Signals

The following signals are treated under this head:

Cautionary, Information, Local Forecast, Storm and Wind.

Under date of Dec. 14, 1891, the following instructions relative to the display of wind signals, were issued by the Weather Bureau to take effect January 1, 1892:

I. At stations on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts the display of the signal known as the Cautionary Signal will be discontinued. The Storm Signal will be displayed as at present, but will be a warning of an expected wind velocity intermediate between the present cautionary and storm justifying velocities.

II. At all wind signal stations the red pennant will be used for the Information Signal instead of the yellow pennant, and at stations where Cautionary Signals are displayed, a red flag with a white center will be used for the Cautionary Signal instead of the yellow flag with a white center. This change is made to avoid confusion with the recognized quarantine signal.

III. Observers receiving notification of the hoisting of cautionary or storm signals at stations other than their own will, unless their own signals are flying, display "Information Signals." These signals may be lowered at the discretion of the observer.

IV. Observers in charge of stations on the Great Lakes, Atlantic, or Gulf coasts, whenever, except between the hours of 8 to 11, a. m. and p. m., the local conditions, in their judgment, indicate the occurrence in their vicinity within eight to twelve hours of winds of a verifying velocity (no signal being displayed at their station), are authorized to advise this office by telegraph of that fact by sending a message giving briefly their reasons or the data called for in a special observation and ending with the word "signals."

Local forecast officials, and observers specially authorized, at stations in the aforementioned regions, whenever between 5 p. m. and 10 p. m. and midnight and 10 a. m. the conditions in their judgment very strongly indicate the occurrence within four to six hours of winds of a verifying velocity, are authorized to hoist signals, notifying this office immediately by telegraph of their action. These messages will give the kind of signal and time of hoisting, and, if necessary, reasons in brief for such action. They may also within these hours change the direction of, continue or lower signals when in their judgment the conditions strongly indicate such action, reporting the fact immediately by telegraph to this office.

The same rules as to the length of the display will apply to these signals as to those ordered by the official at this office.

Local forecast officials and observers will exercise the greatest caution in displaying signals under this authority, remembering that it is given them not that they may use it regardless of the judgment of the forecast official at this office, but rather that they may give warning of the approach of storms whose rapidity of progress or development is much greater than is indicated by regular observation.

(See Coston, Distance, International, Semaphore, Weather and Wig Wag Signals--see also engraving.)