WEATHER MAPS 



295 



Tropical cyclones. Cyclones sometimes start in tropical regions, 

 and follow courses very different from those of the cyclones of 

 middle latitudes. The cyclones of this class which reach North 

 America usually originate in the West Indies, and are most com- 

 mon in the late summer and early autumn. They follow a north- 

 westerly course until the latitude of Florida is reached. Here they 

 commonly turn to the northward, and later to the northeastward, 



Fig. 251. Map showing the cold wave of January 3, 1896. (U. S. Weather 



Bureau.) 



following the Atlantic coast. The heavy line of Fig. 252 shows the 

 average path of tropical cyclones for the months of August, Sep- 

 tember, and October, for the years 1878 to 1900. 



The tropical cyclones are usually stronger than those of inter- 

 mediate latitudes; that is, the gradient and the winds are higher. 

 They often do great damage along the coast, both to shipping and 

 to the low lands near the water. The storm which worked such 

 disaster to Gal vest on in September, 1900, is shown in Fig. 253. 

 This figure also shows (1) the course of the storm before it reached 

 Galveston and after leaving it, and (2) the rate of its progress. 



