AUQUST, 1896. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 287 Northern Plateau.. ....... The years of highest and lowest m,ean teiiiperatrcrc are shown in Table 1 of the REVIEW for August, 1894. The mean tem- perature for August, 1895, was the highest on record a t Nan- tucket, 68.8 ; Philadelphia, 77.4 ; Harrisburg, 75.0 ; Pitts- burg, 74.5 ; Parkershrg, 76.2 ; Columbus, Ohio, 75.6 ; Green Bay, 68.4 ; Milwaukee, 71.6 ; Jacksonville, 52.9 ; Palestine, 82.3. It was the lowest on record a t Tatoosh Island, 54.6; Neah Bay, 57.4; Eureka, 54.0; Carson City, 65.2; Fresno, 80.6. The ~waxii)i.i~n and nthhum temperatures of the current year are given in Table I. The highest maxima were : Yuma, 114 (5th) ; Fresno, 110 (5th) ; Red Bluff, 107 (4th) ; Fort Smith, 106 (21et); Walla Walla, 102 (2d); Huron, 13th, Concordia, 27th, and Abilene, 14th, 100. The lowest maxima were: Eureka, 66 (6th); Tatoosh Island, 70 (29th). The highest minimum was : Corpus Christi, 73 (2d). The lowest minima were: St. Vincent, Bismarck, and Port Crescent, 32 on the 20th, 21st, and 26th, respectively. The years of highest maximum and lowest mninimunb tempera- ture8 are given in the last four columns of Table I of the cur- rent, REVIEW. During the present month the maximum temperatures were the highest on record a t : Harrisburg, 95; Parkersburg, 96 ; Charleston, 98 ; Jupiter, 93 ; Port Angeles, 88 ; Carson City, 95. The ’minimum temperatures were the lowest on record at: Harrisburg, 50; Bismarck, 32; Willis- ton and Havre, 34; Neah Bay, 40; Port Angeles and Seattle, 38; Fort Canby, 48; Astoria and Eureka, 45; Carson City, 34 ; Fresno, 51 ; San Diego, 54. The greatest daily range of teabpernture and the eztreme nronthly range are given for each of the regular Weather Bureau stations in Table I, which also gives data from which may be computed the extreme monthly ranges for each sta- tion. The largest values among the greatest daily ranges were : Havre, 51 ; Idaho Falls, 50 ; Baker City and Lander, 49. The smallest values were: Block Island and Hatteras, 14; Port Eads and Galveston, 15; Nantucket and Jupiter, 16; Kittyhawk, Key West, and San Diego, 17. Among the ex- treme monthly ranges the largest values were : Bismarck, 66 ; Huron, 63 ; Havre and Williston, 62 ; Carson City, 61 ; Pierre, 60. The smallest values were : Hatteras, 19 ; Corpus Christi, Port Eads, and Key West, 20. The nccumwlated aionthly departwes from normal tempera- tures from January 1 to the end of the current month are given in the second colunin of the following table, and the average departures are given in the third column, for com- parison with the departures of current conditions of vegeta- tion from the normal conditions. -I- 5.0 Accumulated departures. Upper Mississippi.. ...... Northern Slope .......... Middle slope ........... southern slope (Abilene) Southern Plateau.. ...... Middle Plateau .......... North Paciilc. ............ Middle Pacific.. .......... South Pacific.. ........... Total. I- Districts. - 8.1 - 9.9 - 7.8 -18.9 - 9.0 - 9.8 - 0.5 - 2.7 - 6.7 I-- 0- U per Lake ............... 0.7 Missoun Valley.. ......... 1.1 d r t h D.akota ............. 4.7 Aver- age. .. 0 t 8:: $ - Accumulated I departures. I- Total. Districts. I D New En land.. ........... - 2.8 Middle ftlmtic.. ........ -10.1 south Atlantlc ........... -16.9 Aver- age. 0 - 0.3 - 1.8 - 2.8 - 2.1 - 1.6 - 2.2 - 1.7 - 0.7 - 0.8 - 1.2 - 1.0 - 2.4 - 1.1 - 1.2 - 0.0 - 0.3 - 0.8 MOISTURE. The quantity or neoistrcre in the atmosphere at any time may be expressed by means of the weight contained in a cubic foot of air, or by the tension or pressure of the vapor, or by the temperature of the dew-point. The mean dew-points for each station of the Weather Bureau, as deduced from obser- vations made a t 5 a. ni. and 8 p..m., daily, are given in Table I. The rate of etraporation from a special surface of water on muslin a t any moment determines the temperature of the wet-bulb thermometer, but a properly constructed evaporome- ter may be made to give the quantity of water evaporated from a similar surface during any interval of time. Such an evaporometer, therefore, would sum up or integrate the effect of those influences that determine the temperature as given by the wet bulb; from this quantity the average humidity of the air during any given interval of time may be deduced. The sensible tempelaturt experienced by the human body and attributed to the atmosphere depends not merely upon the temperature of the air, but equally upon the dryness, the velocity of the wind, and the suddenness of atmospheric changes. The temperature of the wet-bulb thermometer as obtained by the whirling apparatus ueed in the shaded shelter corresponds to the temperature felt by persons standing in the shade of trees or houses, exposed to a natural breeze of at least 6 miles per hour. This temperature and its depression below the dry bulb are the fundamental data for all investi- gations into the relations between human physiology and the climate. I n order to present a monthly summary of the atmospheric conditions from a hygienic and physiological point of view, Table VI11 has been prepared, showing the maximum, minimum, and mean readings of the wet-bulb thermometer a t 8 a. m. and 8 p. m., seventy-fifth meridian time. PRECIF’I!CATION. [In inches and hundredths.] The distribution of precipitation for the month of August, 1895, as determined by reports from about 2,500 stations, is exhibited on Chart 111. The niinierical details are given in Tables I, 11, and 111. The precipitation for the current month was heaviest, 5 to 14 inches,on the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida, and the interior of Georgia and South Carolina, but least, namely zero, on the coast and central parts of California. The diurnal variation is shown by Table SII, which gives the total precipitation for each hour of seven ty-fifth meridian time, as deduced from self-registering gauges kept a t about 43 regular stations of the Weather Bureau ; of these 37 aro float gauges and 6 are weighing gauges. The normal precipitation for each month is shown in the Atlas of Bulletin C, entitled “Rainfall and Snow of the United States, compiled to the end of 1891, with annual, sea- sonal, monthly, and other charts.” The current departures from the normal precipitation are given in Table I, which shows that precipitation was in excess in the St. Lawrence Valley, the e‘ast Gulf States, Georgia, and a small portion of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa. Elsewhere it was generally deficient. Large excesses were : Montreal, 4.8; Wichita and Atlanta, 4.0; Omaha and Colum- bia, 3.8 ; Augusta, 3.7 ; Chicago, 3.5. The large deficits were : Kittyhawk, 4.5 ; Philadelphia, 4.2; Jacksonville, 4.1 ; Raleigh, 4.0 ; Norfolk, 3.5. The average departure for each district is also given in Table I. By dividing these by the respective normals the following corresponding percentages are obtained (precipitation is in excess when the percentages of the normal exceed 100) : Above the normal: East Gulf, 122; lower Lake, 110; Mis- souri Valley, 117; middle Slope, 120; southern Plateau, 112. Normal : Middle Pacific, 100. Below the normal: New England, 91; Middle Atlantic, 55; south Atlantic, 85; Florida Peninsula, 90; west Gulf, 75; Ohio Valley and Tennessee, 58 ; upper Lake, 94 ; North Da- kota, 63; upper MieEieEippi, 81 ; northern Slope, 63; Ahilene 288 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. AUQUST, 1896 Excesses. North Dakota.. ........... Southern Plateau ........ Abilenelsouthern Slope). . (southern slope), 51 ; middle Plateau, 14 ; northern Plateau, 66 ; north Pacific, 35 ; southern Pacific, 0. The ymrs of grecitcst and 1ecmt prt.cipitcit,io,b are given in the REVIEW for August., 1894. The precipitation for the current month was the greatest on record at Concordia, 4.98 ; Atlanta, 8.55. It was the least on record at Sault Ste. Marie, 1.34; Harrisburg, 2.36 ; Philadelphia, 0.59 ; Jacksonville, 2.54 ; Palestine, 0.06 ; Sail Diego, 0.00 ; Salt Lake City, 0.02 ; Havre, 0.04 ; Spokane, 0.03. The total necimrtlatctl ni.oii~tl117~ clepahwes from nornial pre- cipitation from the lieginning of the year to the end of t h e current month nre given in the second column of the follow- ing table ; the third coluinn gives the ratio of the current accuniulated precipitation to its normal value. Inches. PETGl 0.10 101 1.10 115 ai P E P 5 __ Dirtricts. * Thermometrla 4 E a stations. * U Dqflrdtr. New En land ............ South Atlantic ........... Florida Peninsula.. ...... East Gulf ................. West Gulf ................ Ohio Valley and Tenn.. .. Lower Lakes ............. Middle h a n t i c .......... 61 64 65 m 61 Bo 511 I I 53 43 41 ea e 59 67 411 Upper Lakes ............ u per Yississippi ........ Mfssouri Valley .......... A d 1 I 0 8 $5 P I Q -- 8 8 4 !44 5 7 % 11 16 19 16 16 1s I6 19 14 '14 14 -3 5 4 2 10 -ti 4 5 8 4 1% ai Northern Slope .......... Middle 410 e ............ Middle blafeau .......... Northern Plateau.. ...... 'ortland.Oreg. *. ...... salt Lake City,Utah $. . ?henix. Ari2.t.. ....... :Ielena. Mont.. ......... 3alveston Tes.. ....... lodge City,Kans.. ..... !anta Fe.N.Mex.. ..... lenver, Colo ........... leveland. Ohio ........ tan Diego.Ca1.. ........ 3ismarak.N. Dak Cansas City.Mo.. ...... ricksburg. Mirs ........ lavannah, Ga .......... .inchnaB. Ohio* 5. ..... Washinqt6n.D.C.. ..... *-- .I ;ast ort.Me ........... ~ ~~ I orth Paciflc ............. Middle Paciflc.. .......... South Pacific. ............ 10 - 1 - 2 16 10' 2 14 ..... ~ ... I St.Louis MO ........... T6 Louisvilh Ky ..........I 14 I Rochester' N.Y.. ....... 72 New Y0rk'N.Y ........ 88 Boston.M&s ............ 87 Marquette.Mich ....... 66 Columbus.Ohio ........ 62 Atlanta.Ga ............. 61 New Orleans, La ...... Bo Wilmlngton. N.C. ...... 56 ButIalo N.Y.. ..... _. ... 6!3 san Fr&cisoo, Cal ..... - z, 6' et: 2- -0 ddr G$ - Inehcs. - 8.80 - 4.00 - 0.5% - 2.70 - 0.80 - 2.00 - 8.70 - 6.20 - 5.90 - 6.10 - 2.80 - 0.20 - 0.m - 1.30 - 2.20 - 3.80 - n.90 - a.40 HAIL AND SLEET. The following are the dntes 011 which hail fell in the re- spective States : Alabama, 7, 27, 28. Arizona, 4, 8, 13, 31, 33. Arkaiisas, 11. California, 27. Colorado, 3, 5 to 11, 20, 3F, 29, 31. Delaware, 16. Georgia, 27. Idaho, 1, 14, 38. Illinois, 11, 14, 18, 27, 29. Indiana, 6. Iowa, 3, 4, 9, 12, 18, 33, 27, 30. Kansas, 19. Kentucky, 9, 20. Maryland, 6, 10, 11, 16, 31. Massachusetts, 17, 21. Michigan, 9, 11, 17, 15. AIinnesota, 4, 5, 9, 13, 14, 16, 26, 27, 25. Missouri, 4, 18. Montana, 8, 36. Nebraska, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, 33, 28. 