CHAPTER III. 



CLIMATE AND TEMPERATURE OF THE STATE. 



INQUIRY INTO THE LAW OF VARIATION OF TEMPERATURE ARISING FROM DIFFERENCE OF ELEVATION, AND FROM 

 DIFFERENCE OF LATITUDE. DIVISION OF THE STATE INTO SIX CLIMATERIC REGIONS: LONG-ISLAND REGION; 

 REGION OF THE HUDSON VALLEY; REGION OF THE MOHAWK VALLEY; REGION NORTH AND NORTHWEST OF 

 THE MOHAWK VALLEY; REGION SOUTHWEST OF THE MOHAWK VALLEY; WESTERN REGION. TABLES EXHIBITING 

 THE CALCULATED AND OBSERVED TEMPERATURES, THE MEAN AND EXTREME TEMPERATURES, AND THE 

 FORWARDNESS OF THE SEASONS, AT VARIOUS LOCALITIES IN THE SIX REGIONS. 



The following article upon the climate and temperature of the State of New-York has 

 been drawn up at my request by Mr. James H. Coffin, a Tutor in Williams College. I was 

 desirous to present the public with the most accurate results that could be obtained ; and 

 from the ability with which Mr. Coffin has always treated these and other subjects apper- 

 taining to meteorology, I was confident I could not engage more competent assistance. 

 He has given his communication in the form of a letter, and I have deemed advisable to 

 present it unaltered. 



LETTER FROM J. H. COFFIN TO E. EMMONS. 



Williams College, September 4, 1843. 



At your suggestion, I have devoted some thought to the climate of the State of New- 

 York, and send you the results, though I do not expect that you will find much that is 

 new or valuable in the article. The data from which they have been deduced are mostly 

 contained in the valuable and voluminous collection of meteorological observations publish- 

 ed annually in the Report of the Regents of the University of the State. Embracing as 

 they do returns from fifty-eight different localities, in various parts of the State, and scat- 

 tered over every variety of hill and dale, they must indicate pretty fairly the meteorology 

 of the State in reference to the facts observed, though it is to be regretted that the obser- 

 vations do not extend to a greater number of facts. 



2» 



