When did weather forecasting change?
History of meteorology
guess the exact year of key moments in history of meteorology.
From a newspaper forecast to maps, cooperation between countries, images from orbit and forecasts several days ahead. Place each advance in its year.
Five rounds. Each guess scores according to how close you are to the exact year.
Open the timeline and reveal the answers
These are the five years in the game.
- 1861: FitzRoy publishes his first public forecast in The Times.
- 1871: the U.S. Signal Office begins publishing weather maps.
- 1950: the World Meteorological Organization is established.
- 1960: NASA launches TIROS-1.
- 1979: ECMWF begins operational medium-range forecasting.
context
Before you play
Robert FitzRoy published his first public forecast in The Times using weather reports. The U.S. Signal Office began publishing maps with observations from different cities. Later, the World Meteorological Organization formalised international cooperation; TIROS-1 supplied cloud images from space, and ECMWF began producing operational medium-range forecasts.
significance
Why this collection matters
These five rounds separate distinct steps: communicating a forecast, gathering observations on maps, coordinating data across countries, observing clouds from space and producing operational forecasts several days ahead.
guide
Moments that shaped this story
FitzRoy publishes his first public weather forecast in The Times.
The U.S. Signal Office begins publishing daily weather maps.
The World Meteorological Organization is established.
NASA launches TIROS-1 to test satellite weather images.
ECMWF begins operational medium-range forecasting.
questions
Before you start
1Was WMO established in the same year it became a UN agency?
No. The WMO Convention entered into force and the organization was established in one year; its designation as a UN specialized agency came the following year.
2Why was TIROS-1 launched?
The mission tested whether satellite cameras could provide cloud images useful for observing weather from space.
transparency
Sources consulted
Automated verification · 2026-10-25T09:08:57.536Z · version 1.