Jacques Wardlaw Redway

“ Since the construction of the various irrigation projects in the arid region, humanity is realizing more and more the dependence of productive lands, not only on the yearly amount of snow-fall, but on the conservation of the melting snow, as well. ”

“ Sleet has been reported as hail so frequently that the Weather Bureau has issued an explanatory pamphlet calling attention to the fact that the ice pellets of sleet differ materially in structure from hailstones. Ice pellets may contain enough air to give them a whitish opaque appearance; therefore they are likely to deceive observers. Sleet storms are very apt to occur in the morning, when the temperature is at its daily minimum, but this is by no means always the case. Sleet may occur when a cold wave flows under warm, moist air ”

“ In the vicinity of the Great Lakes the ground is covered most of the winter. In the New England and Middle Atlantic states the annual snowfall is 7 to 8 feet. It decreases toward the west, being about 2 feet in North Dakota. In the basin region of the Rocky Mountain States snowfalls occur at long intervals only; in the plateau region they may be expected yearly on the range summits. The heaviest snowfalls occur along the northern Rocky Mountain and the Sierra Nevada Range summits ”

“ It may drop a little more than 1 inch of rain over the track of its passage, but usually the precipitation is not much greater.
The more southerly cyclones frequently bend towards the Gulf of Mexico, and begin to curve towards the northeast after passing the Mississippi River. They are much more energetic than the northerly storms and drop perhaps as much as 2 inches of rain along their tracks. ”

“ Large drops are shattered by a stiff wind, and drops a quarter of an inch in diameter are apt to be shattered before reaching the ground. The largest drops occur in connection with thunder-storms. A shower composed of fine drops much diffused is usually termed drizzle. ”

“ Damp snow and snow falling on tree limbs, poles and wires whose temperature is slightly above freezing, is very apt to cling to them. The weight of the accumulated snow may be sufficient to break tree limbs and line wires. Not only is there a considerable material damage ”

“ Hailstone; sectional view.
to half an inch in diameter. They are very rarely as much as an inch in diameter. In a few instances single stones more than two inches in diameter have been reported. In many instances several hailstones are frozen together, and hailstones “as large as a hen’s egg” are formed in this manner. Hail-storms are rarely more than a few minutes in duration. They occur usually in the southeast quadrant of a cyclonic storm, having the same relation to the area of low barometer as does the tornado. ”

“ Inasmuch as this track covers a region of great moisture, the rainfall is apt to be very heavy—sometimes more than 3 inches. The severest cyclonic storms are the West Indian hurricanes and the typhoons of the China coast. Throughout their courses they move through regions of very moist air. In these storms, the velocity of the wind results from a very rapid up-draught. The precipitation, therefore, is excessive. In the vicinity of the Gulf Coast of the United States, from 8 to 10 ”

“ Drops varying in size from very large to very small frequently fall in the course of one shower. Ordinarily the drops are about 0.1 inch (approximately 3 mm.) in diameter. At best, however, these dimensions are only approximate. ”