Wet and drippy Saturday

Good morning Augusta.  

This morning it is partly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 45F. Winds from the West at 5 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

Tonight it will be partly cloudy. Low of 23F with a windchill as low as 14F. Winds from the WNW at 10 to 15 mph with gusts to 30 mph.

The readings taken from my own weather instrumentation are:

A relative humidity of 92% with a Dew Point of 41.9ºF and a wind chill of 44.1º F.    

The temperature is 44.1ºF.

Presently we have   Southwest winds puffing between 0.9 MPH and 1.3 MPH.

Our Barometric pressure is 29.41/HPA 995.1 and falling with a weather graphic indicating Rain.

There is no UV rating today, sunset will be at 4:04 PM with Moon Rise at 1:53 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, and the moon phase is waxing gibbous.

For the pilots out there: Raw METAR is –

SPECI KAUG 241105Z AUTO 00000KT 5SM BR BKN004 OVC065 06/05 A2950 RMK AO2

Visibility is 5.0 miles/8.0 Kilometers with mostly cloudy conditions to 400 ft / 121 m and overcast down to 6,500 ft / 1981 m.

We have had some rain in this area, but as yet no reading on it – its wet and drippy out there right now.

What is the history of weather forecasting like?

A brief exploration into forecasting pretty much follows the techniques and methods developed by early weather wizards. From the earliest of times, hunters, farmers, warriors, shepherds, and sailors learned the importance of being able to tell what the weather might be up to next. Ancient civilizations appealed to the gods of the sky. The Egyptians looked to Ra, the sun god. The Greeks sought out the all-powerful Zeus. Then there was Thor, the god of thunder and lightning in ancient Nordic times. Some societies, such as the Aztecs, used human sacrifice to satisfy the rain god, Tlaloc. Native American and Australian aborigines performed rain dances. Those who were able to predict the weather and seemed to influence its production were held in highest esteem. After all, they appeared to be very well connected.

One of the earliest scientific approaches to weather prediction occurred around 300 B.C.E., documented in Aristotle's work, "Meteorologica." The ancient Greeks invented the term meteorology, which means the study of atmospheric disturbances or meteors. Aristotle tried to explain the weather through the interaction of earth, fire, air, and water. His pupil Theophrastus really went to work and wrote the ultimate weather text The Book of Signs, which contained a collection of weather lore and forecast signs. Amazingly it served as the definitive weather book for 2,000 years! (What if they're still reading this 2,000 years from now?)

Theophrastus's weather lore included colors of the sky, rings and halos, and even sound. Hippocrates—also known as "the Father of Medicine"—was also very much involved with the weather. His work On Airs, Waters, and Places became a medical classic, linking good health with favorable weather conditions. The opening of his work begins with the advice that those who wish to investigate medicine must first begin with an understanding of seasons and weather.

Meteorology is the science of studying the atmosphere.

Weather forecasting advanced little from these ancient times to the Renaissance. Then beginning in the fifteenth century, Leonardo da Vinci designed an instrument for measuring humidity called a hygrometer. Later Galileo Galilei invented the thermometer and his student Evangelista Torricelli came up with the barometer for measuring air pressure. With these tools, people could monitor the atmosphere. Then Sir Isaac Newton derived the physics and mathematics that accurately described the atmosphere. Newton's work on motion remains The Book of Signs of modern meteorology. To this day, his principles form the foundation of all computer analyses and predictions.

Warning! Forecasters are not always held blameless for their predictions. In Taiwan, the head of the weather service was jailed for not warning of an approaching typhoon. His office predicted that the storm would miss the island. It didn't. In Israel, a weathercaster was sued by a viewer who claimed a surprise shower messed up her hair, gave her the flu, made her miss four days of work, and caused mental anguish. In the United States, the families of fishermen lost in a surprise storm off Boston sued the National Weather Service. Also, the state of Connecticut has been sued by the family of a girl who was killed by a falling tree during a severe storm in July 1989. The girl was attending a group outing at a state park when the storm struck.