to actual observations by Hague in I860, the two trade winds 
f -f m: 
/ 
must have no dividing line here and merge completely 
each other 
Howland would thus belong year round to the low precipitation 
rticularly lacking mountains or other loca^ conditions 
zone, t> 
/ 
/ 
that might cause rain. In fact, the very flatness/is credited 
f j 
by s^rne with the actual ability to discourage rum. 
to Hague's 1860 observations, " A shower of rff'in approaching 
/ / 
thjk ir land divided into two parts and passe# by to the nort 
and south, the cloud being split by the he/ted column of air that 
/ . 
.irises from the white coral sand.” Hllis(1937), Bryan(l942) 
/ 
Ramsay(1924) also mention this phoenomenon. This would tend to 
/ J 
explain the fact stated by Bryan and Hague that it usually rains 
/ / / 
at night on Howland if at all. Pacific Project observations have 
also noted this fact. 
W. Koppen in Knoch (1927)Approaches the matter of rain¬ 
fall from the oceanographic facts. He says, "As an explanation 
/ / 
.V 
we can. deduce here only the strip of cold water which runs from 
t 
# 
the Galapagos along the Equator almost, but .hot quite to these 
islapds. The great variability in amounts /on rainfall may- be 
conditioned by the shifting of cold-water and warm-water surfaces 
Knoch (1927) and Miens (1962) state that while the strikingly 
i 
ldw annual average precipitation is surely connected with the 
temperature of the sea water, they do not consider the explana 
I 
-tion satisfactory 
/ 
f 
for the variations in precipitation, and 
L 
relate this to wind direction and constancy instead. 
Howland is dominated by the Southeast 
winds with 
n 
easterly winds prevailing most of the year. During the 
!! 
winter’ 1 
