78 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



rical, because the recurrence as denoted by the barometer 

 takes about the same area, shape and intensity. 



Except the November, and the greater storm of January 

 last, and in fact the centers of these were the whole time 

 at sea, there has been no distinct cyclonic area, such as ap- 

 pear in the Eastern States, central over California during 

 the past season. Those who examine the Signal Service 

 synoptic charts with its reports may have observed " High" 

 and *' Low" designated, but these are often such only by con- 

 trast; the areas where the group of barometric readings, re- 

 duced to sea level, are the greatest or the least that appear 

 on the map, being so named. 



Another observation may be noted. When severe and 

 stormy weather prevails on this Coast, and especially in 

 California, almost invariably the press dispatches announce 

 from the East the prevalence of cold waves, snow blockades, 

 tornadoes, etc. If complaint be made at any time that the 

 climate of the Pacific Coast is in no way superior to the or- 

 dinary Eastern weather, attention may be drawn to the fact 

 that at that time cold waves, snows, etc., prevail over the 

 East; if here the winds are high they are balanced by tor- 

 nadoes or hurricanes there; if washouts delay travel on this 

 slope, floods in the streams of the great Eastern valleys and 

 seaboard do vastly more damage; if frosts nip the buds in 

 our California citrus belt, in Florida oranges are frozen. 

 Such is the action of storms on this Coast relative to 

 the maigin of the great Arctic high pressure ridges which 

 surge down from British Columbia. These coincidences 

 show a common sensitiveness to distant weather conditions. 

 Contrary to the usual rule in the states east of the Rocky 

 Mountains, we have observed here a recurrence and per- 

 sistence of fine clear weather, or of rainy days for quite a 

 period. The interruptions are slight, of short duration, 

 and the prevalent types are unmistakable. The synoptic 

 charts during these periods show a general resemblance. 

 For instance, during February last scarcely any rain fell. 



