WINDS 
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Howland is domonated by the Scaxth East Trade Winds with easterly 
winds prevailing most of the year. During the "winter" or October to 
March period the winds are northeaster ly and from April to September, o 
or during the "summer", the winds tend to be more southeasterly. While t 
the northeasterly winds have been credited with the cause of the wet se 
seasoiipn Howland, latter data proves that the rains are more likely to 
be caused by the infrequent occurance of W and HW windsIn fell recor- 
s equal Is 
with westerly winds were K±±Ed . And it would also see 
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seem from the shipwreck data that westerlies are most likely to occur i ^ 
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in the Howland ares dur ing the winter, since 7 of the 9 shipwrecks occur . < 
ed during the per iod from The last part of sep. through January, and t 
the shipwrecks caused hy westwelies on nearby Baker I also occured dux in 
g this period. 
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The oroof in the opposite direction is furnished by the low precita , .> 
tion years 1910 , 1916 , and 1917. During those years no disturbances of th 
the trades by westerlies was recor ded. ■. 
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Unfortunately only few, scattered remarks other than ship* info can 
be found in the literature that point to these abnormal wind direc- 
tions and thus no regular pattern is known. In view of the [great rarity 
of their occurance it was a fortunate stroke of chance that at least «**- 
one meterorologically interested observer has witnessed them over a. peri 
period of many years. In the sailing manual for the Pacific ocean, 1097 
A 
edition, there is the statement of a factor who had lived for th 
