Vol. V, pp. 45-58, PL. 20 April 29, 1893 



THE 



NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



RAINFALL TYPES OF THE UNITED STATES 



Annual Report by Vice-President 



GENERAL A. AV. GREELY 



{Presented before the Society January 6, 1S9S) 



In carrying out the announced policy of the National Geo- 

 graphic Society with regard to annual contributions from its 

 vice-presidents in their respective domains of geographic science, 

 it has seemed advisable for the vice-president of the " Geography 

 of the Air " to place before the Society this year a special paper. 



The subject selected is the typical distribution of rainfall in 

 the United States and contiguous territory, and an attempt has 

 been made to treat the subject in such a manner that it may be a 

 permanent contribution to the physical geography of the United 

 States. It goes without saying that a paper covering twenty 

 minutes' reading cannot go much into detail, but it is hoped that 

 the treatment, while general, is yet such as to give definite and 

 clear ideas on the subject treated. 



This paper does not consider the distribution of rain from the 

 standpoint of the mean annual precipitation, does not dwell on 

 the variability or unequal amounts in consecutive years, omits 

 to discuss the distribution from the standpoint of varying eleva- 

 tions, and is silent on the question of distribution with reference 

 to frequency or absence of excessive rains of periodic or acci- 



7— Nat. Gf.og. Mag., vol. V, 1893. (45) 



