SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION. 



149 



quarter, with markedl}^ cooler weather and frequently 

 snow on the higher summits in winter. 



A thii'd t3'pe of weather may be mentioned, viz, a type 

 produced by storms which move from the Gulf of Mexico 

 or the West Indies northeastward along- the Atlantic 

 coast. In this t3^pe strong northeast to north winds pre- 

 vail. The rainfall, especially in the warm season, is often 

 torrential, and in spring and autumn may continue for 

 several days in succession. In winter such storms are at- 

 tended by heavy snow and followed by very cold weather. 



In 1873 a party of Signal Sei'vice observers spent the (jiuong'^^t ^f^^ 

 months of May, June, July, and August on the summit of 

 Mount Mitchell, North Carolina, carefully observing the 

 temperature, rainfall, barometric pressure, and other fea- 

 tures of the weather. 



The highest temperature observed on the summit of the 

 mountain during the four months was 72*^ in July; the 

 lowest, 41° in June. The monthly mean temperatures for 

 the four months were as follows: Maj^, 49.-3°; June, 54.1°; 

 July, 56.4°, and August, 55.3°. The rainfall was very 

 heavy, 36.8 inches being recorded while the observers were 

 on the summit. Rain fell on 21 days in May, 22 in June, 

 15 in July, and 21 in August. There was a great abundance 

 of foggy and cloudy weather, the fog and clouds being 

 frequently below the summit. The prevailing winds were 

 from a westerly quarter. 



A summary of meteorological observations in the south- 

 ern Appalachian region appears in the tables which accom- 

 pan}^ this paper. The highest point at which observations 

 have been made is at Highlands, N. C, elevation 3,817 feet. 

 The mean temperature of summer at that station is 65.7°, 

 of winter, 35.4°. The extremes reached during a period of 

 eight j^ears, 1893-1900, were 19° below zero in February, 

 1899, and 86° above zero in June, 1895. The temperature 

 has not reached 90° at that station or at Linville, N. C, the 

 next highest station, altitude 3,800 feet, during the period 

 of observations. 



The precipitation on the southern slopes of the Blue Ramfaii. 

 Ridge and connecting spurs is the heaviest in the United 

 States with the exception of the north Pacific coast. It 

 ranges from about 60 inches in northern Georgia to 70 

 inches in western North Carolina, whence it diminishes 

 northward, falling as low as 40 inches in the southwestern 

 part of Virginia and to almost that figure locally in sev- 

 eral portions of the intermediate region. The rainfall of 



