30 Introduction to the Study of Science 



nimbus or nimbus clouds are formed, that is, clouds from 

 which rain or snow falls. 



As the center of the low area approaches one's locality, the 

 wind south of the main path shifts from the east or southeast 

 until it comes from the southwest. North of the path of the 

 low the wind shifts around until it comes from the north and 

 finally from the northwest. The center of the low area may 

 be indicated by the barometer, which not only stops falling, 

 but may for a short time show a slight rise. Sailors call this 

 the " eye of the storm," for there is a temporary calm with 

 perhaps a bit of clear sky. With the passing of the center 

 the barometer rises steadily. The winds blow increasingly 

 from the northwest quarter on the north side of the path, ^and 

 from a westerly direction on the south side. The sky clears 

 and the air becomes cool and invigorating. 



21. Hurricanes. Reference has been made to the typhoons 

 of the China Sea, the cyclones of the Bay of Bengal, and the 

 hurricanes, which, originating in the region of the West Indies, 

 sweep with destructive violence over the Gulf and Eastern 

 states of our country. The strength and violence of such storms 

 may be studied in reports on the storm which worked great 

 destruction of property and loss of life in Galveston, Texas, 

 in 1900. A similar storm occurred in September, 1915, but did 

 comparatively small damage because of the protective seawall 

 and other measures provided after the earlier storm. The 

 hurricane of 1915 made its way across the eastern part of the 

 continent, passing over St. Louis, then northeast, and out by 

 way of the St. Lawrence valley. Hurricanes sometimes strike 

 Florida and Alabama, where they work immense damage, and 

 then sweep over practically all the Atlantic coast. They occur 

 usually during the summer months, from July to October, but 

 with greatest frequency in August and September. 



Hurricanes of this sort develop in the tropical region, probably 

 along the edge of the Belt of Calm, called the doldrums, east 

 of the Windward Islands, and in their passage over the ocean 



