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The following table shows the mean direction of the wind. The figures show the number of times each month the wind prevailed in each of the eight cardinal points, together with the annual results for the past four preceding years:
1877 |
N |
NE |
E |
SE |
S |
SW |
W |
NW |
Calm |
| January | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 8 |
|
| February | 2 | 4 |
| 7 |
| 6 | 1 | 8 |
|
| March | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | 1 | 3 |
| 14 |
|
| April | 1 | 9 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 |
|
| May |
| 5 |
| 9 | 1 | 12 |
| 3 | 1 |
| June | 1 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| July |
| 1 |
| 8 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| August | 2 | 6 |
| 6 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 6 |
|
| September | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| October | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 6 |
|
| November | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
|
| December | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
|
| Annual, 1877 | 15 | 54 | 5 | 82 | 29 | 80 | 15 | 77 | 8 |
| Annual, 1876 | 5 | 21 | 1 | 66 | 5 | 114 | 9 | 122 | 23 |
| Annual, 1875 | 40 | 15 | 23 | 82 | 32 | 38 | 44 | 85 | 6 |
| Annual, 1874 | 37 | 12 | 30 | 93 | 43 | 36 | 43 | 67 | 4 |
| Annual, 1873 | 43 | 16 | 36 | 68 | 41 | 33 | 27 | 78 | 13 |
Southeast has been the prevailing windit coming from that direction for eighty-two days during the year. It has thundered or lightened on sixty-three days, against fifty-five days in 1876. It was foggy on sixty-three days against twenty-eight days in 1876, and was hazy on eighteen days, against twelve days in 1876.
The following table shows the mean degrees of temperature for each year since 1854. The month of December, 1853, is added to January and February, 1854, to make the mean temperature for the winter of 1854.
YEAR |
Winter Months |
Spring Months |
Summer Months |
Fall Months |
| 1854 | 24 | 51.3 | 73 | 54.6** |
| 1855 | 33.6 | 46.6 | 70.3 | 47.6 |
| 1856 | 16 | 45.3 | 73 | 46 |
| 1857 | 16.5 | 41.3* | 70.3 | 48.6 |
| 1858 | 30.9 | 50.0 | 69.6 | 48 |
| 1859 | 16.3 | 51.9** | 66.3 | 48 |
| 1860 | 13.3 | 48.8 | 67.2 | 51.4 |
| 1861 | 15.7 | 46.4*** | 70.9 | 48.7 |
| 1862 | 15.1 | 46.4*** | 69.3 | 49.3 |
| 1863 | 22.3 | 46.2*** | 63.8* | 39.9* |
| 1864 | 15.5 | 46.8 | 71.3 | 44.1 |
| 1865 | 19.1 | 44.8 | 68.3 | 54.2 |
| 1866 | 15.3 | 43.7 | 69.9 | 47.7*** |
| 1867 | 23.3 | 41.4 | 71.8 | 50.7 |
| 1868 | 18.4 | 49.2 | 72.6 | 45.7 |
| 1869 | 20.6 | 44.1 | 70.2*** | 44.5 |
| 1870 | 21.7 | 50.1 | 73.6** | 52.5 |
| 1871 | 22.6 | 51.0 | 70.1 | 48.1 |
| 1872 | 17.5 | 44.2 | 69.9 | 45.4 |
| 1873 | 14 | 44.8 | 73.6** | 42.2 |
| 1874 | 21.8 | 44.4 | 71.3 | 49.9 |
| 1875 | 10.8* | 45.9 | 67.9 | 46.0 |
| 1876 | 27.5 | 46.0 | 72.0 | 46.3 |
| 1877 | 19.2** | 43.2 | 66.9 | 52.5 |
| 1878 | 33.4 | 51.8 | 71.8 | 49.9 |
| 1879 | 18.7 | 50.9 | 72.5 | 51.1 |
| * Minimum ** Maximum *** Mean |
Below we give the amount of snow and rain, including melted snow, and the number of rainy and snowy days during the winter of 1876-77. The first snow was landed November 6, 1876, and the last was recorded April 29, 1877, making 174 days between the first and the last snow-storms:
|
|
Rain |
Rainy Days |
Snow |
Snowy Days |
| November | 1876 | 2.64 | 2 | 7.25 | 6 |
| December | 1876 | 0.77 | 0 | 8.08 | 7 |
| January | 1877 | 2.10 | 1 | 17.25 | 5 |
| February | 1877 | 0.32 | 1 | 0.50 | 1 |
| March | 1877 | 6.54 | 2 | 26.60 | 8 |
| Total | | 15.77 | 13 | 61.68 | 28 |
| | 1875--6 | 15.98 | 32 | 29.53 | 17 |
| | 1874--5 | 12.58 | 11 | 49.05 | 36 |
While we measured 61.68 inches of snow, and distributed all along through six months, we only had thirty-six days good sleighing, and that in the two months of January and March, viz.: from January 9 to the 29th, and from March 7 to the 22d. In the previous winter we did not have enough snow any one day for good sleighing during the whole six months of the snowy weather.
