Monthly Weather Review/Volume 1/Issue 2

by United States Weather Bureau / United States Department of War's Office of the Chief Signal Officer

MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW,
FEBRUARY, 1873.

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WAR DEPARTMENT,

Office of the Chief Signal Officer,

DIVISION OF

Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce and Agriculture.

STORMS.

During this month ten different storms have crossed portions of the country east of the Rocky Mountains. The paths of their centres have, approximately, been traced upon the War Department Weather Maps, Signal Service, United States Army.

That of February 3d and 4th passed over Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan into Canada, accompanied by rain (at places heavy) from Texas to Iowa and eastward to the middle Atlantic coast, but by generally light snow or rain thence northward over New England and the Lakes, and by brisk and high winds over the Lake region, westerly winds being most severe; thunder-storm reported from Knoxville, 4th.

February 5, 6, 7, and 8.—Over Gulf and south Atlantic states and thence northeastward off the middle and east Atlantic coasts and over Nova Scotia, accompanied by heavy rain to Massachusetts, and by fresh and brisk winds over Gulf coast, and brisk and high northerly winds most severe.

February 6 and 7.—Eastward over northern Minnesota and Lake Superior into Canada, accompanied by areas of very light snow and brisk and high winds over the Lake region, southwesterly to northwesterly being most severe.

February 9, 10, and 11.—Eastward from Dakota over Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan into Canada, accompanied by generally light rain or snow from Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia northward and northeastward, and by brisk and high winds, southeasterly to southwesterly being most severe.

February 11 and 12.—Northeastward over Southern States and beyond middle Atlantic coast, accompanied by heavy rain from Kentucky to southern New Jersey and southward to Gulf, but snow from Ohio to lower lakes and Connecticut, and by brisk to high southerly to westerly winds over western Gulf coast, brisk and high southwesterly over south Atlantic states, and brisk and high easterly to northerly from Virginia to Massachusetts; thunder-storm reported from Knoxville, 13th; storm very severe from Cape Cod southward.

February 15, 16, and 17.—Northeastward from Texas over the Ohio Valley, thence eastward over and beyond middle Atlantic coast, accompanied by rain, generally heavy, from Iowa to Connecticut and southward to Gulf, but areas of light rain and snow thence northward to Maine and the Lakes, and by brisk and high winds over western Gulf and Atlantic coasts; severe thunder-storm reported from Memphis on 15th.

February 17 and 18.—Northeastward from Dakota over Minnesota and Lake Superior into Canada, accompanied by light rain and snow and by brisk and high winds, followed by low temperature.

February 20 and 21.—One over the Southern States, and thence northeast along the coast, with Atlantic coast, and brisk and high northeasterly to northwesterly over middle and east Atlantic coasts. Other northeastward over Missouri, Illinois, and Michigan into Canada, with brisk and high winds; the two accompanied by heavy rain over the country east of the Rocky Mountains, except snow from Iowa and Minnesota eastward over the Lake region and northward.

February 26 and 27.—From Nebraska and Missouri northeastward over Michigan into Canada, accompanied by brisk and high winds; at the same time a diminished pressure from Texas eastward over Gulf and south Atlantic states, and thence northeast off middle and east Atlantic coasts, with brisk and high winds; the two accompanied by rain from Missouri to northern Louisiana and east

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ward to Virginia and south Atlantic coast, but by snow thence northward over Northwest, Lakes, and southern New England.

Thirty-three cautionary signals were displayed at the Signal Service stations on the Atlantic coast and two on the Gulf.

RAINFALL.

As compared with the means of a number of years for the month, the rainfall returns from the Signal Service stations show a deficiency over the Lake region, Northwest, Gulf States, southern Georgia and South Carolina, New York, and northern New England, but an excess from the northern portions of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina to Tennessee, southern Indiana and Ohio, Pennsylvania, and southern New Jersey, being most marked over Tennessee, also an excess over Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts and Connecticut.

TEMPERATURE.

From the mean temperature for the month, taken from the Signal Service reports and compared with that for a number of years at the same stations, or close by, it is observed that the former has been somewhat higher over the Gulf States, eastern portions of Kentucky and Tennessee, and southern portions of Ohio and Indiana, by from 1° to 4°, but otherwise east of the Rocky Mountains, lower by 1° to 8°, being principally over New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.