Those who think that meteorology is a comparatively new science are often surprised by the sophistication of the meteorological observations made in the 1780s. But the art of weather observing has a long history.

All down the ages weather has been watched by many people, especially those such as mariners and farmers whose lives and livelihoods depend upon the behaviour of the atmosphere. A large body of empirical knowledge, known as weather lore, gradually evolved, which attempted to relate approaching weather to such items as the appearance of the sky, the behaviour of flora and fauna, and many other natural phenomena. In the early 1600s however, the invention of the barometer and thermometer signalled the transition from purely visual to instrumental observing, through which the study of weather was to be transformed into a more exact and quantifiable science.

Seventeenth-century philosophers showed great interest in these new meteorological instruments, for they appeared to provide the means to investigate causes of weather changes using the scientific method based on systematic observations advocated by Francis Bacon in the early 1600s. It was soon realised that the value of instrumental observations would be greatly enhanced if readings at several different places could be made simultaneously. The earliest documented experiment of this kind was carried out by observers in Paris, Clermont-Ferrand and Stockholm in about 1650.