History Of Weather Observing Tools

Temperature Measurement: Who invented the thermometer?

  • 1593 – Galileo Galilei (Italy): First water thermometer.
  • 1714 – Gabriel Fahrenheit (Germany): First mercury thermometer with Fahrenheit scale.
  • 1743 – Andrus Celsius (Sweden): Invented Celsius scale mercury thermometer.
  • 1848 - Lord William Thomson Kelvin (Scotland): Creator of the Kelvin Scale (measurement of hot and cold absolute extremes, for example absolute zero is -273C).

Humidity Measurement: Who invented the hygrometer?

  • 1400s - Leonardo da Vinci (Italy): First primitive hygrometer.
  • 1664 - Francesco Folli (Italy): First practical hygrometer.
  • 1783 - Horace Bénédict de Saussure (Switzerland): Invented a hygrometer that uses human hair to measure humidity.
  • 1820 - John Frederic Daniell (Britain): First dew point hygrometer using electrical resistance.

Pressure Measurement: Who invented the barometer?

  • 1644 – Evangelista Torricelli (Italy): invented an instrument called the Torricelli tube, a 4 ft long glass tube containing mercury inverted into a dish, used for experiments to create a vacuum. He suggested that it was the weight of air changing from day to day that caused variation in the height of the mercury. Using Torricelli's design, his colleague Vincenzo Viviani made the first mercury barometer.
  • 1843 – Lucien Vidie (France): Invented a metallic barometer that he called aneroid, from the Greek, meaning "without liquid." The device consisted of a sealed metallic vacuum chamber which has flexible upper and lower surfaces connected to an index pointer. As barometric pressure changes, the height of the chamber fluctuates causing the pointer to move up or down. Aneroid barometers are compact and easily portable.

Wind Measurement: Who invented the anemometer?

  • 1450 – Leon Battista Alberti (Italy): described and illustrated a swinging-plate, deflection-type anemometer.
  • 1805 - Sir Francis Beaufort (Britain): Created the “Beaufort Scale” used to visually estimate wind speed by observing the effect of wind on common objects.
  • 1846 – John Thomas Romney Robinson (Ireland): Invented the first four-cup anemometer, predecessor to modern anemometers for wind measurement.

Precipitation Measurement: Who invented the rain gauge?

  • 1441 - King Sejong and his son, Prince Munjong, invented the first standardized rain gauge. These were sent throughout the kingdom as an official tool to assess land taxes based upon a farmer's potential harvest.
  • 1662 - Sir Christopher Wren (Britain): Invented the mechanical self-emptying tipping bucket rain gauge, the type used today for rain measurement in most home weather stations.

All content on the WeatherShack Education Center is Copyright 2002-2020 WeatherShack.com. This material may not be reproduced, displayed, modified or distributed without the express prior written permission of WeatherShack.com. For permission, please contact support@weathershack.com.

Why Shop with WeatherShack.com?

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

We provide a 60-days money back guarantee on every product we sell. We want you to be completely happy with your purchas

Excellent Customer Care

Since our company began in 1998, customer care been our number one priority, We're also a member of the BBB.

We Specialize In Weather products

Our Staff's passion for weather stations and related equipment ensures that our customers receive useful and knowledgeable assistance.

Low Prices

Our prices are low, fair and competitive. if you find others selling for less, be sure to consider return policies and restocking fees, as well as making sure they're a legitimate dealer.

Low Prices - We Stock Over 95% of Our Inventory

This allows us to ship orders when promised and keeps our quality control very high. Many retailers use drop shipping extensively.

Free Shipping on Orders Over $50 In The Contiguous U.S

Expedited shipping options are also available during the checkout process.

Support Small Business

We are a small, yet well-established family-owned company located in Roanoke, VA. We strive to provide good jobs and benefits to our staff as well as be a supportive member of our community.

"At WeatherShack we Know and love weather stations and related products. We stock these products in our own warehouse and work with them every day.

Our staff's passion and hands-on products knowledge exceeds that of many retailers. We respectfully ask for your business and hope you'll give us the opportunity to serve you."

-The Staff at WeatherShack

  • After talking to sales people at various companies, I stumbled onto WeatherShack.com and called your sales number. The guy on the other end of the phone immediately gained my respect. He was knowledgeable about wireless weather stations without being arrogant... He questioned me with deft skill, seeking out what I needed, not what he could load me up with. He made sure at the end of the conversation that I had the weather station I needed and more importantly, that I understood what I needed and what I had just purchased... You guys are the barometer for which others in your industry should compare themselves.

  • "I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to one of your customer service guys. I deeply appreciate the help I received, the very quick response and the fact you could easily have sold me a part I didn't need. We have gotten used to our weather station to let us know the temp outside. I really recommend these products and this company for the first class help and service. Thanks again for all the help and for being a company and employee with integrity.