﻿0. 
  L. 
  Fassig 
  — 
  March 
  Weather 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  329 
  

  

  the 
  centers 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  Atlantic 
  disturbances 
  keeping 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  

   well 
  away 
  to 
  the 
  northward. 
  Winds 
  varied 
  considerably 
  but 
  

   w^ere 
  mainly 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  in 
  Scotland 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  or 
  

   northeast 
  in 
  England 
  and 
  Ireland." 
  

  

  Crossing 
  the 
  channel 
  into 
  France, 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  the 
  weather 
  

   was 
  generally 
  cold, 
  being 
  8° 
  bslow 
  the 
  normal 
  at 
  Paris. 
  The 
  

   dominant 
  winds 
  w^ere 
  from 
  the 
  northeast 
  with 
  prolonged 
  rains. 
  

   Snow^s 
  were 
  more 
  frev^uent 
  than 
  rains 
  in 
  the 
  northwest 
  and 
  the 
  

   north 
  of 
  Europe, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  monthly 
  bulletin 
  of 
  the 
  

   French 
  Meteorological 
  Biirean. 
  From 
  "Das 
  Wetter" 
  for 
  

   March, 
  1898, 
  we 
  learn 
  that 
  the 
  weather 
  of 
  central 
  Europe 
  was 
  

   of 
  a 
  kind 
  generally 
  associated 
  with 
  low 
  areas; 
  cloudiness 
  was 
  

   far 
  above 
  the 
  average, 
  the 
  rainfall 
  was 
  generally 
  above 
  the 
  

   normal. 
  Temperatures 
  varied, 
  being 
  above 
  in 
  some 
  sections 
  

   and 
  below 
  in 
  others, 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  not 
  deviating 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  

   normal. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  method 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  just 
  described, 
  pressure 
  condi- 
  

   tions 
  were 
  charted 
  for 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  March 
  for 
  all 
  years 
  from 
  

   18 
  r7 
  to 
  1899; 
  where 
  observations 
  w^ere 
  available, 
  isobars 
  were 
  

   drawn 
  for 
  the 
  entire 
  northern 
  hemisphere, 
  but 
  the 
  investiga- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  weather 
  conditions 
  was 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  

   with 
  special 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  Middle 
  Atlantic 
  States. 
  Having 
  

   drawn 
  the 
  isobars, 
  the 
  departures 
  from 
  normal 
  temperature 
  and 
  

   rainfall 
  were 
  entered 
  upon 
  the 
  same 
  chart. 
  The 
  months 
  were 
  

   then 
  classified 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  departures 
  from 
  the 
  normal 
  

   temperature, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  learn 
  what 
  relations 
  existed 
  between 
  

   the 
  distribution 
  of 
  pressure 
  and 
  the 
  temperature 
  departures. 
  

  

  The 
  mean 
  temperature 
  of 
  March 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  decidedly 
  

   above 
  the 
  normal 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  1878, 
  1882, 
  1891, 
  and 
  1898 
  

   in 
  the 
  Middle 
  Atlantic 
  States. 
  

  

  Wann 
  Marches: 
  March^ 
  1878. 
  — 
  The 
  temperature 
  was 
  ex- 
  

   cessively 
  high 
  in 
  all 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  Canada, 
  

   with 
  a 
  maximum 
  departure 
  of 
  -^20° 
  over 
  Manitoba; 
  from 
  this 
  

   center 
  the 
  departures 
  gradually 
  diminished 
  to 
  4° 
  or 
  5° 
  on 
  the 
  

   • 
  Atlantic 
  and 
  Gulf 
  coasts 
  -and 
  to 
  3° 
  or 
  4° 
  on 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast. 
  

   The 
  striking 
  feature 
  about 
  the 
  pressure 
  distribution 
  was 
  the 
  

   total 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  area 
  usually 
  over 
  British 
  North 
  

   America, 
  at 
  least 
  up 
  to 
  60° 
  north 
  latitude. 
  In 
  the 
  central 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  where 
  the 
  pressure 
  usually 
  aver- 
  

   ages 
  about 
  30-0 
  inches, 
  it 
  was 
  below 
  29*9 
  inches, 
  causing 
  a 
  

   well-developed 
  barometric 
  depression. 
  This 
  distribution 
  of 
  

   pressure 
  caused 
  prevailing 
  winds 
  to 
  blow 
  into 
  the 
  central 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  from 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  Ocean, 
  the 
  Gulf, 
  and 
  

   from 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Ocean. 
  The 
  Atlantic 
  high 
  area, 
  while 
  only 
  

   normally 
  developed 
  in 
  its 
  western 
  extension, 
  practically 
  con- 
  

   trolled 
  the 
  wind 
  directions 
  and 
  temperatures 
  over 
  a 
  great 
  ex- 
  

   tent 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  high. 
  The 
  precipi- 
  

  

  