub sided during the 8th. The future course of this disturbance is :I question for consid eration. A low area appeared on t h e moruing of the 10th t<
be approximately central Dear the Mexican coast and subse qneiitly seemed to move eastward into the Gulf near the twenty fifth parallel. This may possibly have been t h e same disturb ance, wliiclr perhaps trended to the e a t in Mexico and passec into the Gulf.
1V.-This low area was first observed near the north branch of the eawkatchewan River west of the one hundredth and seventh meridian on tlie afternoon of the 11th. I t moved southeastward with comparatively feeble energy, reaching thc lakes north of Fort Garrg, Manitoba, on tile morning of thc 12th. Afterwards it crossed the province of Ontario north 01
the Lakes, influenced by the higher pressure to its south, en tered the Saint Lnwence Valley and passed into the Gull across the northcru border of New Brunswick on the moruing of the 14th. Tweuty-four hours afterwards i t was apparentlj central on t h e southern coast of Newfoundland, passing sea. ward. High winds and dangerous local gales occurred in the Lake region ou the l l t h , 12th, and 13th, and also on the coasta of New England on the last date, during its progress to the north and east of these regions. Light rains fell along its
path and in the viciuity southward. The depressiou bad ap parently attained its maximum energy ou t h e afternoon of the 12th, when i t was central north of Lake Superior, with a pressure about .6 below the normal. Within the succeeding eight hours, however, its energy declined materially and the pressure increased nearly .3. As i t approached the Gulf there was a further decline in energy, and when it left the coast it waa appareutly but a slight depression of comparatively little
magnitude and feeble force. V.-Moniing reports of the 14th indicated the presence of another depression in the western Saskatchewan Valley ad- jacent to the mountain slope. During the next sixteen hours it. moved in a direction slightly south of east aud reticbed the vicinity of the oue hnndred and fourth meridian. Thence it trended more to the southward, crossed Dakota, and passed into western Nebraska, where i t was central ou the afternoon of the l6tt1, resembling in general outline an ellipse with the major axis pointing northeast. Light local rains had fallen on the iuountaius toathe westward and in the Missouri and Missis- High winds were reported both on Lake Superior and in northern Micliigan. An area of comparatively high pressure WHN then ceutral southeslst of Lake Ontario, influencing
atmospheric couditions westward towards the depression, and probably matcriiilly nioclifying its path. During the next eight hours the ceutre of the depression moved southeastward through Nebraska to the viciuity of the Platte River. Thence it mot-ed northeir~t~i~rd into southern Minnesota, with dimin- islred euergy. Trending afterwards to the &outbeast i t crossed the Missiesippi north of' Dubuque, Iowa, 011 the afbrnoon of the
16th and passed northewtward iuto the province of Ontario
, sippi rallep3.
across the intervening states and lakes. Moving eastward afterwards to the valley of the Saiut Lawrence i t pmsed down to the vicinity of Father Point on the afternoon of t h e 18th,
and, changing its direction more to the northward, advanced iuto the province of' Quebec beyond the h i t s of observation. Local rains, geuerally light, fell in tlie Lake region during its progress there, and while to tho northward, and also in the valley portions of New England aud the Maritime Provinces. Local gales of moderate force, mainly from the southwest quadrant, were reported at a fow lake ports on t h e lSth, 16th, and 17th.
