Episode 24: When weather forecasts were considered immoral – 175 years of weather forecasting in Austria

‘Weather forecasting is immoral and damaging to a meteorologist’s character. ’ – With this surprising quote, we embark on a journey through 175 years of weather forecasting in Austria.

How did individual observations eventually develop into modern weather models? To answer this, we’ll be discussing, amongst other things, Karl Kreil and the founding of the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geomagnetism in 1851. How did telegraphy revolutionise weather forecasting, and how long did it actually take to calculate a weather forecast back in the day? Eventually, we end up discussing (super)computers, satellites and radiosondes.

And we ask ourselves: have we actually cracked the weather by now? And that’s not at all easy to answer – because the atmosphere is a chaotic system...

From handwritten measurements to modern ensemble forecasts: this is how weather forecasting has changed over 175 years.