When People Relied on Planets, Frogs and Cows to Predict the Weather

On August 1, 1861, British naval officer Robert FitzRoy published the first publicly available modern weather forecast in The Times. In it, he predicted the temperature in London would be 62 degrees Fahrenheit, the sky would be clear and there would be a southwesterly wind. The forecast included several cities throughout the United Kingdom, France, Denmark and the Netherlands, too.

FitzRoy had been observing weather in his position as head of London’s Meteorological Office since 1854. His forecast seven years later was significant because he used new meteorological methods to make his predictions. But the desire to predict the weather is very old. Throughout history, people have made forecasts about the weather based on the position of the planets, the color of the sky and the behavior of animals like frogs and cows. Here’s a look at what some of these observational methods entailed.

Astrometeorology: Using Planets to Predict the Weather

Before the 18th century, European and Arab scientists commonly made weather predictions via astrometeorology. The practice rested on the belief that other planets affect the conditions on Earth; by tracing the planets’ movements, astrometeorologists thought they could predict the weather.