Utah Power & Light Company at Salt Lake City, Utah. In the Monthly Weather Review for May, 1921, Mr. Stoner set forth his special utilization of three selected precipitation records for predicting the floodtime discharge of Bear River, on which his company maintains several large power plants. The precipitation at these "indicator" stations was successfully correlated with stream flow records, in percentages of normal; and the work has been continued to date with gradually increasing efficiency and satisfaction, according to Mr. Stoner. His company has established under his supervision ten or twelve weather stations at various power plants, but the original trio of Weather Bureau co-operative stations, (Laketown, Utah, and Evanston and Border, Wyoming), remain practically the sole basis for his springtime estimates of summer stream flow. So important did this work become, right from its inception, that Mr. Stoner early sought permission to pay the observers a small fee, to encourage regularity and faithfulness. It was suggested to Mr. Stoner that any honorarium tendered probably ought to be only for the transmittal by the observers to his office of carbon copies of their monthly report, and not directly for the making of the observations, and this was done. In commenting on the matter recently Mr. Stoner said: "The especial value of these three records lies in their unbroken continuity for over twenty-five years; and each succeeding year these records become of increased value. Their worth in the present instance can be approximated as equivalent to the expense involved in making an annual snow survey of the entire upper Bear River drainage, or a very large sum. Such a survey would be required were these records not available." Each one of the observers at these stations (Mr. Joseph C. Robinson, Frank Tucker, and S. W. Condron respectively), exhibits in a marked degree, the qualifications which Mr. Stoner declares are necessary for the proper performance of such duties, especially where so great an enterprise depends on them. These qualifications are faithfulness, accuracy and honesty, to which he added with emphasis, endurance, to the end that a uniform record of great length may be obtained for more accurately establishing a mean from which to compute departures. "The observer that makes a temperature, precipitation and general weather observation and record faithfully and accurately every day in the year, year after year, is a super-citizen," declared Mr. Stoner. "Such a man will conduct his own business much more orderly and efficiently than the average man, and his judgment and decisions will be more trustworthy and sound. He is not accustomed to guessing at anything, nor to overlooking the minutest details of any matter under consideration. He is schooled and trained under a rigid discipline and routine of habit and responsibility, that enables him to accomplish much more and much better work in a given time than the average man. These particular observers, whom I have known personally for some years, have my greatest respect and esteem for this public service; and I hope the time is very far distant when any one of them must retire." NOTES Excessive Rains and Floods in Illinois, September, 1926 Mr. Clarence J. Root, in charge of the Springfield, Ill., station of the Weather Bureau, gives (in Climatological Data, Illinois Section, Sept., 1926) a summary of the unprecedented conditions which obtained in the state as a result of the rains during September. Only six days in the month were generally rainless over the state. On 11 days rainfalls exceeding 2 inches occured somewhere in the state, and on 6 of these there were rainfalls exceeding 4 inches. Eight inches was the heaviest in 24 hours, and 16.83 inches the greatest monthly total. Central Illinois was worst hit, the mean rainfall for that third of the state being 12 inches in September, 1926. The seriousness of the situation may be surmised from the following: One building damaged to the extent of $25,000. On the day following the greatest storm at Springfield, but a single road into the surrounding country remained open to traffic. Damage at another city, $500,000. Floods covered nearly 14,000 acres in one district. A subway for electric trains, Springfield, out of commission for three days. No service on one steam railroad division for four days on account of major track washouts, bridges swept away, etc. We can quote from Mr. Root's account only the few lines following: September of 1926 was the rainiest of any month of any year in the climatological history of Illinois. Excessive rains and the resulting floods covered large areas. It is impracticable to describe these conditions in complete detail, but in general thousands of telephones were put out of commission, streets and basements were flooded in many cities and towns, pumping stations were threatened, highways were under water and even washed out, some bridges were wrecked, and several of the railroads suffered washouts, necessitating detours. There was much traffic demoralization. Agricultural interests were seriously affected. Corn in the bottoms was destroyed and in other low places it was lost or damaged as a result of standing in water. Grain shocks were carried away. Some farm animals were drowned. There was serious damage to the soil from washing and leaching. . Perhaps the most important rains of the month were those of the 8th. The larges largest rainfall covered a belt across the center of the state, with 24-hour amounts as follows: Lincoln, 3.39; Rushville, 3.51; Springfield, 5.51 in 15 hours; Tuscola, 5.07 in 15 hours; Griggsville, 6.06 in 13 hours and 15 minutes; Alexander, 7.02; Charleston, 8.00. At Springfield 3.01 inches fell in two hours, a record for the station, and the amount from the 3rd to the 8th, inclusive, 10.83 inches, was never before equalled in six days, and only two entire months had more. Weather Bureau Service Along Airways In carrying out the provisions of the air commerce act of 1926 the Weather Bureau has, since July, inaugurated special service at 17 places selected by the Department of Commerce, the Post Office Department, and the Weather Bureau as those best located to furnish information on See p. 36 for correction of p. 13. P. 59, last line, correct to read: "11.50 inches of rain fell there (Campo, Calif.) in 80 minutes." INDEX Absorption, in relation to cooling by convection 65-66 Aerology .... 10-11, 35, 36, 44-45, 56, 60, 66-68, 99, 123-125, 139-140 Aeronautics 11-12, 33-35, 98, 125, 145, 167-168 Agricultural meteorology ...... 14-16, 69-70, 70-71, 85-87, 126-127, 147 Airplanes for meteorological observations 35, 125 Air temperature (See Temperature, air) Alabama Altimeters, compensation for temperature of air column 98 American Association for the Advancement of Science, Proc. .... 116 Officers, 1926 Research funds Research grant Resolutions Secretary's report Treasurer's report Amundsen-Ellsworth Polar Expedition Antarctica excessive winds Appalachian Mts., rainfall distribution in Applied meteorology (See under several kinds of applications) Architecture, tornado-resisting buildings 9 6 100 9,99 3-4 4-7 61 17-18, 161, 162 163 72 13, 83-84 Arctic 36, 60, 61, 66-68, 98-99 Atmosphere, the earth's ancient 165 52, 157-159 Climatic data (See under geographical divisions) Climatic factor, discussed in Lyde's, Continent of Europe 52 Climatological Data, Summaries of the, for the United States by Columbia River, absence of high water in 141 Columbia University, instruction in meteorology and climatology at 49 Commercial Meteorology (See also Business) 62, 92-96 Convection, lowering of air temperature by 65-66 Co-operative Observers' Department 62, 132-135, 145, 165-166 Corn, yield after drought 14-16 Cotton, yield in relation to climate 24-25 Cricket as thermometer 142 |