Salt Lake Telegram | 1936-10-17 | Page 2 | Weather Expert Explains Gale; 'Once in Life-Time Visitor'

Weather Expert Explains 1 Gale On Once Oce in Time Life e Visitor Assurance the the gale wh which c did some dam damage ge in in this area Thursday and Friday was a once ir in a lifetime wind was given Saturday by J. J Cecil Alter government meteorologist as he studied weather m maps ps disclosing the cause of the blow Barometric conditions at the time were perfect for or creation of a high velocity wind but It Is unlike unlike- ely e- e ly y such an exact sit situation will occur again oftener than once in 25 to 40 years Mr Alter said The wind reached a maximum ve- ve of 44 H miles per hour at p. p i. i in m. m Thursday and nearly 12 ho hours rs later ater was blowing 39 miles per hour hourat at 40 a. a m m. Friday Nears Record This was a a. record velocity wind in n the city for any October and only nine miles per hour slower than the all time all time record wind of 53 miles per hour recorded April 17 11 1920 In explaining cause of the gale Mr VIr Alter Altel pointed out that Inequalities ties ies in the amount of air are constantly constantly con con- being created by radiation temperature changes and humidity Great masses of cold air form in some are areas s and warm air masses masses' in other areas and float from to miles per day in the general movement movement movement move move- ment of the whole atmosphere around the world Mr Alter said Cold air is denser and heavier than warm air so when a cold air mass is over a particular spot the barometer is said to be high there If the locality is In a region covered by a warm air mass the barometer is low What happened this week was that a a. cold air mass out of Canada flowed along the eastern side of the continental divide in the high country country country coun coun- try of Montana and Wyoming This cold air couldn't escape from the mountains as fast as ii it was entering from the north anc and pressures piled plied up Low Pre Pressure sure At the same time a a. low pressure area was drifting in from the Southwest southwest southwest south south- west to reach its greatest depth over southern Utah and Colorado Now from the Wind River range In Wyoming across the Laramie and Rawlins valleys to the Colorado border bor bor- der dec the high bac bone of the country country coun coun- try is literally missing Through this break In the mountains mountains moun- moun air from the high pressure area flowed Ilk like water ater through h a l eak leak in a dam I IThe The high Uintah mountains of eastern Utah funneled this escaping air into northern Utah and the ve ve- l was nearly doubled as the the wind reached the canyons of the Wasatch mountains and whistled into nto the valleys from Salt Lake City north to the Id Idaho ho line spending its i fury at the canyon mouths I