From Folk Wisdom to Supercomputers
Weather forecasting has evolved dramatically from ancient observations to today's sophisticated prediction systems. Early forecasting relied on pattern recognition and folk wisdom"red sky at night, sailor's delight"passed through generations of farmers and sailors. The invention of basic meteorological instruments in the 17th century, including barometers and thermometers, enabled the first systematic weather measurements. The telegraph revolutionized forecasting in the 19th century by allowing rapid communication of weather conditions across vast distances, revealing storm patterns and movement. Modern forecasting underwent a transformation with the development of numerical weather prediction in the 1950s, using mathematical equations to model atmospheric physics and the implementation of the first weather satellites, providing unprecedented views of global weather systems. Shutdown123