STARR — IOWA THUNDER-STORMS. 97 



injured — the worst I ever saw in a building; a meteoric display at 

 midnight, with heavy explosion." Bancroft — "Temperature, 7:00 

 a. m., 73 ; 2:00 p. m., 90 ; 9:00 p. m., 74 ; mean barometer, 29.90 

 inches; mean temperature, 77.7 ." At Cresco, "rain began to fall at 

 3 : 30 a. M. of 9th — only 0.09 inch fell; distant lightning, from north- 

 west to east-northeast, all the evening, from 8:00 p. M. to 1 1 :bo p. m., 

 and later; at 3:20 a. m., storm remarkable for the suddenness and 

 intensity of electricity; very vivid lightning, and roar after roar of 

 thunder, with deafening crash." 



August 10, a day of great heat. Cresco reports it "the warmest day 

 of the year. At 2 : 20 p. m., just before the storm-cloud, it was 101 in 

 the shade (the hottest since 1874, t/ie/i 102 )." Brush Creek — -"Gale 

 from south all afternoon, with mercury at 104° at 2:30 p. m., and 100 

 at 5:00 p. m." This storm, a violent one, seems to have been chiefly 

 confined to the east central part of the State. The beginnings of rain- 

 fall are as follows: Cresco, 3:15 p. m. ; McGregor, 5:30 p. m. ; Brush 

 Creek, 5:30 p. m. ; Monona, 5:45 p. m. ; Garnavillo, 6:15 p. m. ; 

 Cresco (second storm), 6:15 p. m. ; Hopkinton, 7:00 p. m. ; Des 

 Moines, 7:30 p. m. ; Monticello, 8:00 p. m. ; Marion, 8:10 p. M. ; 

 Cedar Rapids, 8:45 p. M. ; Amana, 8:45 p. m. ; Homestead, 8:50 

 p. m. ; Oskaloosa, 9:15 p. m. ; Clinton, 10:00 p. m. ; Albia, 10:00 

 p. m. ; Mt. Pleasant, 11:30 P. M. This storm came from the north- 

 west, and apparently traveled at the rate of eighteen miles an hour. 

 Notes: McGregor — "Strokes at 6:30 p. M. and at 10:00 p. m. ; sev- 

 eral buildings struck within a few miles." Garnavillo — "Lightning 

 struck telephone pole in front of house." Wind was heavy almost 

 everywhere; "4" is the common report. At Oskaloosa, "tops of hay- 

 stacks blown oft and limbs of trees broken ; the only storm of the 

 summer to do any damage." Garnavillo — "Strong south wind ail day; 

 5:30 p. m. it changed to northeast, then west; the rain came without 

 violence; wind west during most of rains." Brush Creek — "Gale from 

 west and northwest ; gale from south all afternoon." Heavy rainfalls 

 arc reported from some stations: McGregor, 3.27 inches; Monona, 

 1.62; Hopkinton, 2.30; Monticello, 1.41; Clinton, 1.50. This be- 

 comes lighter, or even a "few drops" in the more southern localities. 



August 1 2th. Reports from Emmetsburg, Smithland, Kiron, Onawa, 

 Rock Branch, and Tabor show a storm in the western part of the State 

 on the evening of the 12th. Time reports continue on into the 13th. 

 There is not sufficient agreement between them all to prove a well- 

 defined eastward-moving storm. They may be grouped so as to show 

 several local storms, perhaps. The time records are: Smithland, 7 :oo 



( Pnoo. D. A. N. B., Vol. V. | 13 I March 25, 1888. 1 



