The Global Gen World

Thousands of people in all parts of the world are engaged in the profession of weather forecasting. Before advanced weather forecasting technology, people who live in the open such as sailors and farmers had acquired considerable skill in foretelling weather for short periods of time. This was done by watching the sky and the movements of the barometer and the wind vane. However, the most that can be done by any individual without the help of official services or technological instruments are to predict the weather for a few hours or at the most, a day ahead.

Amateur forecasting made liberal use of signs such as dry weather is likely to occur if the sky and ground mists clear quickly after the sunrise or a clear sky and low humidity indicate the possibility of low temperatures at night. The need for ways that could produce more accurate forecasting was quite evident.