This depression was at its maximum when in the valley north of Montana, where the pressure was a little over .6 below the normal. Its euergy during translation was a t no time specially marked, and materially decreased wheu it passed to the east of t h e Mississippi. VI.-On the morning of the 17th the disturbauce which had appareutly for several days been indicated to the south of t h e
Gulf coast of the United States seemed to be approximately located off the coast of Mexico, south ofthe mouth of the Rio Orande. Frequent rains had fallen during the preceding twenty-four hours at stations on the coasts of Florida, and on tlie Gulf westward, and still continued. The pressure at Brownsville, Tex., the station nearest the centre of disturb- ance, was about .2 below the normal, and still decreasing. An area of comparatively high pressure was in t h e northern pla-
teau region, and auother, which had been for about thirty-two hour8 approximately central on the New England and middle Atlantic coasts, and which had probably materially modified the movement of this low area, had recently moved seaward. Moving approximately northeastward towards the mouth of the Mississippi, the disturbance approached the Louisiana coast
with cyclonic energy and reached the vicinity of New Orleans, La., on the morning of the 19th. A barometer reading of 29.22, .82 below the normal, wa8 reported from that station on that morning, which represented a fall of .I52 during the pre- ceding eight hours. Gales of hurricane force from northeast to northwest had prevailed on the west Gulf coast on the 18th, but had subsided, except in tlie immediate vicinity of the de- pression, where gradients had become quite marked, averaging about one-tenth in thirty miles between New Orleans, La., and Mobile, Ala. Passiug to the southeast of New Orleans the centre of the storm moved northoastward into Alabama on the 19th, accompauied by heavy gales and rains. Storm signals had been ordered well in advance, aiid the pub-
lic had been fully advised both of the approach of the storm and its probable direction. Much damage, however, was done to #hipping in the Gulf especially in the vicinity of New Or-
leans, La., and Penrwoia, Fla., where the gale waa uuusually Bevere. On the 19th a ~,naximum velocity of forty miles wm reported at Galreston, Tex. ; forty-two miles at New Orleans, La. (between 8 and 9 a. m.); forty-eight miles at Pensacola, Fla. ; and fifty miles at Mobile, Ala. Minor damages, besides, occurred in that vicinity, such as the prostration of telegraph wires, trees, fences, etc. During the afternoon and night of the 19th the central pressure materially increaaed and t h e en-
ergy declined as the low area progressed northeastwards to- wards the coast of North Carolina, which i t reached on the evening of the 20th. Trending afterwards more to the north, it pmsed, with increased energy, into the Atlantic, and moving adjacent to the comt crossed southeastern Massachusetts and entered New Brunswick, where i t ma& joined on the evening
3f t h e 21st by another low area, number vii, approaching from the west. The combined area advanced thence northward with marked energy, crossed the Saint Lawrence near Father Point and apparently passed off into the British Possessions to the northeastward.
The gales subsided on the Gulf coasts during the night of the 19th, but set in during the succeeding day on the coast of the south Atlantic states, and subsequently northward as the itorm advnuced. Prominent eastern seaports bad been fully
zpprised by the display of signals and bulletins, and also
OOTOBEB, 1887. . MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 271
through the press, of the advance and probable severity 01
the storm, yet a€? many vessel owners choose to take the risk, and numerous vessels were en route on their respective voy. ages, much damage and many minor disastera resulted as the
gales, especially oc the middle Atlantic aua New duglonil coasts, and also in the’ Gulf of Saint Lawrence, were very
severe. Maxima velocities ranged on the Atlantic coasts from forty to fifty miles. Qeneral.rains fell along and adjacent t o
the path of the depression. The following extracts from the rep0rt.s of‘ observers, and items from the publio press, refer to this storm :
New Orleans, La. : heavy rnin begnn at 12.80 and ended at 10 a. ni. on the 19th, it recommenced at 1.20 and elided at 2.30 p. m. j total amount of rain.
fall during the storni, 2.19 inches; high wind prevailed during the storm,
reachin a maximum velocity ot forty-two miles per hour froni the north at
8.35 and 8.45 a. m.; the wind storm ended nt 3.17 p. in. NEW ORLEAKS, LA., October lS.-The henviest rain of the year fell 1841
night, ond the barometer rcuclied n lower point than is on record since the establishment of the signal service station here. It rained nearly all day atid
all night, the fall being registered at two inches. The renr of the town was
flooded. The fires nt the drainin canal were put out by the flood. The draining canals were bnnk full, an$ the level for sot?! hours ~n s sevcral feet higher in the rear than the front of the town. 1 hoiisands of ncres of cane, ready for cutting and grindin were beaten to the ground b the mud
and rain, and cotton not et iekefwus trodden down in the mid. I n the city proper the frame-yorg o8he new Catholic church of Our Lady of Qood Council, in the sixth district, as blown down, and the Rev. Father Lambert caught in the timbers and painfully bruised. The flontin4 rain elevator,
‘4 Jennie Armstrong,” Lad hertop-worksblown away, involvingn 808s of ‘$10,000. The roof of the cotton mill of Lehmnn & Abrams, and the machinery, are
drenched with the flood. The Louisville nnd Nashville Rnilroad line nenr
Lake Catharine ngain suffered some two or three hundred feet of track
bein wvnshed out. Electric light wires were thrown from their fasteniugs nnd
five fuildings in different arts of the city were set on fire thereby. Hun- dreds of trees throughout t i e city were uprooted and fences blown down. N o
lives were lost, but there were many narrow escapes. The wind reached n
velocity of forty-eight miles an hour.-Chicago 5”ribune, October 20th. Pensacola, Fla.: a henvy gale prevniled during the lSth, maximum velocity forty-eight miles per hour from the southwest; the high wind caused some damage to telegraph linqs and all telegrnphic communication was cut off. Lumber mercliants who did not tnke precautionary steps to save their lumber
lyin in the bny lost it rill.
