Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 January 1919 — WEST HIT BY ZERO WAVE; WIDE AREA IS AFFECTED [ARTICLE]

WEST HIT BY ZERO WAVE; WIDE AREA IS AFFECTED

Chicago, Jan. 3. —The coldest weather of the winter thus far spread over the western part of the country yesterday, bringing unusual colh to parts of California and tne Southwest. There was not much snow >but traffic was delayed in many places. , Temperatures ranged from a few degrees above-zero in the region of Chicago to several degrees below zero (between the Mississippi and the Sierras west of which as low as 16 degrees above zero was reported from Paso Robles, Cal. Early purchasers of fuel at the behest of fuel boards and the continued mild weather of the late fall "and , early winter weeks apparently had removed any suffering for lack of heat indoors. A covering of snow that fell before the severe cold came blanketed winter wheat in most places, according to reports. The unseasonable weather in California is said to 'have damaged citrus fruit, with killing frosts predicted. Unusual cold visited Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, even Mexicosuffering frost in places usually semi-tropical in climate. The temperatures farther north were about seasonable, with prospects of moderating somewhat.