NO. 17 WASHINGTON AND NEW YORK WEATHER— ABBOT 7 



of temperature minima from dates expected to suit the solar period 

 of 6.6485 days were more considerable in 1949 than in 1948. These 

 displacements, as explained above, are attributed to the complexities 

 of atmospheric reactions. I postpone further remarks to the "Dis- 

 cussion" below. 



C. NEW YORK TEMPERATURES 



As shown in a previous paper,* a comparative study of Washington 

 and New York temperatures over the interval of 21 years, 1928 to 



1948, with reference to the solar period of 6.6485 days, indicated that 

 this solar variation strongly affected the temperatures in both cities, 

 and almost identically. By the kindness of E. J. Christie, Meteorolo- 

 gist in Charge at New York, I have received Form 1030 for the year 



1949, which gives the daily departures from normal temperatures 

 there. I have treated these data exactly as I have described above for 

 Washington. The results are given in tables 6 and 7. 



Table 6. — Frequency of minima of Nezv York temperatures zvith respect to the 

 dates of predicted minima of 1949 



Days from predicted dates —3 —2 — i o +1 +2 +3 



Numbers of days of minima 9 4 6 11 13 4 8 



Table 7. — Average temperature departures at New York imth respect to the 

 dates of predicted minima of 1949 



Days from predicted dates —3—2—1 o +1 +2 +3 



Average temperature departures... 4-35 4-49 4-75 4-73 3-53 3-76 4-00 



D. DISCUSSION OF TEMPERATURES 



Neither at Washington nor at New York does the year 1949 show, 

 as a whole, a clear indication of the importance of the solar variation 

 of 6.6485. Were it not for the extensive evidence given in Smithsonian 

 Miscellaneous Collections, vol. iii, No. 13, one would conclude from 

 the year 1949, alone, that this supposed periodic temperature effect is 

 illusory. Certainly one would be inclined to conclude that the period 

 offers little promise of being a useful means for predicting tempera- 

 tures a year in advance, as was attempted with some success in 1948. 



But individual months, even of 1949. give a different impression. 

 In figures 2 and 3 I give for Washington and New York the actual 

 marches of departures from normal Fahrenheit temperatures, from 

 November 25 to December 31, 1949. In both figures the dotted lines 



4 Smithsonian Misc. Coll., vol. iii. No. 13, I949- 



