How weather forecasting evolved from guesswork to science
Stephanie Orellana / Illinois Public Media
Every morning meteorologists predict the weather and often talk about what the future brings, whether there’s a likelihood of rain or a line of thunderstorms coming to your state. It is part of the norm in our everyday lives.
During the 19th century, weather forecasting was seen as a pseudoscience. Weather forecasters today would be seen as wizards or fortune tellers in that time period.
Today, we look back at how weather forecasting evolved from guesswork into modern science.
Illinois State Climatologist with the Prairie Research Institute, Trent Ford and Professor in the Department of Climate, Meteorology, and Atmospheric Science at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Jeff Frame discuss the evolution of weather forecasting.
Funding for Weather Realness is partially provided by the Backlund Charitable Trust. If you have a question for a local scientist on this program, please leave a voicemail at 217.333.2141 or email weatherrealness@illinois.edu
