﻿328 
  0. 
  L. 
  Fafisig 
  — 
  March 
  Weather 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  

  

  extends 
  from 
  the 
  Azores 
  westward 
  to 
  Florida 
  (see 
  Plate 
  Yl) 
  

   was, 
  during 
  March, 
  1898, 
  materially 
  modified 
  in 
  form 
  and 
  

   extent 
  : 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  segments 
  with 
  the 
  

   western 
  segment 
  unusually 
  developed 
  and 
  enlarged. 
  Over 
  the 
  

   entire 
  eastern 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  Canada 
  the 
  

   weather 
  was 
  under 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  a 
  high 
  area 
  of 
  excej^tional 
  

   strength 
  for 
  the 
  season 
  and 
  the 
  place, 
  which 
  brought 
  to 
  these 
  

   regions 
  either 
  light 
  variable 
  winds 
  or 
  southerly 
  winds. 
  During 
  

   the 
  entire 
  month 
  ocean 
  conditions 
  prevailed, 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  tem- 
  

   peratures 
  were 
  equable 
  in 
  the 
  main, 
  and 
  the 
  regions 
  were 
  

   mostly 
  free 
  from 
  the 
  usual 
  incursions 
  of 
  the 
  cold 
  continental 
  

   weather 
  conditions 
  from 
  the 
  northwest. 
  The 
  low 
  temperatures 
  

   of 
  the 
  North 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  find 
  a 
  similar 
  explanation 
  in 
  the 
  

   position 
  and 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  area 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  Pacific. 
  

   The 
  normal 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Ocean 
  high 
  area 
  brings 
  to 
  

   the 
  North 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  a 
  mild, 
  southwesterly 
  wind. 
  During 
  

   March, 
  1898, 
  this 
  high 
  area 
  was 
  found 
  farther 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  

   and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  having 
  greater 
  energy 
  than 
  usual, 
  thus 
  

   bringing 
  a 
  colder 
  northwesterly 
  wind 
  to 
  these 
  regions. 
  

  

  A 
  glance 
  at 
  the 
  chart 
  will 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  high 
  area 
  over 
  

   British 
  North 
  America 
  was 
  about 
  normally 
  developed 
  and 
  ex- 
  

   erted 
  no 
  abnormal 
  influence 
  upon 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  

   neighboring 
  regions. 
  

  

  An 
  abnormal 
  distribution 
  of 
  pressure 
  is 
  also 
  shown 
  over 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  North 
  Atlantic 
  and 
  over 
  Central 
  Europe. 
  Let 
  us 
  

   examine 
  the 
  records 
  to 
  see 
  whether 
  this 
  departure 
  in 
  pressure 
  

   distribution 
  was 
  accompanied 
  by 
  abnormal 
  weather 
  conditions 
  

   in 
  accordance 
  with 
  this 
  distribution 
  of 
  pressure. 
  Again 
  ex- 
  

   amining 
  Plate 
  YI 
  and 
  bearing 
  in 
  mind 
  the 
  law 
  of 
  winds, 
  

   we 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  prevailing 
  winds 
  over 
  central 
  and 
  eastern 
  

   Europe 
  are 
  from 
  the 
  southwest, 
  bringing 
  with 
  them 
  mild 
  ocean 
  

   temperatures 
  and 
  frequent 
  rains. 
  

  

  During 
  March, 
  1898 
  (see 
  Plate 
  YII) 
  a 
  segment 
  of 
  the 
  

   Atlantic 
  high 
  area 
  was 
  found 
  considerably 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  

   its 
  usual 
  position, 
  while 
  a 
  trough 
  of 
  low 
  pressure 
  existed 
  

   over 
  Central 
  Europe. 
  This 
  distribution 
  of 
  pressure 
  gives 
  to 
  

   the 
  coast 
  regions 
  and 
  to 
  England 
  northerly 
  winds 
  with 
  low 
  

   temperatures 
  and 
  precipitation 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  snow. 
  To 
  

   Central 
  Europe 
  it 
  brings 
  southeasterly 
  winds 
  with 
  rains, 
  the 
  

   direction 
  of 
  the 
  wind 
  being 
  largely 
  controlled 
  by 
  the 
  exces- 
  

   sively 
  developed 
  Siberian 
  high 
  area. 
  Quoting 
  from 
  the 
  

   Weekly 
  Weather 
  Peview 
  of 
  the 
  London 
  Meteorological 
  Office, 
  

   we 
  find 
  that 
  "with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  mild 
  days 
  about 
  the 
  

   middle 
  of 
  the 
  month 
  the 
  weather 
  of 
  March 
  was 
  generally 
  cold 
  

  

  and 
  changeable 
  with 
  frequent 
  showers 
  of 
  snow 
  or 
  sleet 
  

  

  Until 
  the 
  concluding 
  week 
  very 
  few 
  depressions 
  of 
  importance 
  

   were 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  our 
  islands, 
  

  

  