So far we have described, in a general way, certain facts about the
elements of the air, such as temperature, pressure, humidity,
precipitation, evaporation, clouds, winds, etc., and these facts of the
elements enter into a very interesting phase of weather observation
which we will designate as prophesying without instruments or
forecasting by physical science. When we come to the more interesting
and scientific part of weather observation, we will drop the word
“prophecy,” because the instruments that are used to measure these
elements are going to indicate certain things to us that will lead you
to more definite conclusions. Hence, the following observations are what
have given an opportunity to the weather prophet or to those people who
have been credited with some mysterious power to prophesy what the
weather is going to be. They are not definite or conclusive, and they
cannot always be depended upon, but they certainly are significant and
interesting, and a description of weather would not be complete without
a list in chronological order of a series of phenomena or physical signs
of this character that have lead certain men to gain quite a reputation
for prophesying what the weather is going to be.
[Illustration:
Fig. 33
]