Book 7, Question 144
Why Keep a Simple Weather Journal?
A weather journal is a notebook where you write down what the sky is doing each day. Writing trains your eyes to notice details like temperature, clouds, and wind. Patterns show up when you write them down, and that is why a weather journal is so useful!
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 7
More fun facts
- Thomas Jefferson kept an almost unbroken weather record for 40 years, from 1776 to 1816.
- George Washington wrote down the weather until just a few days before he died.
- In 1743, Benjamin Franklin compared weather notes from friends in other colonies.
- By comparing those notes, Franklin was one of the first to notice that North American storms usually move from west to east.
- Early forecasters believed weather seen in one place would move to places downwind on the next days.
Sources: NOAA Ocean Service, NASA Science, NOAA Ocean Service
Questions kids ask
Did any famous people keep weather journals?
Yes. Thomas Jefferson kept weather records for 40 years, and George Washington did too.
What did Benjamin Franklin learn from weather notes?
That storms in North America usually move from west to east.