196 THE WEATHER 



1914 had 1.2 in. more than 1910. Kansas City averages about 34 

 in. of rain and 25 in. of snow annually; while Marquette, Mich., has 

 about 20 in. of rain and 10^ ft. of snowfall per year. We can not 

 compare these unless the snow is melted and the water measured. 



For these reasons the depth of snowfall and of the water 

 it contains are both recorded. When the snow cannot be 

 melted one-tenth of its depth is often taken as the estimated 

 amount of water. 



219. Measuring the Temperature; Value of Knowing the 

 Temperature. A good working knowledge of the tem- 

 perature of a region is valuable, and requires systematic 

 observations. Two localities may have the same yearly 

 average of temperature, but one may have much warmer 

 summers and much colder winters than the other. Two re- 

 gions may have the same average summer temperature, but 

 one may be much warmer in afternoon and much cooler at 

 night than the other. One place may have a smooth, gradual 

 change from summer to winter, and another section with 

 similar average temperatures may have frequent and decided 

 oscillations of temperature. In one region, alternating warm 

 and cold periods in spring may destroy fruit buds and prevent 

 successful orcharding, while, in another region with cooler 

 but more even temperature, orcharding is successful. 



Seattle and Omaha have about the same yearly average tempera- 

 ture, 52 and 50, * respectively. At Seattle, July is 33 degrees warmer 

 than January, while at Omaha, July is 59 degrees warmer than 

 January. 



Spokane and San Francisco have about the same average tempera- 

 ture for July. At San Francisco the daily range (difference between 

 the afternoon maximum and the night minimum) for that month 

 averages 12 degrees, while at Spokane it is 28 degrees. At Galveston 

 the daily range for July is 10 degrees, at Oklahoma City, 20 degrees, 

 and at Huron, S. D., 26 degrees. 



1 Note: In recording temperature the United States Weather Bureau uses 

 the Fahrenheit scale only. Therefore, in this chapter and in Chap. V, on 

 Climate, all references to temperature will be understood to mean Fahrenheit 

 scale, unless the centigrade scale is indicated. 



