E. Loomis — Contributions to Meteorology. 5 



The table on page 2 shows one case in which there were seven 

 rain-areas exceeding a half inch in amount ; it shows six cases 

 in which there were as many as six such areas ; fifteen cases in 

 which there were as many as five such areas ; twenty-seven 

 cases of four such areas ; forty-eight cases of three such areas ; 

 and only nine cases in which there was not more than one 

 rain area in wind/ the rain -fall exceeded a half inch. Indeed 

 if the stations of observation were sufficiently numerous, it is 

 quite possible they would show that in every one of these 

 storms there was more than one rain-area amounting to a half 

 inch. This multitude of rain-centers appears to be intimately 

 connected with the complex character of most storms. 



If we compare the principal rain-centers of these storms 

 (represented on Plate I by small circles) we shall find that 

 their average distance from the center of low pressure is very 

 nearly 400 miles. In my seventh paper this distance was 

 stated to be 300 miles: but this number represents the dis- 

 tance of the rain-center from the center of low pressure at the 

 date of observation ; whereas in the present paper, the distance 

 is measured from the position of the low center at the middle 

 of the period during which the given rain was falling; so that 

 these two results accord pretty well with each other. 



An inspection of Plate I shows that there is a marked pre- 

 dominance of rain-centers on the east side of the low center, 

 and that they occur most frequently in the northeast quadrant. 

 In the following table, column second shows, for each of the 

 four quadrants, the total number of rain-areas in which the 

 rain-fall amounted to at least a half inch: and column third 

 shows the number of cases in which the principal rain-center 

 was found in each of the quadrants. 



Plate I shows only those rain-areas which were situated 

 within a distance of 1000 miles from the principal low center. 

 In several of the cases examined, the greatest rain-fall occurred 

 in the extreme southern portion of the United States, when 

 the low center was in the extreme northern portion. This is 

 the reason why the sum of the numbers in column third is less 

 than the number of cases included in the table on page 2. 



Those cases in which the greatest rain-fall occurred in the 

 western quadrants require special examination, and for con- 

 venience of reference they are designated on Plate I by the 

 same numbers as in the table on page 2 ; also all the cases in 



