May Went That-a-Way

The weather was not just unseasonable--it was downright unreasonable. El Paso had its driest spring in 63 years, while Southern California never had a colder or a wetter April. Snow fell in Reno on the last day of May, and the Indianapolis auto race was delayed by rain for the first time in 52 years. Across the mainland, temperatures ran as much as 9DEG below normal and, on many days, Fairbanks, Alaska, boasted warmer temperatures than Manhattan. In the nation's rain-soaked capital, the Washington Post complained editorially: "We are growing a little moldy."

The Northeast, in particular, suffered from the vernal cold snap that oldtimers call "dogwood winter." New York City shivered through its coldest spring in 50 years, and May seemed to disappear altogether, with temperatures averaging 7.2DEG below normal. Thousands of northbound scarlet tanagers and other birds--whose migratory urge is regulated by the lengthening of the days rather than the rising of the mercury--starved to death for lack of caterpillars, which hatched three weeks late.

As meteorologists see it, spring never sprung because of the aberrant behavior of two jet streams. The polar jet stream, for reasons that the weathermen are still unable to fathom, was detoured from its customary west-to-east path across the U.S. and whooshed over Alaska and the Canadian Northwest, driving masses of refrigerated air down from the Arctic and over the East Coast. The jet stream's unusual northerly course also helped suck the tornado belt up from its more normal Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri route, causing a disastrous twister in Chicago's suburbs. Meanwhile, the southern jet stream, after an exceptionally cold, wet run over California, dried out and warmed up so thoroughly as it crossed the Continental Divide that it left huge chunks of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Florida parched in its wake. Meandering farther north than usual, the southern stream ran smack into the polar air mass over the East, causing exceptionally heavy rains and unseasonal snowfalls.

The effects have been far-reaching. Crops were hit hard, from the fragile, cheesecloth-shaded tobacco leaves in the Northeast to the whole cornucopia of California fruits, particularly pears, apples, tomatoes and citrus. In Los Angeles, the rains brought unusually lush vegetation to the hills, posing a serious fire hazard for late summer, when the greenery bakes tinder dry.

In many areas, the dogwood winter may extend right into summer. In the Northeast, weathermen predict a colder, wetter June than usual, and at the U.S. Weather Bureau's Extended Forecast Division, meteorologists glumly note that cold springs are frequently followed by cool summers. Though beach-wear sales are lagging in Eastern stores, many expect rainwear volume to set a record.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.