Wind, war and weathermen
Tuesday, June 7, 2011 - 11:31
in Earth & Climate
Well into the 20th century, American weather forecasting was not a rigorous science, but an art, as a National Research Council report stated in 1918. Forecasters knew, among other things, that weather generally moved from the west; that high barometric pressure indicated cold temperatures; and that low pressure meant rain. They would collect data by telegraph, make charts and provide forecasts, which were often faulty. Weathermen were popular objects of ridicule.