&W York was caught right between the teeth of two cyclones yesterday.
It got bad1 bitten. One cyclone wine up from the balmy South, as waszrF-
dieted by t i e Herald ” yesterday. I t raised havoc all day yesterday an did lob of damage and created a good den1 more few. The other cyclone came
from the Northwest, where they alwngs kcep tlieni on tap, and enhanced the
racket. * Y U- * * b
On Thursday all the stenrnship officers were wvariied not to send out south-
ward bound vessels. The “New-
port,’’ of the Pacific Mail Steamship Line, was one of the vessels that went out. Her captain thou lit that he could avoid the storm by huF ing the coast. The vessel ww supposefi to be abont off Cape Hatteras lnst niJit, and it was feared that she has had a pretty rough time of it. The “ City of Pueblo,” for
Vnlparaiso, wns to have sailed yesterday, but her cnptain, being irn ressed with
the value of the warning, delayed the t h e of her departure until t i i s morning. The ‘( Cit of Atlnnta ’’ went out, but her captain thought he could dodge the storm. dic skip em of n score o f smaller craft thnt went out were of the mine opinion, anfbelieved that tho storm would pass out to sen before the could encounter it. It is feared thnt to-day will tell n sad tale of wreck id along the coast, and with it the contingency of a loas of life. At 10 p. m. on Thursdny the stenmer “ Charles P. Nayer,” 11 collier, bound
from Boston to I3nltimorc, went n s h c on.tho Jersey coast, near Chndwick.
The oint wherc she strnnded was aboiit lialf a mile south of Life Savin s t a
tion 50. 12. Kceper Petit, in coinmnnd of the stutioii, nnd his men too! th, crew of seventeen ashore by means of the breeches bt~oy. Surfmnn Heninmin Truax discovered the stranded vessel in tlie midst of a terrible storm. Signnl
lights wore at once burned and the mortar hauled out on n cart to the bench. A line was fired and landed over tho ship a t the first nttenipt. The arrunge-
mcnts werc uickly made m d the men liniiled ashore tlirough the seething and
booming mid The vessel is high and drv nnd can ensily be hariled off us soon
ns the storm subsides.-Netu York Herafd, October 22d. CIfAixAM, MASS., October 213t.-‘~he Rteamer ‘LAlleglla~i): struck some- thing off West Chop and ran ashore to keep from sinking. 1he cnrgo is in a
dnn erow condition. Ei ht passeiigers are on board and nre all well; .they
willfe sent ashore nt the Erst chance. The ship is damn ed forwnrd. NYW YoiiK, October 2lst.-The cyclone that has pInye8 havoc in the South was off Virginia at 7 o’clock this morning. The vessels which left this port
for the South esterday are ver likely to run into the storin. They were the
New ort,” &r Aspinwall, “d t y of Atlanta,” for Syyannah, “New York,”
rbr Garveston, “City of Savnnnnh” and “Richmond, for Newport. A high wind prevails this afternoon.-5% Palladium, Oswego, N. 17, Oclober 21st. Block Islhnd, R. I.: light nnd henvy rains prevailed during the forenoon np
Some sniled. however, despite the warning.
to 11.20 u. m. on the 21st. High southeasterly wiuds begnn durin early a.
m. and, shifting to north at 10.45 a. N., attuined a maximum vJocity of forty miles per hour from the lust-mentioned direction. Several disasters oe- curred during the gale. Schooner “Rose Uros.” broke from her moorings at
4 a. m., but was saved by the life-saving hoata. Schooner “Mystery” partcd her cables at nbout 6 a. m. and was driven agaiust the breakwnter and damaged.
