S02 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



fact that, the storm path was almost ontirely along the timber horderiug 

 on North River. Only two farm huildings were in the path of the storm, 

 those of Jerome Griffith and R. F. Bush, the latter residing on the old 

 Carter farm in section three. The tornado formed just after a severe 

 rain and hail storm. The Bush and Griffith homes are situated on a 

 high ridge of land, giving an excellent view to the southwest where the 

 storm formed. The absence of dust, owing to the heavy downpour of 

 rain which previously passed over the township, the clear sunlight and 

 the position of the Griffith and Bush places gave an opportunity to study 

 tornadic phenomena that is seldom afforded. The storm formed between 

 the Chas. Howell farm and the mouth of the Howerton Creek on North 

 River. It swept in a northeasterly direction, the funnel extending from 

 1000' to 2000 feet skyward, and the small end trailing on the ground. Owing 

 to the clearness of the sky the funnel-shaped cloud was visible for a 

 distance of 10 to 15 miles, and the roar was sufficient to attract the 

 attention of everybody within a few miles of the storm path, and was 

 even heard in Winterset, a distance of six or eight miles. Jerome Griffith 

 and his brother stood in the doorway of their storm cave, and watched 

 the storm approach until it began to tear up trees within 20 rods of their 

 position and then sought shelter in the cave until the disturbance passed 

 over. Mr. Griffith watched the tornado cross over a field of fodder. De- 

 scribing it, he says: "The shocks of fodder could easily be seen darting 

 up the funnel cloud like pins to a horseshoe magnet. I saw objects leave 

 the crater near the top. Those that fell in front were picked up a 

 second time." The Griffith smoke house was carried away but the work 

 bench which was placed against one side of the smoke house was not 

 moved. Neither were several empty tin cans which were on top of the 

 work bench. The chicken house was blown away and some of the 

 chickens were carried a distance of six miles. The weather boarding 

 was stripped from oine side of the house and the porch was torn away, 

 but the balance of the house was not damaged. At the Bush farm the 

 barn was destroyed and every tree in the orchard uprooted. The storm 

 continued for a mile beyond the Griffith farm but struck no more build- 

 ings. The width of the storm track was from 10 to 60 rods in width 

 and about five miles in length. That the property loss was not greater 

 was due only to the fact that there were no more buildings in its path 

 and the two sets of buildings struck did not receive the full force of 

 the storm. — The Madisonian. 



MAY. 



May, 1913, is generally considered by the public as having been a cold 

 month, but the records show that the mean temperature was only 0.7° 

 below the normal. The close approximation to the normal is, however, 

 due to the fact that at the beginning and close of the month there were 

 short periods of unusually high temperatures, which nearly balanced 

 the low temperatures during most of the remainder of the month. The 

 29th was at some stations the warmest day in May on record; the 

 maximum ranging from 90° to 102° over the southern half of the state. 

 The 6th, 10th and 11th were the coldest days of the month, when the 



