Meteorology

There is really no way to determine when the science of meteorology first came about. The earliest people on earth used atmospheric signs and weather for hunting and farming, since those two things were the basis of all of early man’s existence. Even though they could not explain what was going on in the atmosphere, they used signs that they detected in the weather and atmosphere to survive. We know this from stories and proverbs handed down from generation to generation. The term meteorology came about in 340 BC when Aristotle wrote the book entitled Meteorologica. This book dealt with the philosophical view of the weather and atmospheric conditions. He also talked about astronomy, geography and chemistry. Aristotle’s views on the atmosphere and weather went unchallenged for almost 2000 years and did not become and actual science until the 16th century. Scientists decided that simply looking at the atmosphere and weather from a philosophical view was no longer working and that they needed actual instruments to measure things such as temperature and moisture, the problem was, these instruments were not invented yet. Throughout the next few centuries instruments such as the hygrometer, the thermometer, and the barometer was invented, making it easier to measure atmospheric properties, but it was not until the 20th century and the invention of the computer that Meteorology took a giant leap forward and it became possible for better prediction of storms and more accurate measurements of atmospheric properties.

The high speed computer was developed in the 1950’s. With the development of the computer meteorologists were able to measure meteorological variables all over the world, and RADAR was used for the first time to detec...

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...p. A Tornado Warning means that a tornado has been seen or detected on radar, and you should take cover immediately. With the development of this system, and advances made in radar detection and the forecasting of tornadoes, people began paying more attention and gained more trust in the Weather Service and their ability to predict and forecast tornadoes.

Tornado prediction and forecasting has advanced tremendously over the past 50 years, but with the development of the Doppler Radar in the 1990’s, the prediction and forecasting of tornadoes moved to a whole new level. With Doppler radar, meteorologists are able to measure precipitation, and circulation that occurs before the actual development of the tornado. They can see if a severe thunderstorm is a rotating thunderstorm that has the capabilities of producing a tornado before the tornado actually develops.