Fig. 104—Monthly wind roses for Santa Lucia, June, 1913, to July, 1914, and composite rose for the whole period of observation.
CLOUD
The greater strength of the afternoon wind would lead us to suppose that the cloudiness, which in the trade-wind belt, is to so great an extent dependent on the wind, is greatest in the afternoon. The diagrams bring out this fact. Barely is the sky quite clear after the noon hour. Still more striking is the contrast between the morning and afternoon if we combine the two densest shadings of the figures. Light, high-lying cirrus clouds are most characteristic of early morning hours. They produce some very striking sky effects just before sunrise as they catch the sun’s rays aloft. An hour or two after sunrise they disappear and small cumulus clouds begin to form. These grow rapidly as the winds begin and by afternoon become bulky and numerous. In the wet season they grow into the nimbus and stratus types that precede a sudden downpour of water or a furious hailstorm. This is best seen from the base of a mountain range looking towards the crest, where the cloud-and rain-making processes of this type are most active.
| CLOUD ANALYSIS, SANTA LUCIA | |||||||||||||
| Type of cloud | Nov. | Dec. | Jan. | Feb. | March | Total | |||||||
| a.m. p.m. | a.m. p.m. | a.m. p. m. | a.m. p.m. | a.m. p.m. | a.m. p.m. | ||||||||
| Cirrus | 6 | º 2 | 15 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 41 | 12 | |
| Cirro-stratus | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Cirro-cumulus | 4 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 17 | 10 | 37 | 38 | |
| Cumulus | 3 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 13 | 5 | 13 | 37 | 46 | |
| Strato-cumulus | 2 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 2 | 3 | — | 3 | 14 | 36 | |
| Stratus | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Nimbus | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Clear | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | 6 | 1 | |
UNUSUAL WEATHER PHENOMENA, SANTA LUCIA, 1913-14
