WEST INDIAN HURRICANES, AND OTHER NORTH ATLANTIC STORMS. 
From the Pilot Chart of the North Atlantic Ocean, August, 1889, with Additional Paragraphs. 
JUNE and OCTOBER, 
lat. 23° to 55° 
JULY and SEPT., 
lat. 29° to 55°. 
AUGUST, 
lat. 33° to 55°. 
STORM TRACK, 
N NE. to ENE. 
JUNE and OCTOBER, 
ON 
ca) aoa lat. 20° to 28°. 
hy SESE 
iy tf he JULY and SEPT., 
BETS QoQ SE lat, BT to 29° 
fk Ne AvGuUST, 
ys 
5 ee 
fat. 80° to 33. 
—£ §TORM TRACK, 
NNW. to NNE. 
Motion of storm 
S$ center.along track, 
5 to 10 miles per hour. 
JUNE and OCTOBER, 
lat. 10° to 20°. 
JuLY and SEPT., 
lat. 10° to 27°. 
AUGUST, 
lat. 10° to 30°. 
= STORM TRACK, 
Ms es W. by N. 
Ss to N NW. 
Motion of storm 
center along 
track, about 17 
miles per hour. 
Explanation.—These diagrams are for practical use in West Indian hurricanes 
q 
atlantic route. 
| nrack, that is, the 
is SSW Motion of storm 
d center along track, 
ae wy 20 to 30 miles per | 
Ws hour. ie 
= = — — —— 
The upper one will als ver for ordinary stor 
he upp! e lalso answer for ordinary storms along the trans- 
The small arrows fly with the wind, the direction being stated at tl 5 anes rates mo 
probable path of the cyclone through the belt of Teale to SOReM i discuum applies. one artowscndench) dieeramVis) the\ sro 
Use of the Diagrams.—When a falling barometer, freshening rain squalls, &c., indie: 
a hurricane, select the proper diagram (according to the MONTH ang] WARIO) lot ; ane Bee 
upon it by means of the direction of the wind, and thus ascertain the appresiats feat vot Ane 
storm center. The probable storm track is indicated by the long arrow. If the wind shift, slot 
your position by means of the new wind-direction (nearer the center if the wind has fresh E “A 
and the barometer has fallen). In this way you can readily observe every change f eecras 
relative to the storm center, and decide what action to take, according to the Giewwian cae 
vessel, the lay of the land, &c. These storms vary greatly in size, but are smallest rail m a i x ay 
in the tropics, where the cloud ring averages about 500 miles in diameter and the Ponto Gt stot m 
winds 3800 miles, or even less, You can therefore only roughly estimate the DIST ANCE of th rate 
ter, although its BEARING can be obtained from the diagrams with a high degree of prob: ‘bility. 
There is also considerable variation in the direction of motion and the velocity of the es E i AG Me 
its track, but the general tendency is as stated herewith. pias) 
_ Cyclonic Cireulation.—One of the most important indications that an approaching stor 
is of hurricane violence is the marked cyclonic circulation of the wind. lower and upper. proudest 
etc. This may be easily appreciated by remembering that a cyclone of any great intensity is an 
ascending spiral whirl, with a rotary motion (in the Northern Hemisphere) against the hands ‘of 
a watch, as shown on the diagrams The surface wind, therefore, blows spirally inward toa 
circularly, except very near the center); the next upper current (carrying the low scud and rain 
clouds), in almost an exact circle about the center; the next higher current (the high cumulus), in 
an outward spiral—and so on, up to the highest cirrus clouds, which radiate directly outward 
The angle of divergence between the successive currents is almost exactly two points of the com- 
pass. Ordinarily, with a surface wind from N., for instance, the low clouds come from N., also: 
on the edge of a hurricane, however, they come from N NE., énvariably. In rear of a hurricane, 
the wind blows more nearly inward; with a SE. wind, for instance, the center will bear about 
W., the low clouds coming from S SE. (two points to the right of the wind), etc. Great activity 
of movement of the upper clouds, while the storm is still distant, indicates that the hurricane is of 
great violence. If the cirrus plumes that radiate from the distant storm are faint and opalescent 
in tint, fading gradually behind a slowly thickening haze or veil, the approaching storm is an old 
one, of large area; if of snowy whiteness, projected against a clear blue sky, it is a young 
cyclone of small area but great intensity. z x 
Intensified Trade-wind Belt.—Another very important fact (established by Meldrum, at 
Mauritius) may be stated thus: When a hurricane is moving along the equatorial limits of a 
trade-wind region, there isa belt of intensified trades to windward of its track: not until the 
barometer has fallen about six-tenths of an inch it is safe to assume that, because the trade- 
wind increases in force and remains steady in direction, you are on the track of the storm, By 
attempting too early to cross its track, running free as soon as the wind begins to freshen, you 
are liable to plunge directly into the vortex of the hurricane. ; 
General Information.—Hurricanes are especially liable to be encountered from July to Octo- 
ber, inclusive, in the tropics (north of the 10th parallel), the Gulf of Mexico, and Gulf Stream 
Earliest indications: Barometer above the normal, with cool, very clear, pleasant 
an swell from the direction of the distant storm; light, feathery cirrus 
clouds, radiating from a point on the horizon where a whitish are indicates the bearing of the 
center. Unmistakable signs: Falling barometer; halos about the sun and moon; increasing 
ocean swell; hot, moist weather, with light variable winds; deep red and violet tints at dawn 
and sunset; a heavy, mountainous cloud bank on the distant horizon; barometer falling more 
rapidly, with passing rain. squalls. 
Brief Rules for Action.—If the squalls freshen without any shift of wind, you are on the 
storm track: run off with the wind on the starboard quarter and keep your compass course 
(see caution in paragraph entitled ‘‘ Intensified Trade-wind Belt”). If the wind shift to the right, 
you are to the right of thestorm track: put the ship on the starboard tack and make as much 
headway as possible, until obliged to lie-to. If the wind shift to the left, you are to the left of the 
storm track: bring the wind on the starboard quarter and keep your compass Course; if obliged 
tack. In scudding, always keep the wind well on the starboard quarter, 
0 lie-to, doso on the port l ‘ 
in order to run out of the storm. Always lie-to on the coming-up tack. Use oil to prevent heavy 
seas from breaking on board. 
region. 
weather; a long, low, oce 
SS 
