Fulton County, Ohio - Chapter 12: Climatology of Wauseon, Fulton County, Ohio, 1905

Chapter 12: Climatology of Wauseon, Fulton County, Ohio

THE one thing in which every person is interested, is the weather. Climate is the sum of atmospheric conditions as recorded for a* long period of time ; or, in other words, the totality of the weather. "The study of the causes of the weather and the laws of storms, constitutes that branch of science known as meteorology ; climatology is to be considered as a subdivision of meteorology." A long series of observations on the pressure of the atmosphere, the temperature, the rainfall and snowfall, the time and frequency of frost, extremes of heat and cold, direction and force of the wind, sunshine and cloudiness, the humidity and electrification of the air, are needful to comprehend the climate of a given place.

Our storms come to us from the west (southwest to west), rarely from the south or northwest; and our areas of fair weather from the northwest - hence cooler. Thunderstorms are almost always in the southeast quadrant of the storm as a whole, and from two hundred to six hundred miles from the center of the storm. The cold wind blows out from the thunder cloud, in all directions, if the storm is heavy. The thunderstorm is a part of the general storm, or cyclone, but is partially independent after starting on its course. A tornado is a small, funnel shaped, whirling cloud, that is very destructive, and is related somewhat to the thunderstorm. A hurricane is a rapidly moving wind that goes in straight lines, and is sometimes very destructive. A cold wave is a flow of cold air from an anti-cyclone. As a rule the cyclone brings storm and warmer, and the anti-cyclone brings fair and cooler.

As spring advances over the country, it does not come directly from the south, but from the southwest. Northwestern Ohio is about 10 days later than the southwestern part of the state, and about that much earlier than the northeastern part. The change in autumn is about the same, only in reverse order.

Observations were made one mile north of Wauseon, Ohio, till March 1, 1902, and since then in Wauseon, just one mile south of the old station. The old station was in north latitude 41 degrees and 36 minutes, and west longitude 84 degrees and seven minutes, and 800 feet above the sea (225 feet above Lake Erie). The new station is one minute south of the old, with same longitude, and altitude of 780 feet above the sea.

Wauseon is located about forty-two miles west-southwest from Lake Erie. The land in this vicinity is nearly level, with a general slight slope to the southeast. The descent averages about one foot to four hundred and twenty feet. The difference in elevation of the highest and lowest points on the surface in this vicinity is not over thirty-five feet. The highest point in Fulton county is said to be a few rods east of the quarter-post on the north line of section 3, town 7 north and range 6 east, in Dover township. From this point the water flows west into Kean Creek, northeast into Bad Creek, and southeast into Turkey Foot Creek - the streams that drain the central part of the county. Three and a half miles north of this place is another where the water flows in all directions away from the highest single hill in the county.

Table I shows many curious conditions. January is the coldest month with a normal or average temperature of 23.1 degrees^ alid July is the warmest month, with a normal of 72.7 degrees. The warmest years were 1878, 50.3 degrees, and 1894, 50.0 degrees; the coldest years, 1875, 44.2 degrees, and 1885, 44.6 degrees; while the annual normal is 48.0 degrees. The highest monthly mean temperature was 77.4 degrees, July, 1901 (and 77.1 degrees, July, 1887); the coldest was 11.3 degrees, February, 1875 (and 11.9 degrees, February, 1885, and 12.2 degrees, January, 1875). The warm winters of 1875-76 and 1889-90, March was the coldest month of the whole winter. In the winters of 1871-72, 1873-74, 1876-77, December was the coldest month. In several years, February was colder than January. In 1874, 1898 and 1903, April was very little warmer than March. In 1878 May was scarcely warmer than April. In the summers of 1873, 1884, 1888, 1891, 1892, 1895 an(l 1899, the mean temperatures of the months of June, July and August were almost alike, and in 1884 and 1891, September may be added to these. In 1879, October was warmer than September. December was warmer than November in 1875, 1877, 1889 and 1891.

Monthly And Annual Minimum Temperatures

Tables III and IV show that the lowest temperature ever recorded here, was 32.4 degrees below zero (Dec. 19, 1884), and the highest was 104.5 degrees (July 7, 1874) ; a range of 136.9 degrees. The greatest yearly range of temperature was 127.7 degrees, in 1884; the least, 100.3 degrees, in 1890. The greatest monthly range was 92.5 degrees, in March, 1875; the least, 36.8 degrees, in March, 1881. The greatest daily range of temperature was 55.2 degrees, March 18, 1883, when the temperature fell from 69.1 degrees at 1 p. m. to 13.9 degrees at 9 p. m. The next morn- ing it was 7.3 degrees, and the morning following it was 17.4 degrees below zero ; or a total fall of 86.5 degrees in 40 hours. The least daily range was 1.0 degree, November 23, 1873.

Table V gives the monthly and annual precipitation (rain and melted snow). The wettest year was 1892, with 52.55 inches of precipitation; the dryest, 28.49, 1888; the normal being 38.24.

Below

Table VI gives the seasonal precipitation. The wettest growing season, April 1 to September 30. was 35.16 inch, in 1892; the dryest, 10.20, was in 1895.

Table VII gives the monthly, annual and winter snowfall. The greatest depth of snow in one month was 41.7 inches, March, 1877; the greatest in any May, 6.5 inches, 1883; in October, 9.0 inches, 1873. Greatest in any year, 78.3 inches in 1875; the least,

Snowfalls Of 6 Inches Or More In 24 Hours

The average number of clear days in January, is 5; partly cloudy days, 9; cloudy days, 17; rainy days (.01 inch or more of precipitation), 15. February, 6 clear, 8 part cloudy, 14 cloudy, and 14 rainy. March, 6 clear, 11 part cloudy, 14 cloudy, and 14 rainy. April, 8 clear, 10 part cloudy, 12 cloudy, and 12 rainy. May, 10 clear, 12 part cloudy, 9 cloudy, and 13 rainy. June, 10 clear, 12 part cloudy, 8 cloudy, 13 rainy. July, 12 clear, 13 part cloudy, 6 cloudy, 11 rainy. August, 13 clear, 12 part cloudy, 6 cloudy, 9 rainy. September, 12 clear, 10 part cloudy, 8 cloudy, 10 rainy. October, 10 clear, 10 part cloudy, 11 cloudy, 11 rainy. November, 6 clear, 9 part cloudy, 15 cloudy, 13 rainy. December, 4 clear, 9 part cloudy, 18 cloudy, 15 rainy. For the year, 102 clear, 124 part cloudy, 139 cloudy, 151 rainy.

Twelve Months

The prevailing direction of the wind is southwest to west. The direction by percentages is - North, 7; Northeast, 11; East, 10; Southeast, 6; South, 14; Southwest, 17; West, 18; Northwest, 13; and calm, 4.