FOURTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART II. 



107 



Average number of days on which .01 of an inch or more was reported. 

 4. Prevailing direction of the wind, northwest; highest velocity re 

 ported. 50 miles per hour, from ihe northwest, at Sioux City, on the 

 28th. Average numl)er of clear days, 11; partly cloudy, 9; cloudy, 11. 



CLIMATE AND CROP REVIEW. 



COMPAIJATIVK DATA OK TIIUEE ABNORMAL SEASON S. AND SUMMARY OK 1903 . 



The first three crop seasons of the new century— 1901-1902-1903 — 

 may be classed as radically abnormal in respect to seasonal rainfall and 

 temperatures, their records serving as striking illustrations of possible 

 climatic extremes of this section. The season of 1901 was notable for 

 extreme heat and aridity of air and earth, breaking all records of daily 

 averages and maximum temperatures in the midsummer period. The 

 droughty conditions continued until about May 1, 1902; then came heavy 

 downpours, with streams bankfuU and overflowing, and continued excess 

 of precipitation for a period of about seventeen consecutive months, or 

 until September 15, 1903. For reference and comparison the following 

 table is appended, showing the average precipitation and mean tem- 

 peratures for the State, for the six crop months-7-April 1st to September 

 30th — in the last three years; also the monthly normals for the same 

 period. , 



PRECIPirATION, INCHES. 



Months. 



Normal 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August .... 

 September 



Total for six months 

 Total for the year . . . 



2 89 

 4.13 

 4.50 

 4.23 



3 43 

 3.30 



22. 48 



31 42 



MEAN TEMPERATURE, DEr^REES. 



April. .. . 



May 



.1 une 



July 



August — 

 September 



Means . 



49.3 

 60.4 

 69.6 

 74.2 

 71.8 

 63.6 



64.8 



The records of the four critical crop months— May 1st to September 

 1st — show the marked difference in the rainfall and temperature of 1901 

 in comparison with the two following seasons. The total amounts for 

 the four months were as follows: In 1901. 9.69 inches; in 1902, 27.80 

 inches: in 1903, 22.88 inches. The normal for the four months is 16.29 



