The Philosophy of the Weather. And a Guide to Its ChangesButler, T. B. (Thomas Belden)
Science
The Philosophy of the Weather. And a Guide to Its Changes
Butler, T. B. (Thomas Belden)
Weather; Weather forecasting
As this also will be new, and is of great practical interest, I shall be
pardoned for referring to other evidence. Bermuda is in latitude 32 deg.
north. In the summer season they are within the range of the Calms of
Cancer, as Lieutenant Maury terms them, and not subject to storms. From
November to May, inclusive, they have successions of revolving wind.
Colonel Reid gave them much attention, and studied them barometrically:
that is, he studied the changes of the wind during the successive periodic
depressions. He found them revolving like ours, and hence inferred the
truth of the gyratory theory in relation to all winds. But it is perfectly
evident the same polar belts which pass over us reach them during the
southern transit. The precedent southerly wind, the _central
condensation_, the appearance of lightning, and the rotation of the wind
by both the east and west, but most frequently by west, are the same. In
his chapter on observations at the Bermudas, he gives us many examples.
Probably the existence of the Gulf Stream to the west and north has a
modifying influence upon them, and their action becomes less intense in
that latitude, but they are very similar. I copy a record of the weather,
for a month, which may be found on pages 252, 253, and 254, and a portion
of his remarks:
"The month of December, 1839, presents a continual succession of
revolving winds passing over the Bermudas, with scarcely an
irregularity, as regards the fall and rise of the barometer
accompanying the veering of the wind. One, however, occurred on the
10th and 11th. The S. W. wind abated, and changed to W. N. W., with
the barometer still falling. But in the column of remarks it is noted
that there was lightning seen in the N. and N. W., from 7 P.M.,
during the night. This irregularity may, therefore, have been
occasioned by a gale passing over the banks of Newfoundland,
influencing the direction of the wind at Bermuda.
"REVOLVING WINDS.
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