VIL-This disturbance was first definitely located near the sourcos ofthe Saskatchewan River on the mountain slope north of western Montana on the morning of the 18th. Qradients of pressure sonthward were marked, as R comparatively high area then existed from tho Miasouri ftiver westward to the middle Paoific coast. Moving with high energy the ceiitre of the depression passed to the southeast, advanced across the north. ern portion of Lake Superior, through southeastern Outario arid the adjoiniug border of Quebec, crosfied the Saint Law. rerice northeast of Montreal, passed through northern Maine into New Brunswick on the alst, and united with low nrea number vi advancing from the southward. The subsequent
course of the combined area 1 1 ;~ been described in connection with tho preceding low area. Local rains fell along the path
of the depression and to the southward, and heavy gales, niainly from southwestern and nortliwesteru quadrants, occurred in the Lake regioii during its pmsage to the northward and ea&- ward. The central pressure, which on tho night of 18th was apparently at its minimum, when the depression was north of eastern Montana, was slightly ovbr .8 below the normal, but as
i t pa8sed to the east of the lakes north of Mdnitoba its energy declined somewhat, though throughout its entire path it w~ comparatively high. Observers report as follows, relative to this disturbance :
Port Custer, Nont.: light rain fell during early morning 011 the 19th, and
high winds prevailed from 12.42 to 2.42 n. m., and from 10.21 a. m. until 6
p. tu.; 11 ninximum velocity of fifty miles per hour froin the north was recorded a t 1.45 n. m. MaTquette, Nich.: a heavy wind storm commenced at 10.20 n. N. on the
19th; registering a mnximum velocity of thirty-six miles per hour from the southwest a t 1l.W a. N.; a similar velocity was recorded from the south at 3.27 nnd at 4.41 p. ni.; the gale endednt G.28 p. ui. Columbus, Ohio: n westerly gale began at 1.30 a. in. on the 2lst and lusted fifteen minutes, the wind attaining a innximum velocity of thirty miles per
hour nt 1.40 n. ni. Another gale began at 9.25 a. ni. nnd cnded at 4.05 p. m., reuchirig a maximum velocit The damage done by tlie high wing was slight.
Erie, Pa.: high westerly winds prevailed all day on the 21st; maximum velocit , forty miles per hour froill the northwest ut 10.07 p. m. A hi@ north- wester(* gnle prevailed all day of the 22d; maximum velocity, thirty-six milea. Buffnlo, N. Y.: a gnle set in from the west at 3.18 p. m. on the 21st and continued until after midnight. A mcrximum velocity of thirty-eight miles
per hour from the west was recorded at 10.2~5 p. m.
Oswego N. Y.: a storm began 7.20 p. m. on the 21st and iucreased in force until early morning of the 22d, when a velocity of thirty-six miles per hour was recorded several times from 3.25 to 5.50 a. m.; a maximum velocity of forty-eight miles per hour way also recorded within the above-mentioned time. Rain and sleet fell nt intervnln durin the 22d. The storm ended at
5.80 p. i n . on thnt date. ‘l‘hc water in 14nlic lfuronwus very rough during tho storm.
The presence of a depression was indicated off the Oarolina coasts on the afternoou and night of tho 18th. Heavy local rains then prevailed there and in southern Virginia, and subsequently
extended northeastward h9 the distiirbauce progressed appar- ently in that direction. On the afternoon of the 19th i t wa8 approximately off the coast of Routhern New England, causing
high local winds on the soutlieru shore of Mmsachusetts. For further information relative to this storm see description of depression nnmber 11 uuder “North Atlantic storms of the month ” in this REVIEW. VII1.-Morning reports of the 21st showed the presence of another low area in tdie western Saskstchewnn valley, slightly to the southwest of the locatiou where the precediug area ma8
5rst observed. Moving southea&ward, with increasing energy, into northwestern Indian Territory, which i t roached on t h e
night of‘the 22d, it changed its direction to tho northeast and, progressing rapidly, crossed Lake Michigan 011 the aftornoon
of the 23d, reached Georgian BHy within the succeeding eight hours, and passed speedily down the Saint Lawrence Valley
to the Qulf, where it was central to the east of Anticosti on the night of the 24th, and thence passed seaward, apparently
No serious damnqe hns been reported.
of forty-two miles per hour nt noon.
Tho schooner “Delnware ” had some of her sails carried away.
272 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. OUTOBER, 1887.
over Newfoundland. This depression moved with marked rapidity, its average velocity over the path of about 3,420 miles being 38.9 miles per hour. The rapid translation wa8 probably materially due to the swift approach of a marked high area in its rear, and the comparatively low pressure over the Lakes and northearitward in its advance. I t s energy was
at the maximum on the afternoon of the 23d, when in northern Michigan, between the Lakelc; the central pressure at the time being @contracted area, and about .7 below the normal. Pre- cipitatjons wore general along, and near, its path. Rains were most frequent, but light snows were also numerous, caused by the rapid advance of t h e cold wan? accompatrrying the high area jn rear. Violent local gales, mainly from sw. nnd nw. quadranta, occurred on the Lakes on the 23d and 24th, and were accompauied by rain and mow-squalls which still further tended to endanger life and property. Shipping generally
seems to have snffered-much damage, and considerable loss of
rife is also reported. The storm Beems to have been unusually disaatrons, efi- pecially in the Lake region. Heavrgales also prevailed on the New England coasts on the 24tlr, and in the Gulf of Saint Law- rence and adjacent regions on the 26th and 26th. The following extracts, from the reports of observerst and from other sources, will show the extent and marked severity of
I
this storm :
’ Saint Louis, Mo. : a severe gale, accompanied by light rain, occurred from 10.40 to 11 d. m. on the 23d, the maximum velocity of the wind, sixty miles
per hour, was reached at 9.46 a. m. Cairo, Ill.: the high wind on the 22d, with maximum velocity twenty-nine
miles from the south, troubled all the Western Union wires between this city and Saint Louis, Mo., and it was.with great difficulty that any messap could
’ be transmitted between these . Steamers on the Mississippi River ex-
erienced much difficulty in maE$%eir landings. the river being very rough.
