Chart 10, February 3, 1832
Map showing colored areas of climate conditions on a particular day. The colored areas correspond to precipitation conditions, , i.e. snow, clear, rain, clouds, fog. Different lines depict areas of equal pressure (dashed) and areas of equal thermal oscillation (dotted).
These early depictions resulted in created a plan for the Smithsonian Institution. Loomis’s proposal for a system of observers across the United States and for daily weather maps was realized in Congress’s creation of the Weather Bureau of the United States Signal Service in 1870. This became the National Weather Service we know today.
One of thirteen charts accompanying Loomis’s article “On Two Storms Which Were Experienced throughout the United States, in the Month of February, 1842.”
American Philosophical Society
1842
Printed map
English
Printed map
Eastern US
(United States) Weather Map. January 1, 1901
This weather map is published by the US Department of Agriculture. Observations were taken from 8am to 8pm where barometers reduced to Sea Level and 32degrees Fahrenheit. The heavy dotted lines inclose ares of marked changes in temperature during the past 24 hours. Shaded areas show regions of precipitation during the pat 12 hours. Arrows point in the direction the wind is blowing. The use of symbols is interesting here, as they indicate weather being clear, partly cloudy, cloudy, with rain, snow, etc. The amount of text that accompanies the map reflects the weather conditions and general forecast. It is interesting that these maps had to be published daily based on a network of national sites communicating climate data back and forth.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1901
45x58cm, scale not given
English
Atlas Map
United States
Isothermal chart, or view of climates & productions (1937)
Building off his previous previous work, Woodbridge again depicts isothermal conditions. Here, he updates the way the planting information is displayed (in boxes, with horizontal text). Overall, Woodbridge notes that the figures on the chart indicate mean annual temperature of the places depicted. The dotted lines crossing the chart point out the places which have equal degrees of heat. Theres form the boundaries of the Regions distinguished by color.
What is also interesting about this map is that it appears to also be a planting calendar, suggesting what crops are best suited for each Region. These are depicted by the unbroken vertical lines reaching from each of the dotted Regional lines.
W.C. Woodbridge
Belknap & Hamersley: Hartford Connecticut
1837
Scale [ca. 1:80,000,000] (W 125°--E 120°/N 74°--S 57°)
English
Atlas Map
World
Isothermal Chart, or View of Climates & Production, Drawn from the Accounts of Humboldt & Others
First world isothermal chart. Woodbridge notes that the figures on the chart indicate mean annual temperature of the places depicted. The dotted lines crossing the chart point out the places which have equal degrees of heat. Theres form the boundaries of the Regions distinguished by color.
What is also interesting about this map is that it appears to also be a planting calendar, suggesting what crops are best suited for each Region. These are depicted by the unbroken vertical lines reaching from each of the dotted Regional lines.
W.C. Woodbridge
From Woodbridge’s School Atlas to Accompany Woodbridge’s Rudiments of Geography: Atlas on a New Plan
Hartford, Conn.: Oliver D. Cooke & Co., [1823])
January 13, 1823
Engraved map, with added color, 20.3 × 28.2 cm, scale not given
English
World