SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART X 517 



tricts men skated from farms to town. A fall of snow soon ended the 

 skating but served to greatly relieve the icy conditions underfoot. There 

 p/as some apprehension as to the effect the ice sheet might have on winter 

 wheat and meadows. While the matter is problematical, it is thought that 

 where the fields are short and the ice lies close to the ground much wneat 

 ^-nd. some grass will be smothered. 



Pressure. — The mean pressure (reduced to sea level) for the state 

 f ns 30.17 inches. The highest record was 30.86 inches, at Sioux City, on 

 rhe 13th, and the lowest was 29.36, at the same station, on the 9th. The 

 monthly range was 1.50 inches. 



Temperature. — The mean temperature for the state, as shown by the 

 records of 107 stations, was 17.8°, or only 0.1° lower than the normal. By 

 divisions, three tiers of counties to the division, the means were as fol- 

 lows: Northern, 13.5°, or 1.1° lower than the normal; Central, 18.4°, or 

 0.2° higher than the normal; Southern, 21.5°, or 0.6° higher than the 

 normal. The highest monthly mean was 27.0°, at Keokuk, and the lowest 

 monthly mean was 4.6, at Rock Rapids. The usual January difference in 

 mean temperature between these stations is about 10°. The highest 

 temperature reported was 63°, at Leon, on the 1st, and the lowest 

 temperature reported was -34°, at Inwood on the 13th. The latter is the 

 lowest temperature reported in Iowa since January 12, 1912. The tem- 

 perature range for the state was 97°. 



Humidity. — The average relative humidity for the state at 7 a. m. was 

 83.7 per cent, and at 7 p. m. it was 80.1 per cent. The mean for the month 

 was 81.9 per cent, or about 0.9 per cent greater than the normal. The 

 highest monthly mean was 88 per cent at Charles City, and the least 

 was 79.5 at Keokuk. 



Precipitation. — The average precipitation for the state, as shown by the 

 records of llj. stations, was 2.62 inches, or 1.59 inches more than the nor- 

 mal. By divisions the averages were as follows: Northern, 2.09, or 1.25 

 inches more than the normal; Central, 2.70 inches, or 1.59 inches more 

 than the normal; Southern, 3.07 inches, or 1.88 inches more than the 

 normal. The greatest amount, 6.07 inches, occurred at Mt. Pleasant, and 

 the least, 0.85 inch, at Lake Park. The greatest amount in any 24 con- 

 secutive hours, 1.92 inches, occurred at Ft. Madison, on the 19th. 



Snow. — The average snowfall for the state was 7.2 inches, or about 

 the normal amount. The greatest amount, 18.5 inches, occurred at Rock- 

 well City, and the least, 1.3 inches, at Centerville. 



Wind. — The prevailing direction of the wind was from the northwest. 

 The highest velocity reported from a regular Weather Bureau station was 

 at the rate of 50 miles an hour from the northwest, at Sioux City, on 

 the 27th. 



Sunshine and Cloudiness. — The average percentage of the possible 

 amount of sunshine was 45, or about 4 per cent lower than the normal. 

 The percentage of the possible amount at the several regular Weather 

 Bureaai stations being as follows: Charles City, 36; Davenport, 43; 

 Des Moines. 46; Dubuque, 49; Keokuk, 40; Omaha. Nebr., 49; SIoiW 

 City, 51. 



