Read and White Flag on Weather Bug?

There is an interesting prepare of betoken flags that are (were) used as atmospheric condition signals past the US Department of Agronomics. Mayhap these went out of employ with the widespread utilise of radio in the early years of this century (or maybe they are nonetheless used?  This is what "The World Almanac" (1893) had to say (my comments in square brackets):

"The weather bureau furnishes, when practicable, for the benefit of the full general public and those interests dependent to a greater or less extent upon atmospheric condition atmospheric condition, the 'forecasts' which are prepared at that role daily at 10am and 10pm, for the following day. These weather condition forecasts are telegraphed to observers at stations of the weather agency, railway officials, and many others, and are so worded as to exist readily communicated to the public by means of flags or steam whistles. The flags adopted for this purpose are five in number, and of the class and dimensions indicated below:

1. White flag, vi feet square [1800mm], indicates clear or fair conditions.

2. Blue flag, vi feet square, indicates rain or snowfall.

3. White and blue flag (parallel bars of white and blueish)*, six feet foursquare, indicates that local rains or showers will occur, and that the rainfall volition not exist full general
*an accompanying picture indicates a horizontal bicolour, white over bluish

4. Black triangular flag iv feet at the base [presumably hoist; 1200mm] and half-dozen feet in length, ever refers to temperature.

When placed above [previously mentioned flags] number 1, 2, or 3 information technology indicates warmer weather; when placed below numbers ane, ii, or 3 it indicates colder weather; when not displayed, the indications are that the temperature will remain stationary, or that the modify in temperature volition not vary more than iv degrees [Fahrenheit] from the temperature of the same hour of the previous day from March to October inclusive, and not more than six degrees for the remaining months of the year.

Temperature Change Signals
images by Phil Nelson
[click on flag for larger prototype]

	Fair Weather		Rain/Snow		Local Rain/Snow
No major alter from previous day
Rising Temperature
Falling Temperature

5. White flag, half dozen feet foursquare, with blackness square in heart [picture suggests two feet/600mm square], indicates the approach of a sudden and decided autumn in temperature. This flag is non to be displayed unless it is expected that the temperature will fall to xl-two degrees or lower, and is usually ordered at to the lowest degree twenty-4 hours in advance of the common cold wave. When number 5 is displayed, number four is omitted, but it may be displayed to a higher place either flag 1 or 2.		Common cold Forepart Signals [click on flag for larger image]
		Cold Front Precipitation		Cold Front Fair Conditions

A special Tempest flag, red with black square in the centre, is prescribed for use in North and Due south Dakota, Minnesota (except at lake stations), Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming, to indicate high winds, accompanied by snowfall, with temperature beneath freezing.

When displayed on poles, the signals should be bundled to read downward; when displayed from horizontal supports, a small streamer [colour unspecified] should exist attached to indicate the point from which the signals are to exist read."
James Dignan, 06 Dec 1997

These flags are depicted in "Signal flags used at Weather Bureau Brandish Stations" In: The Aims and Methods of Meteorological Work by Cleveland Abbe. In: Maryland Weather Service, Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore, 1899. Vol I. Folio 296.

Red pennant in a higher place square red flag pierced black: captioned "N.E. WINDS".

Square scarlet flag pierced black above red pennant: captioned "S.E. WINDS".

White pennant above square red flag pierced black: captioned "N.Westward. WINDS".

Square crimson flag pierced black above white pennant: captioned "S.Westward. WINDS".

WIND SIGNAL. Pennants with the Storm Point indicate the direction of the air current; red, easterly. from northeast to southward; white, westerly, from southwest to n. The Pennant above the flag indicates that the wind is expected to blow from the northerly quadrants; beneath, from the southerly quadrants.

Jan Mertens, seven November 2005

From navytimes.com:

Coasties revive foul-weather warning flags
Past Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May thirty, 2007 18:19:fourteen EDT

Double cherry-and-black tempest-alarm flags once heralded an impending hurricane, urging mariners to take cover and seaside residents to flee.

The flags disappeared from mutual use in 1989, when the National Weather Service discontinued the plan.

This summer, the Coast Guard officially is bringing them back.

Starting June ane, select Coast Baby-sit stations volition hoist tempest flags in foul weather: reddish triangle for pocket-sized craft warning; double red triangle for gale warning; single red-and-black foursquare for storm alarm; and the feared double flags for hurricane warning.

�[This is] a Coast Baby-sit initiative to reinforce the Coast Guard�south office as lifesavers, reaffirm to local communities the Coast Baby-sit�s role as experts concerning local boating matters and visually communicate ... the lesson of Hurricane Katrina to have personal responsibility for private safety,� said Rear Adm. David Pekoske in an announcement May xxx.

Some marinas and stations voluntarily have carried on the tradition of hoisting such flags, but participation was spotty.

The Coast Baby-sit hopes that residents in storm-prone areas will see the flags and listen to National Oceanographic and Atmospherics Administration radio broadcasts for further details, officials say.

According to NOAA, more than than half the land�southward population lives along the coasts. In 2003, roughly 153 million people lived in 673 coastal counties.

David C. Fowler, 31 May 2007

moorehort1981.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/xf-weaus.html

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