Northwest History. State History Weather Conditions, Cont'd Spokane, Cont'd 1937 & 1938 Weddings & Divorces. United States.

• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1937
• Subjects: Spokane; climate; crocodiles; polar bears; temperatures; pendulum; reputation; hottest place; Death Valley; Greenwood ranch; Cherrapongee; United States; record; snowfall exceptional years; Northwest Pacific > State History > 20th Century; United States > Weather Cond. Continued; Misc. Towns; Continued; T To Z; Walla Walla; Wenatchee; Yakima; Weddings & Divorces; Divorces A > -Z; Weddings; Weddings A > -K; Weddings K > -L. > 20th Century; Arctic; Pacific
• Online Access: http://content.libraries.wsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/clipping/id/156589

Spokane Climate Of The Future—Tropic or Arctic? Spokane Climate Of The Future—Tropic or Arctic? Spokane's future climate: Tropic jungle or arctic waste? Geologists claim there is abundant evidence this area has been both in ages past. What will the years bring? Neither one, if figures compiled by Chief Meteorologist EM. Keyser mean anything. He finds Spokane's climate is getting drier and hotter. But he doesn't think his statitics mean much, for this reason: While geologists have fossils thou- downpour in a 24-hour period was sands of years old to prove crocodiles and polar bears each found the Spokane area to their respective tastes, weather bureau records here, which afford the only means of showing the climate trend, date back only 56 years. Bun in Cycles. Wet and dry periods are known to run in cycles, Mr. Keyser pointed out, and he says his statistics also might be interpreted to indicate the pendulum is starting back, "Tree ring studies back 275 years made in the Priest lake area: climate, showed wet and dry cycles of from 25 to 40 years," said Mr. Keyser. Mr. Keyser finds an annua mean precipitation of 18.91 inches for the first decade, 1881 to 1890 followed by 18.28, 16.14, 19.03 and 13.25 for subsequent decades, and 13.58 for the first six years of the current decade beginning with 1931. Figured on the same basis, annual mean temperatures by decades have been 47.7 degrees, 48.1, 48.5, 48.3, 48.9 and 49.7 for the first six! years of the current decade. Huge Deficiency. This year, with a large precipitation excess and a huge temperature deficiency so far, does not bear out the trend of the above figures, Mr. Keyser explained. Each decade, however, had exceptional years. Will the pendulum swing back? Only time will tell. A look at extreme marks on the weatherman's books appears to support the argument that Spokane climate , gradually become drier and hotter. Wettest year was 1882, with 25.99 inches of rainfall. Driest was 1929 with 7.51. Heaviest downpour in a 24-hour period was 2.22 inches June 7, 1888. Record year's snowfall was 75.7 inches in 1897. Lightest year's snowfall was 10.5 inches in 1934. Was Coldest Day. Coldest day on record was January 16, 1888, when the mercury; shivered to 30 below zero. Hottest day was July 26, 1928, with 108. But what Spokane's weather will be a thousand or a million years from now is not this generation's worry. Spokane has quite a reputation for its sunny, healthful climate. Spokane should rejoice in such a reputation and be thankful it does not have the climates of Cherrapongee, in southwestern Assam, or of Greenwood ranch in Death Valley, Cal. The former is said to be the wettest spot in the world with an average annual rainfall of 64 feet. The latter is the hottest place in the United States, with 134 in the shade having been recorded.