%i h winds occurred also on the 23d and 24th ; maximum velocities of thirty a n i thirty-two miles per hour from the north were recorded on these dates, res ectively ; high northerly winds prevailed during the morning of the 24th,
wit! a maximum velocity of forty miles per hour from the north; steamer
“ Belle Mem his” was driven ashore and delayed ten hours. Cbica 0, I{.: brisk and high cast to west winds and cloudy weather prevailed
during tfe 23d, with li ht rain in the forenoon. The gale caused much dam-
age to trees, si n!, a n f i n some cases to buildings. Milwaukee, 61s.: a storm began to blow from the southeast at 11.06 p. m. on the 22d and ended a t 8.16 a. m. the following day; maximum velocity of the wind, thirty-five miles per hour, from the southeast, occurred a t 4.12 a. m.
on the 23d. 1 his storm was the most severe of the season at this ort, and
the first one with an on-shore wind. A lar e number of vessels sou& shelter in the harbor. Schooner “Maine” draggef her anchor and was driven ashore near the harbor piers at 4 a. m. on the 28d. The vessel will be a total loss,
but the crew was rescued by the Life-saving Service. Another gale be an at
2.06 p. m. and continued until 7.10 p. m. on the 28d; maximum vekcity, fort -eight miles from the northwest, occurred a t 4.22 . m. &and Haven, Mich.: brisk southeast, shifting to c o d r southwest and north- west, winds prevailed during the day up to 4.60 p. m. on the 23d, when the storm attained itij maximum velocity, fifty-four miles per hour ;, light rain
began a t 7.45 The steam barge ‘Argonaut,” iron-ore laden, from Chicago, blew her si nal of distress when about two miles from shore a t about 8.30 p. m. on the 28b The life-saving crew went to her assistance, but, owing to the fury of the gale and
hi h sea, they were unable to render any assistance. %ackinaw Cit Nich.: a gale be an 8 a. m. on the 23d and ended 7.42
a. m. on the 24ttr the maximum vefocity of wind, fifty-seven miles per hour, frdm the east, occurred 6.06 p. m. on tlie 23d. Another gale occurred from 8.46 p. m. of the 24th to 3.04 a. m. on the following day. It reachcd a maxi-
mum velocity of thirty-two niiles per hour from the west at 10.36 p. m. Marquette, Mich.: a Revere wind storm, accompanied by a heavy fall of snow, set in 7.08 a. m. on the 23d; the water in Lake Superior was very
roil h, the waves reacbinga hei h t of from fifteen to twenty feet. A maximum
wins-velocity of thirty-two mfes per hour, from the east, was registered 10.06 a. m., and from the northeast a t 12.G8 p. m. The schooner “Oeo.
Sherman” becamc a total wreck on the south shore $ Shot Point, twelve miles from Marqiiette, and the schooner “Aha Bradley ran ashore near this city, but was Raved by the Life Saving Service from Houghton; both schooners were laden with cod; loss about $12,000. Port Huron, Mich.: a severe gale began 6.10 p. m. on the 23d and ended 9.16 a. m. on the following day. A maximum velocity of fift -five miles
per hour from the southwest was recorded at 8.40 p. m. on the 28d: Lansing, Mich. : a brisk southwest wind, shifting to south,*prevailed during the forenoon of the 23d. At 3.80 p. m. the wind increased in force, reaching
a maximum velocity of forty-two miles per hour, from the southwest, at 7.60
p. m., and continued high until midnight. From 6 to 10 p. m. the wind aver-
aged over thirty miles per hour.
m. and changed to sleet at 11 p. m. on the same date.
Toledo, Ohio: freshtobrisk winds revailed, at intervals, during the 28d.
