METEOROLOGICAL SUMMARY FOR THE VEAR 1880. 631 
The simple reason of this was that, as heretofore stated in these papers, the 
wind is always toward the center of the area of low barometer. As all of these 
lows, excepting that of the 16th to the 18th, traveled on a low line of latitude, 
the wind was generally from the north—that is, from the north at first and then 
from the west and northwest. This continuing for so many days created an 
intense cold throughout the greater portion of the United States and Canada, the 
northeast corner being the only warm section of the country for the time being. 
As to the hitting of dates when a storm will pass over the country, when it 
is known that an area of low barometer generally passes over the United States 
from every three to four days, it is not at all surprising that one may venture a 
guess and get within a day or two of when a storm will pass over some portion of 
our vast territory. ‘Then this is the season of snow storms for the Northern 
Hemisphere. Because we have had these snow storms, thoughtless people in the 
neighborhood where these storms have occurred give all the credit to Mr. 
Vennor. Suppose these same people lived in Maine, New York State, or any- 
where in the West, north of the Ohio Valley, where they might have expected 
snow and had none to speak of, what would they think of prophecies which were 
not fulfilled any better for their vast districts? Nothing can be more absurd than 
these attempts at forecasting the weather. ‘There is nothing certain, scientific, 
or reliable about it. 
If Mr. Vennor will go back to the ‘‘ first principles’”’ and tell us where the 
storm center will be months in advance, then we will think that he has some 
superior knowledge; but until he can do this he had better not venture any 
more guesses in regard to the effects which follow these first principles. 
WasHINGTON, D. C., Dec. 31, 1880. 
METEOROLOGICAL SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR 1880. 
FROM OBSERVATIONS TAKEN AT LAWRENCE, KANSAS, BY PROF. F. H. SNOW, OF 
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS. 
The year 1880 surpassed all previous years of our record in the warmth 
of its January, the coldness of its November, its maximum monthly and hourly 
velocity of wind, and the earliness of its spring and winter. Maples were in 
blossom February 11th, and genuine winter weather began November 11th, con- 
tinuing without interruption to the end of the year. 
The temperature, wind velocity and relative humidity were adove, while the 
the fall of rain and snow and the cloudiness were delow the annual averages. 
The most remarkable meteorological event of the year was the wind storm of 
March 27th, which filled the air to a great height with an almost impalpable dust, 
and obscured the sun during the entire day after 10 a. M. 
Mean temperature of the year, 54.01 deg., which is 0.72 deg. above the 
mean of the twelve preceding years. The highest temperature was ror deg., 
on August 18th; the lowest was 12 deg. below zero, on the 29th of December, 