37. Nevada., 13, 27. New Jersey, 4, 16. New Mexico, 7, 29. New Tork, 4, 6, 17, 18, 28. North Carolina, 37. North Dakota, 5, 13, 31, 32, 26. Ohio, 3, 6, 17, 24, 98. Oklahoma., 3. Oregon, 6. Penn- sylvania, 5, 8, 11: 13, 18, 24. South Carolina, 26, 38. South Dakota, 2, 7, 13, 16, 31. Tennessee, 14. Texas, 28. Utah, 8, 12, 18, 30. Vermont, 21. Wisconsin, 14, 36, 33. Wyo- ming, 30. * WIND. The pretmili,ng winds for August, 1895, viz, those that were recorded niost frequently, are shown in Table I for the regu- lar Weather Bureau stations. The resultant ~irii~ds, as deduced from the personal observa- tions made a t 8 a. ni. and 5 p. m., are given in Table IX. These latter resultants are also shown graphically on Chart 11, where the small figure attached to each arrow shows the number of hours that this resultant prevailed, on the assump- tion that each of the morning a d evening observations rep- resents one hour's dnra.tion of a uniform wind of average velocity. These figures indicate the relative extent to which winds from different directions counterbalanced each other. Jfari,muna wi,nd velocities of 50 miles or more per hour were reported a t regular stations of the Weather Bureau as follows (maximum velocities are averages for five minutes ; HIGH WINDE. extreme velocities are gusts of shorter duration, and are not given in this table) : ........ ......... ........... ......... ............ . miles( Cleveland. Ohio %H 55 se. IIuron 8. Dak 18 50 rw. El Paro,Tex 5 50 ne. Huron: 8. Dak 21 80 s. El Paso. Tex 55 ne. New York N. Y ....... 4 132 sw. Hnron.S.Dak .......... 8 65 nw. Oklahoma: Okla ....... 10 M) se. I I I I I SUNSHLNE AND CLOUDINESS. The quantity of sunshine, and therefore of heat, received by the atmoephere as a whole ie very nearly constant from year to year, but the proportion received by the surface of the earth depe~lds largely upon the alJsorption by the atnios- phere, and varies with the distribution of cloudiness. The sunshine is now recorded automatically a t 17 regular sta- tions of the Weather Bureau by its photographic, and at 21 by its thermal effects. A t two stations records are kept by both methods. The photographic record sheets S ~O W the ap- parent solar time, hut the thermometric sheets show seventy- fifth meridian time. For convenience the results are all given in Table XI for each hour of mean local time. The cloudi- ness is determined by numerous personal observations at all stations during the daytime, and is given in the column of " average cloudiness " in Table I : its compleiiient or clear sky is given in the last column of Table XI. . COYPARIBON OF SUNSHINE AND CLEAR SKY. The sunshine' registers give the duration of direct sunshine whence the percentage of possible sunshine is derived; the ohserver's personal estimates give the percentage of area of clear sky. It should not be assumed that these nunibers should agree, and for coniparative purposes they have been brought together, side by side, in the following table, from which it appears that, in general, the instrumental record of percentages of duration of sunshine is almost always larger than the observer's personal estimate of percentages of area 3f clear sky ; the average excess for August, 1595, is 12 per :ent for photographic records, and 14 per cent for thermo- metric records. The details are shown in the following table : D$erents betmeeii ir~atrrtmetrtizl and praoml obaermlwna of srrnahins. 93 88 (16 81 'is x4 75 74 22 69 6u w; 613 Bo 59 56 .... 88 52 51 76 72 67 65 54 .5E 57 89 fl!3 .50 58 57 4 .... - 9!J ...... IE ....... 88 5 1 1 Baltimore. Md. ......... I 81 ....... I 61 ............. 79 ........... R ...... ....... Record8 ke t by both methodr. tAl1 TaIU99 &r 16days only. i Tbermometric record discont,inued. Photoprapbic record incomplete. Key Wert. Fla., Memphis, Tenn., Norfolk, Va.. New Haven, Conn.. Seattle and ipokane, Wash.. dfscontmued.