At 1.80 p. m. i t increased in force an$ remained high durin the afternoon,
reaching a maximum velocity of forty-four-miles per hour, kom the west, at 9.40 p. m.; at midni ht the gale calmed down to twenty-five miles per hour. The three-masted sciooner ‘Zach. Chandler I’ ran ashore at 10 p. m., op o- site Noble Station,hear t,his port; she was bound from Ashtabula to Escanaga, with coal; no l o a of life. Columbus, Ohio: a severe wind storm began 1.60 p. m. on the 28d
heav gush of wind tore over the city, carrying away roofs, signs, fences, and breazing hundreds of anes of window @ISS. At 6.16 p. m., while the gale
was at ita height, the %‘el& Congre ational church, a new and substnntial structure, collapsed and became a totaf wreck; the loss is estimated at $20,000. Several ersons were injured by flying d6hris; maximum vclbcity of the wind, forty-eiggt miles pcr hour from the south, at 6.16 p. m.; the gale ended at 12.30 a. m. on the following day. Erie, Pa.: unusually high winds prevailed during the day of the 24th, reachiug a maximum velocity of forty-ei ht miles er hour a t 1.26 a. m. on
the 2Gth. Steam bar e J. S. Fay,” of Cfeveland, Laded with coal, becaye disabled by the roug% sea, but was saved by the Life Saving Service. It is re orted that the damage to vessels during the storm was very large. %ufTalo, N. Y.: an unusually destructive storm beBan during the night of the 28d-24th, the wind reachin a velocity of sixt six miles per hour at 1
and 2.40 a. m., respectively. firom 1 to 8 a. m. t r e wind record registered one hundred and fourteen miles, averaging fifty-seven miles e r hour for
two full hours, and from midnight until 6 a. m. an average vefocit of fifty miles per hour h,ad been recorded. The high wind caused considerah dam- age in the city, trees from twelve to fifteen inches in diameter were blown down ; the streets were strewn with signs, fences, shutters, tele aph and tele-
hone wires and oles; skylights, show-cases, and windows sugred seriously Lorn the gale. house in course of construction was blown down at 8.20
a. m., but no ow was hurt. Captains, owners of vessels, insurance men, and others, acknowledged the great service rendered b the Signal Service in giv-
ing time1 warning. Not a vessel of any kind l e 8 the ort from 10 a. m. on Sunday tie 28d until sundown on Monday the 24th. &e disasters on Lake
Erie were very numerous. Oswego, N. Y.: a severe storm began at 10.30 p. m. on the 24th and in- creased fiteadily in force until 6.23 a. m., when a velocit of fifky-three miles
per hour, from the west, was recorded- the storm e n d e i at 8.10 p. m. No vessel left the port during the storm. hchooner “Annie Minnies” arrived at about 8 a. m. with her sails damagcd. Trees and fences, and a new building
used as a carpenter shop, were blown down. Lunenburg, Vt.: high wind prevailed from 10 a. m. until 1 p. m. on the
24th. Numerous trees were blown down, and some damage was done to fences and buildings. Boston, Mass.: brisk southwest winds, changin to west prevailed during
the forenoon on the 24th, reaching a maximum o f fort miies per hour from the southwest at 12.10 p. m., after which time the windgradually moderated. MONTREAL, Octube-r 24th.-The severest ale ever ’known here has been blow-
ing for the last twelve hours. At 2.80 o’cfock it was blowing at eighty miles an hour. Four houses mere blown down on St. Dominique street, and a block of forty houses was destroyed by fire. In St. Jean Baptiste ward lar e
trees have been rooted u , walls and fences blown down, and considerab!e
damage done.-Chicago l%iZy News. NEWPORT, R. I., October 24th.-Intelligence was received here this morning that the United Stntes training ship “.Portsmouth,” which left here esterday
morning, is on Point Judith with four anchors out. The wind iR glowin a
gale from the southwest directly on shore, and if the gale continues the sfip can hardly esca e going ashore, with a large loss of life, aa the oint is a dan-
prous one, a n i there are several hundred souls on board. fLute-r.J The imperiled schoolship waa not the “Portsmouth ’’ but tho “Saratoga. The
wind ot around to the northwest and the “haratogn” got up anchor and startecf for New York.-Portland (Me.) Ar ‘us, Octoow 24th. PRovINcmowN, MAW., October 24th.-#ind westerly here to-day, blowing fift miles an hour. The mackerel fleet all returned for a harbor.
~~D W I C ‘U , MAYS., October 24th.-A regular e uinoctial gale has prevailed
from the southwest over the Cape since 3 o’cloc% No damage reported as The gale is the severest this season.-
FJ”+t?a”nfih;~p Argus, October 26th.
