102 HISTORY OF OHIO. 



currents of air, is the cooling of the waters held in suspension 

 by either of them, and the consequent descent of the water in 

 the form of rain, snow, hail, or dew. There is more rain on 

 the summit level, than there is either north or south of it ; more 

 frost and snow. 



The southern current of air is always warmer than the north- 

 western one, and those who live where these currents alter- 

 nately prevail, sometimes changing several times in a day, 

 feel all the inconveniences resulting from such frequent chan- 

 ges of temperature. This difference is from three to twenty, 

 or even more degrees of Fahrenheit. Where these changes 

 occur in very warm weather, the eft'ect on the human system 

 is very sensibly felt. Our westwardly wind, in the lower part 

 of the state, is generally a dry one, and a gentle current of 

 air. 



The effect produced by this wind from the Mexican Gulpb, 

 IS very sensibly felt by us in winter. It is the principal cause 

 why our winters in Ohio, are much warmer than they are east 

 of the mountains. In the winter of 1827-8 we had the south- 

 western current of air all winter. It came loaded with water, 

 which fell in torrents, during that winter, and on the eighth of 

 January, there was the greatest freshet which we had had for 

 years before. And on the Scioto, we had no ice that winter, 

 more than three-eighths of an inch in thickness. 



During all that winter, while the rain was falling in tor- 

 rents, iii. Ohio, there was no rain and but little snow on the 

 Upper Misssissippi, in the Wisconsin country, and in all the 

 region west of lake Michigan. In the following spring and 

 summer, there was no rise in the streams of that region, worth 

 naming. The whole winter there, was fair, almost without 

 a cloud, and it was excessively cold, more so than common 

 in that coldest of all countries in the world, for its latitude. 

 So much for the difference of climate, between Ohio and Wis- 

 consin Territory. 



