WHY IS THE WINTER SO MILD ? 
485 
have noticed how unusually low the water was in that part of the 
Kennebecoasis river ail through the summer, and through the fall 
as well. Old residents on its shores have told me that 'they do 
not recollect having witnessed a similar occurrence of continuous 
low water in the river. This conditions of things indicated a 
scarcity of rain throughout northern Maine and New Brunswick 
during the period in question. But if there was a 'lack of rain 
there was more sunshine and in the autumn less evaporation, be- 
cause the ground was dry. Consequently during the whole period 
the earth in this region was storing up an unusual amount of 
heat, to remain there until (the winter set in. 
During the winter this region has been giving off ‘the latent 
heat thus stored up, and tempering the winter winds. lit is in 
fact a heat barrier which may be compared to a heating register 
in front of a window which stops the cold draft from the 'window. 
In the same way this warm region arrests the north winds and 
throws them upward, or modifies their biting severity. More than 
that, as the extra amount of latent heat here, produces upward 
currents in the air over this region, there is more than the usual 
tendency to indrafts from the south, and southerly winds should 
be more prevalent than under ordinary conditions. Not only so 
but the west and east winds would be influenced as well. 
Many of you are no doubt aware that a “northeaster” is a 
combination due to an under current from the north and an over- 
head drift of air from the east, or off the ocean ; 'the former wind 
dry and cold, the latter laden with moisture ; 'that origin of the 
northeast rains is not unfrequently well shown by clouds arising 
in the southeast and rain actually beginning from that quarter, 
before the “northeaster” sets in. 
The point I wish to make in this connection is that the ten- 
dency of the air in the super-heated region of Maine and New 
Brunswick to rise more strongly and more frequently than usual, 
would, tend to convert the northeast winds into east and southeast 
winds and so bring rain in place of snow. A similar result 
might be looked for at the opposite point of the compass, for there 
would be a tendency for south and southwest winds to take the 
place of southwest and west winds, again bringing warmer air 
from those directions. 
