Weather Flags OF THE WEATHER BUREAU, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. THE Weather Bureau furnishes, when practicable, for the benefit of all interests dependent upon weather conditions, the "Forecasts' which are prepared daily at the Central Office in Washington, D. C., and certain designated stations. These forecasts are telegraphed to stations of the Weather Bureau, railway officials, postmasters, and many others, to be communicated to the public by means of flags or steam whistles. The flags adopted for this purpose are five in number, and of the forms and colors indicated below: No. 1. EXPLANATION OF FLAG SIGNALS. No. 2. No. 3. No. 4. No. 5. Blue Flag. White and Blue Flag. Black Triangular Flag. White Flag with black square in centre. Clear or fair weather. Rain or snow. Local rain or snow. Temperature signal. Cold wave. When number 4 is placed above number 1, 2, or 3, it indicates warmer; when below, colder; when not displayed, the temperature is expected to remain about stationary. During the late Spring and early Fall the cold-wave flag is also used to indicate anticipated frosts. WHISTLE SIGNALS. A warning blast of from fifteen to twenty seconds duration is sounded to attract attention. After this warning the longer blasts (of from four to six seconds duration) refer to weather, and shorter blasts (of from one to three seconds duration) refer to temperature; those for weather are sounded first. By repeating each combination a few times, with intervals of ten seconds, liability to error in reading the signals may be avoided. As far as practicable the forecast messages will be telegraphed at the expense of the Weather Bureau; but if this is impracticable, they will be furnished at the regular commercial rates and sent "collect." In no case will the forecasts be sent to a second address in any place, except at the expense of the applicant. Persons desiring to display the flags or sound the whistle signals for the benefit of the public should communicate with the Weather Bureau officials in charge of the climate and crop service of their respective States, the central stations of which are as follows: The Ancient and Modern Xear. THE Athenians began the year in June, the Macedonians in September, the Romans first in March and afterward in January, the Persians on August 11, the ancient Mexicans on February 23, the Mohammedans in July. The Chinese year, which begins early in February, is similar to the Mohammedan in having 12 months of 29 and 30 days alternately; but in every nineteen years there are seven years which have 13 months. This is not quite correct, and the Chinese have therefore formed a cycle of 60 years, in which period 22 intercalary months occur. Storm, Wind-Direction, and Hurricane Warnings OF THE WEATHER BUREAU, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. STORM WARNINGS. Northeasterly winds. Southeasterly winds. Northwesterly winds. Southwesterly winds. P Red, black centre Storm Warnings. —A red flag with a black centre indicates that a storm of marked violence is expected. The pennants displayed with the flags indicate the direction of the wind; red, easterly (from northeast to south); white, westerly (from southwest to north). The pennant above the flag indicates that the wind is expected to blow from the northerly quadrants; below, from the southerly quadrants. By night a red light indicates easterly winds, and a white light above a red light westerly winds. Hurricane Warning. -Two red flags with black centres, displayed one above the other, indicate the expected approach of tropical hurricanes, and also of those extremely severe and dangerous storms which occasionally move across the Lakes and Northern Atlantic coast. Total.... $4,408,800 $195,600 $1,119,000 $2,090,500 $1,209,400 $362,950 $14,506,450 $197,100 $2,214,950 $26,633,750 The above table was prepared by Prof. Frederick L. Hoffman, of Newark, N. J., for The Spectator (insurance publication), New York. The number of persons killed by tornadoes from 1889 to 1898 inclusive, according to the same authority, was 1,437. The month of May was the most fatal of the twelve, the loss that month being 606. Loss by Lightning in the United States. THE Weather Bureau of the United States Department of Agriculture in October, 1900, issued a bulletin giving these facts: In 1899 the total number of strokes of lightning which caused damage was 5,527; number of buildings injured, 6,256, value of property lost, $3,016,520; number of deaths by lightning during the year, 563; number of persons injured, 820; number of live stock killed in the fields, 4,251; value, $129,955. The Chronicle Fire Tables record 3, 440 fires caused by lightning in the United States in 1900, the property loss occasioned thereby being $3,453, 925. Normal Temperature and Rainfall IN THE UNITED STATES. TABLE SHOWING THE NORMAL TEMPERATURE FOR JANUARY AND JULY, AND THE NORMAL ANNUAL PRECIPITATION AT WEATHER BUREAU STATIONS IN EACH OF THE STATES AND TERRITORIES, ALSO THE HIGHEST AND LOWEST TEMPERATURES EVER REPORTED FROM EACH OF SAID STATIONS, TO SEPTEMBER 1, 1901. (Prepared in the office of the Chief of the Weather Bureau, U. S. Department of Agriculture, for THE WORLD ALMANAC for 1902.) The minus (-) sign indicates temperature below zero. North Platte.... Sill, Fort*. Portland {La Crosse Milwaukee.. 3 68 107 866.4 554.3 -44 18.4 49 14.0 22 69 96-1141.9 32 72 99 742.7 34 74 94 - 347.2 28 74 100-1046.8 28 68 97 1314.2 34.68 95 -18 17.3 23 73 100-1837.9 30 74 100-644.8 25 69 100-2335.0 33 78 105-1739.9 28 75 104-2038.9 26 74 99-1630.9 35 82 107 931.2 39 67 102 246.8 40 66 104-635.2 32 73 110-24 9.7 27 72 94-1641.3 3276 103 639.8 30 74 103-2036.7 30 69 89 444. 2 30 70 92-850.0 49 82 104 756.7 13 74 107-34 26.8 41 78 101-1055.0 40 81 104 953.3 38 80 104-13 50.1 30.77 103-14 24.5 57 84 102 1836.9 44 82 113 5 9.3 43 82 104 646.5 30 73 93-9 7.6 28 76 102 -2016.2 1971 97-25 28.8 36 78 102-642.8 40 79 102 252.1 30 68 109-2627.8 38 62 97-253.1 40 56 80 792.6 35 74 97-2546.9 15 73 104 -4330.7 19 69 100-2532.1 1964 89-42 8.7 25 67 100-3812.2 10 67 100-54,11.0 *Not now a station of the Weather Bu reau, and report is therefore for the period preceding its discontinuance as a station. Velocity of Winds in the United States. AVERAGE hourly velocity of the wind at selected stations of the United States Weather Bureau, also the highest velocity ever reported for a period of five minutes. (Prepared by W. L. Moore, Chief of the Weather Bureau, and revised to September 1, 1901, for THE WORLD ALMANAC.) Anemometer blew away, at a velocity of 84 miles per hour, September, 1900. 75 54 Spokane, Wash.. 75 Toledo, Ohio. 60 Vicksburg, Miss....... 80 Washington, D. C..... N8987897888 72 60 40 51 80 48 72 60 66 68 |