On three several hurricanes of the Atlantic, and their relations to the northers of Mexico and Central America, with notices of other storms / by W.C. Redfield.

  • William C. Redfield
Date:
1846
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On three several hurricanes of the Atlantic, and their relations to the northers of Mexico and Central America, with notices of other storms / by W.C. Redfield. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    estuary of the St. Lawrence. At New York, and, generally, in the interior of the continent, the anterior winds of this gale were felt but moderately, though, at Toronto, the barometer fell to 28-86; the violence of wind, at the surface, being chiefly in the posterior side of the storm, on the rising barometer, as is the case in most of our overland gales, and in many of those on the Atlan- tic. This common feature of the Lake storms greatly enhances the value of the barometer, in navigating these inland seas. Relations of the Cuba Gales to the Northers of Honduras and Yucatan. Having previously shown that a portion of the great storms of the United States and the Atlantic ocean are identified with the Mexican Northers, several of which have been traced to the Atlan- tic* it remains to notice a like identity of the Northers of Yucatan and Honduras with the storms which sweep over the island of Cuba and the Atlantic ocean. The common name of Northers has. been applied to the gales which visit the northern coasts of Central America, as well as to those of Mexico, as far eastward as the Mnsquito coast and gulf and near to Ion. S0°, over which re- gion they are found frequently to occur, except in the summer months. The swell from these Northers is often injurious in ports of this coast which are sheltered from their immediate force. From the Musquito coast to Cape Honduras, (Ion. 83° to 86°,) when the wind gets to S. E. and then veers to S. and S. W., a gale will surely succeed. These gales are very violent, and oc- cur more frequently from W. S. W., west, and N. W., than from north.—Upon the Musquito shore, Honduras, and the eastern coast of Yucatan, the general winds are frequently interrupted in Feb- ruary and March by norths. In September, October, November, December, and January, the winds are from the northward or southward of west, [northwesterly or southwesterly,] with fre- quent gales from W. S. W., W., N. W., and north.—On the north- * The evenis of the present year, (1846,) have served to bring to our notice the frequent occurrence of the Northers in the countries and on the coasts which bor- der the Mexican sea, and their subsequent progress to the Atlantic as revolving gales, not only during the winter season but in the months of May, June, and July. Indeed, it would be an error to suppose that American storms or gales are limited, in their occurrence, to any one portion of the year. The great gale of the Allan- tie coast Sept. 8th_10th, since the foregoing was in type, was also a norther from the Gulf of Mexico, where it caused the loss of the steamer New York, and other vessels on the 6th and 7th.