Weather, May 1804
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Aug 30, 1803 Sep 30, 1806

Weather, May 1804

 
day of
the
month
Ther-
mometer
at ☉
rise
Weather Wind
at ☉
Rise
Ther-
mometer
at 4oCk.
P M
Weather Wind at
4 oCk.
P.M
raise
or fall
River
Feet
Inchs
May 1S 28 a f. S E 62 a f N. E. f   4 ½
2 27 a f. S E 76 a f S S E f   6
3 32 a f S S E 80 a f S S W f   4 ½
4 48 a t.l.c.r S. 64 a C a r S r   2
5 50 a t l. r W 66 a c a r W r   2 ½
6 42 a f S. W 78 a f S W f   2 ½
7 46 a f S E 60 a f S S W f   4 ½
8 52 a f N. E 70 a f S W f   4
9 50 a f E. 84 a f S W f   2
10 54 a C N. E 75 a f N. W f.   3 ½
11 48 a f E 78 a f S. W f.   2 ½
12 44 a f E 80 a f W f   3
13 50 C. a. r. W 48 a C a r N W f   2
14 42 a C S E 64 f N. 〈f〉   0
[Remarks] [2]
5 The thunder and lightning excessively heard this morning
10 distant thunder, sutery this evening
12 the wind at 4 was uncomly hard.
14 end of observations at the river Dubois [3]    Set out from the River
Dubois
up the Missouri
16th arrived at St. Charles [4]
20th rained the after part of the Day    Capt. and Several gentlemen
arrive from St. Louis.
21st leave St. Charles    heavy rain in the evening with wind.    great
number of Muscators
25h strawbury in the praries ripe and abundant [5]
27h servisburries or wild Courants, ripe and abundant [6]
30th Mulburies begin to ripen, very abundant in the bottom [7]
1. This table for May is based on Lewis's Weather Diary, kept by Lewis. Its temperature readings are consistently eight degrees above those in Clark's Codex C. No observations were tabulated by either captain after May 14 until September 1804, or at least no such tables have been found. (back)
2. Both captains' remarks for the month of May are substantially the same; here I have followed Lewis's Weather Diary, noting substantive differences. Although tabled observations ceased after May 14, both men continued intermittent remarks on the weather and natural phenomena in the Weather Diary and Codex C weather tables into July. Those are found with the appropriate months. (back)
3. The first part of this remark, as far as the note, is Lewis's, in his Weather Diary; the latter part is Clark's, in Codex C. (back)
4. Clark wrote remarks for May 16, 20, and 21 in his Codex C weather table, then later crossed them out. There are no remarks for those dates in Lewis's Weather Diary. (back)
5. Fragaria virginiana var. illinoensis (Prince) Gray, wild strawberry. Steyermark, 824. (back)
6. Amelanchier arborea (Michx.) Fern., serviceberry, shadbush, sarviceberry, juneberry. Ibid., 800. (back)
7. The common native red mulberry, Morus rubra L. It is often confused with Morus alba L., white mulberry, a native species of eastern Asia, which is now common in northern and central Missouri. Ibid., 562. (back)