256 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



RAINFALL NEAR SANTA BARBARA. 



The climatic conditions of Southern California not being so well known 



as the same conditions are in the central and northern portions of our State, 



I take pleasure in appending a letter from Mr. Ellwood Cooper, living at 



Ellwood, near Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, written to General 



W. B. Hazen, Chief Signal Officer of the Army, Washington City, D. C, 



as giving accurate data on the varying condition of the weather since 1870. 



The letter is as follows: 



Santa Barbara, Cal., December 12, 1885. 

 Brigadier General Hazen, Washington, D. C: 



Dear Sir: My last report to your department was partially published in the weather 

 review of April", 1884. [The same will be found appended to this letter. — Sergeant Bar- 

 wick.] That report gave the rainfall from 1870 to and including that of the Winter of 

 1883-84. The rainfall of 1884 and 1885 was 12.56 inches; 9.12 inches falling from October 

 eighth to December thirty-first, and 3.86 inches falling from January first to May. 



From my letter containing the information given in the report, as stated above, I laid 

 down the theory that during the Winters when we had heavy rains before January first, 

 we were likely to have light rains after January first. In support of this I called your 

 attention to the Winters of 1871-2, 1878-9, and 1880-1. I have now to add the rainfall of the 

 past Winter, demonstrating the same condition as the three Winters above alluded to. I 

 also wrote in said communication that during the Spring of 1884 we had a series of. 

 warm south winds, which caused the unprecedented rainfall of that season, and that 

 since my sojourn in the country, from 1870 down to that time, that the wind had not 

 blown one single hour steadily from that quarter. In my theories there laid down and ( ?) 

 the statement that by close observation we could, to a certain extent, foretell the probable 

 rainfall each Winter." I now beg to call your attention to the storm of November last, 

 commencing the fifteenth and ending thenight of the twenty-fourth. There is no record 

 of so much rain falling in any year, since records have been kept, in the month of Novem- 

 ber. A very warm wind blew from the southeast (more southerly than easterly), and 

 part of the time due south, the wind on two different days and nights amounting to a 

 gale; many of my fruit trees were uprooted, some broken square off' above the ground. 

 This storm commenced apparently without any preparation. In Los Angeles County, 20 

 miles from the sea, there were no violent winds. I am therefore convinced that there 

 must have been a strong wind blowing from the Gulf of California some time previous to 

 the commencement of the storm here. 



Our usual southeast storms cross the country north of Fort Yuma, giving at San Diego 

 about one third as much rain as at Santa Barbara. The storm of November just passed, 

 the greatest amount of rain was condensed between the first and second ranges of moun- 

 tains. At the base of the Sierra Madre there were 7 inches; at Newhall, 9 inches; in the 

 Ajai Valley, 15 inches; in the Santa Inez Valley, back of Santa Barbara, 19 inches; and at 

 San Luis Obispo, 22 to 24 inches. On the night of the 17th, 9 inches of rain fell in a few 

 hours at the latter place; in the town of Los Angeles, 6 inches; Santa Barbara, 9 inches; 

 at Ellwood (my home), 10 inches; at the south base of the Santa Inez Range, Glen Annie, 

 there were 14 inches; while at the base, on the north side, there were 19 inches. This 

 warm wind, blowing from the mouth of the Gulf of California, was kept westward of the 

 high range on the peninsula, and carried directly over the first ranges from San Pedro to 

 Point Conception. On reaching the second ranges, was met by the cold northwest trades, 

 condensed, and hence the greatest precipitation in the valleys back from the coast. In 

 the Paso Robles country there was not much rain, probably (from the reports), about 4 

 inches. We have had up to date, since October 15, 10.37 inches of rain; and, according to 

 my theory, we must not expect very much more after January first. I do not predict, but 

 the fact that every Winter since 1870 that gave us 8 inches or more before January first, 

 gave but little after January first. This very strong probability should put farmers and 

 fruit growers on their guard, and they should lose no time in preparing for such an alter- 

 native. 



I have the honor to be, your obedient servant, 



ELLWOOD COOPER 



Since the receipt of the above, Mr. Cooper has furnished General Hazen 

 the following summary: 



The review of the rainfall for 1870 to date establishes thus far one 

 unvarying rule, and that is, that in all our rain season, when there has 

 been more than half our Winter average of rain before January first, we 