1X.-The low area which for about thirty-two hours seemed to have been either approaching or developing in the British PpssessionR to the north of Montana had on the afternoon of
the 27th apparently formed a nucleus 011 the mountain slop, near the fiources of the Saskatchewan. Within the next eight
hours the centre of t h e depression moved rapidly a little 8 uth
northern Minnesota and advanced southeastward towards the
eastern coast of Lake Erie, where it arrived on tho morning of tho 29th. Changing direction subsequently to the northeast,
it passed, with increased velocity, during the next sixteen hours through northern New England and New Brunswick into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The central prestlure of this low area waa but slightly below the normal during ita entire path, but after reaching the vicinity of the Lakes it wa8 succeeded by a
er end of the Cape.
of east and, trending afterwards .more to the south, ent ’B red
OCTOBER, 1851. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 213
___-._
high prea rapidly advancing in i t s reqr which considerably accelerated its motion and, as the equilibrium of pressure waR still further impaired by a low area on the southeastern coast, the gradients over the Lakes became close, aud heavy local gales again prevailed on the 28th and 29th in that region. Local rains and snows a160 attended the passage of' this depres- sion and further increased the dangers of navigation on the Lakes. The movement of this low area across the country wm very rapid, its path, of about 2,700 miles, having been traversed at an arerage apeed of about'48.2 miles per hour. X.-The low area which had for several days been iudicated
as in the Qulf of Mexico, beyond the limits of observation of adjacent coast stations, waa on the morning of the 29th ap- proximately located off the southwestern coast of Florida, about two hundred i d e s to the northwest of Key West. Local rains had been frequent in the Bio Qrande Valley, Qulf States, and Florida since the 24th. A high area was now advancing south- ward near the Mississippi. Crossing the Florida Peninsula during the next eight hours the centre of the disturbance
trended more to the northward aud, moring approximately parallel with the coast and at a comparatively short distance from it, progressed northeastward. The rains i n the Gulf
ceased after its advance into the Atlantic, but extended north- eastward along the coaat as the disturbance moved in that direction. I t apparently incremed in energy during transla-
tion and w& accompanied by heavy gales, especially on the coasta'of North Carolina and Virginia. In the vicinit-v of
Norfolk, Va., the storm seems to have been especially severe on the 3lst and to have caused much general damage. At the
last report of the month the depression was apparently central off the coasts of Delaware and Maryland. Its energy wag per' haps at its maximum when off the Virginia coast on the after- noon of the 31st. The pressure at that time at Norfolk was 56
below the normal but was probably much lessnearer the centre. Observers in Nforth Oarolina and Virginia make the follow- ing reports regarding t h i s storm :
Hatteras, N. C.: a storm began 4.05 a. ni. and ended 2.20 p. m. onthe 81st. a maximum velocity of fifty-four miles per hour from the north was recorded
a t 4.22 a. m. Kitty Hawk, N. C.: rainy and brisk northerly winds becoming high, with
a maximiim velocity of sixty miles per hour, at 10.16 p. m. on the
80th. A sever0 rain and wind storm prevailed until 2 p. ni. on the 31st, and for seven hours, from 4 until 11 'a. m., the wind velocities aver ed over sixty miles an hour ; at 10 i. m. the storm attained its eatest %e, the wind then reaching u velocity of seventy iniles per hour. Tonsidering the severity of the storm, very little damage was done in this vicinity. Lenoir, N. C.: light rain prevailed at 8 a. m. on the UOth, it was accom. panied b hail for a short time in the afternoon, and n few flakes of snow fell. Raleigt, N. C.: a hcavy rain storm be an during the night of the 30-31st and continued until 1.10 p. ni., when hail fell for abouttcn minutes. It again turned to heavy rain and was accom anied by snow from 6.80 to 8.80 p. m. when heavy rain set in anew and enled at 10 p. m., 4.18 inches o f a i n and melted sn?w havin fullcii during the prevalence of the storm. Chicamicomico, 8. C. : a heavy gale from the east, accompanied by a few
claps of thunder, prevailed during the early morning of the 31st. The storm P t r a t e d several telegraph poles on Body Island and south of Little Kinna-
Cape Henry, Va. : a violent wind, rain, and sand storm prevailed dnring the
day of the 3lst. During the storm four schooners were driven ashore at dif- ferent points between this place and Dam Rock, Va., and many veeselsaround tbe capes nre still in danger. two lives are reported to have been lost. The Fires between this point and Norfolk are in trouble and communication cut off. Norfolk, Vn.: n northerly gale prevailed throughout the day of the 81st, at- taining a maximum vclocit.v of fort miles per hour from the northeast. The gale is mid to have been of longer Juration and caused more damage than any storm since the inemorable Au ost gale in 1879. A number of vessels were
blown ashore and became t o t 3 wrecks. The cnptain nnd one man of the schooner " Manantico" were drowned. On account of heavy rains and high tides, much merchandise has been damaged or destroyed by water.
