| OCR Text |
Show WEATHER MYTHS Perhaps many credulous persons are now watching for a verification of their weather predictions, based on whether the ground hog saw his shadow in their localities on Ground Hog Day, February 2. And even if their predictions are not verified, they will doubtless offer some sort of alibi for that venerable forecaster. Then about March 21 these same folks will watch for the "equinoctial storm" which is supposed to ocur about the time when the sun "crosess the line." Of course, no one with any knowledge of meteorology pays any attention to either of these ancient superstitions, but in the popular mind they cling with grim tenacity. Owing to the erratic habits of the weather, any kind of prediction will come true occasionally, but scientific obser-vors obser-vors tell us that in the present state of human knowledge it is impossible to predict weather conditions more than a very few days ahead. From the records of the last 50 years, kept by the United States Weather bureau, it is shown that storms are no more frequent during equinoctial periods than at other times of the year. In fact, the most destructive of all storms western' tornadoes and West Indian hurricane occur principally in the summer and fall, at periods farthest removed re-moved from the equinoxes. But old superstitions die hard, and those concerning the weather are among the most presistent. |