It would prove a paying investment in the end for the different State and county agricultural societies to offer liberal premiums for the best meteorological records for the preceding year or years. The science is yet in its infancy. It has attracted but little attention until the past twenty or twenty-five years, but just at the present time is receiving a great deal of attention, as it is a very important adjunct to commerce and agriculture. The farmers are not indebted alone to good soil and proper attention for a good crop of farm products on the well-tilled farm, for with the best of attention and care his labor is all for naught if the weather during the growing season proves unfavorable for the growing crops. Now if the weather for the future could be predicted with any degree of certainty and the knowledge properly disseminated among the farming communities, the farmers would be enabled to put in such seed as would be likely to pay the best for such a season as would be anticipated.
To the farmer, information about storms, and more particularly about rain, is of much greater importance than indications concerning the wind. In haying and harvest time, as well as the time of thrashing or sowing the grain, a knowledge of approaching rain-storms may determine a whole season's crop for good or bad; and information as to severe expected frosts might save farmers, horticulturists, florists, nurserymen and persons engaged in raising garden products, a whole year's labor from destruction.
Many times, if it could be known to the farmers and mechanics, even twenty-four hours ahead, what weather might be expected, they could make a great savings in their work on hand and in planning work for the future. An agreed-upon storm signal could be attached to all locomotives that left any city or station, after one had been properly displayed in the place of departure, and be continued until it has been lowered by authority from headquarters. In this manner it could be seen by all interested parties living along the line of the railway.
All of this, and very much more, will eventually be accomplished in the near future by the aid of the telegraph, telephone and the science of meteorology. By the aid of liberal premiums offered by the several State and county agricultural societies, it will stimulate all persons to a thorough and better knowledge of the science and hasten the day when we all shall have ample time to prepare for all coming storms and consult the morning daily papers for information on the day's anticipation of the coming weather, with that regularity and confidence that we now do for the foreign and domestic news, and the daily fluctuations in the price of farm products. Now, who will move first in this good work and thoroughly test the matter as to its utility and benefit generally to commerce and agriculture.
The following table shows the monthly value of rain and melted snow reduced to water, in inches, for the year 1878:
1878 |
Rain in Inches |
No. Rainy Days |
Snow in Inches |
No. Days of Snow |
| January | 0.48 | 1 | 2.10 | 3 |
| February | 1.35 | 1 | 2.35 | 3 |
| March | 2.94 | 7 |
|
|
| April | 2.79 | 11 |
|
|
| May | 5.96 | 13 |
|
|
| June | 5.02 | 12 |
|
|
| July | 1.16 | 7 |
|
|
| August | 3.07 | 6 |
|
|
| September | 6.30 | 7 |
|
|
| October | 3.82 | 7 | 0.50 | 1 |
| November | 0.66 | 4 |
|
|
| December | 1.14 |
| 9.55 | 10 |
| Annual | 35.69 | 76 | 14.50 | 17 |
The total amount of precipitation was 35.69 inches against 47.97 inches in 1877, and only .08 inches above the normal. It rained on 76 days, against 67 days in 1877, and snowed on 17 days, against 22 days in 1877, and there were only 18 days of sleighing during the year.
The Signal Service of the United States and the Iowa Weather Service have both become fixed institutions of the country, and are both working out wonders, from a meteorological standpoint, for the benefit of the community at large. The former is regularly receiving reports from upward of five hundred different stations and is publishing a daily weather bulletin and record of the weather at 12 o'clock at midnight, and adding an estimate of the weather for the coming day, with an average of ninety per cent of their predictions proving correct. The latter has only eighty-seven different stations in the ninety-nine counties of the State. It has been in successful operation a little over three years, but has been regularly recognized by our State Legislature, they making an appropriation of $2,000, to pay the necessary expense of a central office, and the furnishing of blanks and postage for the different volunteer observers.
The following table shows the monthly maximum, minimum and mean temperature, range, and temperature of well-water, for the year 1878:
1878 |
Max |
Min |
Mean |
Range |
Temp of well-water |
| January | 45 | -6* | 26.1 | 51 | 49 |
| February | 57 | 17 | 34.6 | 40 | 48 |
| March | 71 | 27 | 45.8 | 44 | 49 |
| April | 80 | 33 | 53.2 | 47 | 49 |
| May | 82 | 37 | 56.6 | 45 | 49 |
| June | 86 | 50 | 67.4 | 36 | 50 |
| July | 97 | 58 | 77.2 | 39 | 51 |
| August | 92 | 57 | 70.9 | 35 | 50 |
| September | 90 | 38 | 61.2 | 52 | 50 |
| October | 80 | 27 | 49.9 | 53 | 50 |
| November | 63 | 21 | 38.6 | 42 | 50 |
| December | 44 | -10* | 18.4 | 54 | 50 |
| Annual | 97 | -10* | 49.9 | 107 | 49.5 |
| * A dash (-) signifies below zero |
The temperature for 1878, as a whole, has been above the normal. The highest temperature reached for the year was 97 degrees, July 16, against 93 degrees last year. The lowest temperature reached was10 degrees below zero on December 23, against 20 degrees below zero last year, making a mean temperature for the year of 49.9 degrees, 3.81 degrees above the normal. The Maquoketa River was open on January 13, after being frozen over only seven days, and was closed again December 20, after being open for 341 days. The last hoar-frost was June 10, and the first of the season was September 11, making 92 days without frost, against 99 days in 1877. |
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