XI.-A slight depression was observed in the western Sas-
katchewan valley on tlre afternoon of the Hth. Although the barometer was but little below the norinal,.yet the pressure had decreased nearly .3 in t h a t vicinity during the previous
eight hours, and a high area, about .6 above t h e normal, then
oxisted west of Lake Superior. This low nrea advanced south- eastward through t h e valley, reached the lakes north of Mani-
toba 011 the afternoon of the 30th, and thence passed emtwsrd into the British Possessions beyond the field of observation. The high preessure which had meanwhile moved southward probably modified ita path and forced it farther to the north- ward. A low area was observed near the mouth of the Saint Lawrence on the afternoon of the 31st and .still remained in that vicinity at the close of the month. This is believed to. have been the same depression which was last observed near Lake Winnipeg on the 30th, and which had apparently pro- gressed thus far seaward.
eet, cutting off telegraphic communication.
NORTH ATLANTIC STORMS.
[Bcssure in inches and millimetrcs; loind-j'orce by Beayfort ecale.]
MOVEXENTS OF HIGH BAROMETER AREAS OVER TEE NORTH
ATLANTIU OUEAN.
In the preparation of the following discuseion, by Sergeant
E. B. Qarriott, Signal CorpR, daily charts for 1885, containing data from international simultaneous observations taken at noon, Qreenwich mean time, have been carefully studied, with
a view of determining t h e general movement of anti-cyclones aver t h e north Atlantic :
The scientific methods pursued b the Signal Service durine the past few
tive to the movements of oceanstorms, w osepraptical value a n hardly be over- estimated. These deductions, while to a considerable degree verifying the
results of old observations taken and collected. by individuals, have, by their wider scope, and in view of the increased fac!lities afforded by a systematic
series of simultaneous meteorological obsefvations taken by hundreds of ship- masters, permitted a more accurate definitlon of the general laws which attend atmospheric changes over the north Atlantic Ocean. . In connection with thc current work of the Signal Office, the cyclonic depressiqns which a peared over
the north Atlantic Ocean have been traced and, described, and tgeir general characteristics as regards direction and velocity of movement, frequency, and distribution, have been fairly well determined. This work hae been
nocessarily erformed in a very limited time, and 18, therefore, lacking in dc-
tails as to $e causes which seemed to contribute to thc normal and abnormal movemeilts of cvclones. Further labor and jud ment will therefore be needed
to extract fromihe invaluable accumulation of f a t a ?n file the facta that will lead up to a clearer understsnding of the laws governlng storm movements on
the north Atlantic. I n an article entitled L'North Atlantic storms during 1886," which appeared
2
gears in the study of marine meteoro T o p t have resulted in deducing facts rela-
in the MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW for July, 1887, the apparent dependence
of a cyclone's movement upon its goaition with reference to anti-cyclonic orem was briefl discussed, and it was s own by a tabulated statement that durin periods orhigh barometric ressure over mid-ocean north of the fortieth paraf el, storm-areas do not fo&w the usual east-northeast course to European
waters, but pursue a more northerly track, or disperse.
the movements of low barometer areas, and as the anti-cyclonic and cyclonic areas are chiefly and conjointly instrumental in producing all atmospheric
changes, it would seem that investigations tending to produce facts relative to the movements of anti-cyclones over the Atlantic would be of interest when considered in connection with the movements of cyclonic areas, and of value in determining the laws and conditions which govern weather changes in the great higbways of the ocean. The series of international observations show that an accumulation of'air eg- bibiting an anti-c clonic circulation is conimonly located over mid-ocean south of
the fortieth paral~el, and that a barometric depression usually occupies the ocean
north of the fiftieth parallel. The storm-track charta also show that the nor-
mal direction of movement of cyclonic areas in an given locality corresponde closely with the prevailing wind-directions in that focality, wbich are governed
over the ocean by the anti-cyclonic and cyclonic systems referred to. It has been found that in their passage from the North American continent areas of high and low barometric pressure follow one another with a grent degree of
regularit and that while areas of low pressure have a normal north of east colimc a t e r leaving the coast, the high pressure areas almost invariably move
south of east. The normal direction of movement of oyclonic areas in the
trans-Atlantic tracks is evidently due to the prevailing drift of the atmosphere in the vicinity of the fiftieth parallel, along the line of which is the inter- mediate re 'on between what may be termed the permanent areas of high and
low mean farometric pressure, under the combined influence of which the
As arcas of high barometric pressure influence to a greater or less degree -