HUREICANE^. 



223 



a S.W. into a N.W., a long bank of nivibus (rain-cloud) may often be seen 

 stretching away from S.W. to N.E., or with the wind just left, and at right 

 angles to the wind entered, before which it is being rapidly driven ; showing 

 distinctly that the two winds are in contact, and blowing at right angles 

 to each other. This could not be the case if the wind blew in circles — if 

 it was one continuous current of air blowing round a centre. 



(161.) Season. — West Indian Hurricanes, as Tropical Cyclones in the 

 North Atlantic Ocean are generally called, are especially liable to be en- 

 countered from July to October inclusive, though June may also be num- 

 bered among the Hurricane months. October, although the last month 

 of the Hurricane season, is one of the most dangerous. August is specially 

 liable to these dreaded Storms, the maximum being reached between the 

 middle of August and the middle of October. They are comparatively 

 rare diu*ing the other months, though not entirely unknown. The follow- 

 ing is a list of 355, which occurred in the West Indies during a period of 

 363 years, arranged according to the months, taken from a chronological 

 Table drawn up by M. Andre roey, of Havana, for the years from 1493 

 to 1855. 



Nov. 

 17 



Deo. 



7 



Total. 

 355 



June, too soon; July, stand by; 



August, look out you must ; 



September, remember ; October, all over. 



This rhyme is true so far as the specially dangerous months are con- 

 cerned. The experience, however, of over 300 years records, shows that 

 June is not too soon, and that in October they are not all over. 



(162.) Regions. — West Indian Hurricanes originate in the Tropics, 

 usually to the Westward of long. 40° W., and rarely to the Southward of 

 lat. 10° N.* As a general rule, their origin seems to be about the Northern 

 edge of the belt of Equatorial rains and calms, to the Eastward of the 

 Windward Islands. Starting as whirlwinds on a gigantic scale, they at 

 first move bodily Westward, sometimes crossing the Gulf of Mexico and 

 reaching the coast of the United States with destructive violence; but 

 more often curving to the Northward and North-Eastward, following up 

 the Gulf Stream towards Newfoundland, and then inchning away to the 

 Eastward around the area of high pressure over mid-Atlantic. 



Thus they may be encountered anywhere within the Tropical limits 

 given above ; also over the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico ; over a 

 broad belt curving North-Westward from about St. Thomas, including the 

 whole area from Bermuda to the United States coast and British America. 

 Farther to the North-Eastward these Storms gradually lose their distinctive 

 character, though their tracks can at times easily be traced across the 

 Atlantic towards Northern Europe 



Cyclones are rarely, if ever, formed to the South of the mid North 

 \tlantic Anti-Cyclone, mentioned in (25), though they sometimes originate 



• See Captain Henry Toy u bee's remarks, given anle, on page 138. 



