Weatherwatch: how forecasts emerged in medieval times

Detailed weather observations and astronomical calculations were occurring as early as ninth centuryHumans have talked about the weather for millennia, but it was not until August 1861 that daily weather forecasts became available, in the Times (of London). The pioneering meteorologist Robert FitzRoy ensured that the new forecasts used a scientific procedure and were based on reliable weather observations, using the new technology of the telegraph to gather data quickly. However, the origins of modern weather forecasting go back further.Anne Lawrence-Mathers, a historian at the University of Reading, has shown that detailed weather observations and complex astronomical and mathematical calculations were occurring as early as the ninth century. Writing in the journal Weather, she documents how the Arab philosopher Al-Kindi put forward the idea that heat was the fundamental driving force for the weather, with heated air expanding into zones where cooler air had contracted, thereby determining the strength and direction of the wind. Continue reading...