This is a very historic week in weather forecasting history. It seems that each day in the week ahead is a red letter date in weather prognostication. Here is a brief summary:
May 1, 1868: Weather forecasting as a concept in the United States was conceived as the Director of the Cincinnati Astronomical Observatory unveiled a plan to his staff where they would establish an observation network like that of the Smithsonian that has fallen apart during the Civil War. They would use the observations to create public weather forecasts. That vision would become a reality on September 2, 1869 when the first forecasts were issued.
May 2, 1814: Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, Dr. James Tilton issued an order for Army surgeons in the field to keep diaries of the weather. This order established a loose network of meteorological observations.
May 3, 1999: A strange looking weather tool named a profiler helped meteorologists realize they were dealing with a more serious weather system than they thought. The profiler measures wind in the upper atmosphere using sound waves. Data during the morning indicated that upper winds were stronger than expected, allowing them to issue a high risk outlook. The additional awareness undoubtedly saved lives.
May 4, 1961: Neal Ward of the National Severe Storms Laboratory became the first person to use radar to direct him to a tornado intercept. While in communication with the lab by radio telephone, Ward captured a tornado near Geary, Oklahoma.
May 5, 1982: The Weather Channel began broadcasting. The most popular feature of The Weather Channel? Your local forecast…
May 7, 1857: The Washington Evening Star began publishing reports from the Joseph Henry’s far flung observation network.
May 1, 1868: Weather forecasting as a concept in the United States was conceived as the Director of the Cincinnati Astronomical Observatory unveiled a plan to his staff where they would establish an observation network like that of the Smithsonian that has fallen apart during the Civil War. They would use the observations to create public weather forecasts. That vision would become a reality on September 2, 1869 when the first forecasts were issued.
May 2, 1814: Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, Dr. James Tilton issued an order for Army surgeons in the field to keep diaries of the weather. This order established a loose network of meteorological observations.
May 3, 1999: A strange looking weather tool named a profiler helped meteorologists realize they were dealing with a more serious weather system than they thought. The profiler measures wind in the upper atmosphere using sound waves. Data during the morning indicated that upper winds were stronger than expected, allowing them to issue a high risk outlook. The additional awareness undoubtedly saved lives.
May 4, 1961: Neal Ward of the National Severe Storms Laboratory became the first person to use radar to direct him to a tornado intercept. While in communication with the lab by radio telephone, Ward captured a tornado near Geary, Oklahoma.
May 5, 1982: The Weather Channel began broadcasting. The most popular feature of The Weather Channel? Your local forecast…
May 7, 1857: The Washington Evening Star began publishing reports from the Joseph Henry’s far flung observation network.
on May 1, 2006, 8:18 am
I call it "the commercial channel with occasional weather updates".
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