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How to Check the History of Weather

In 1732, Benjamin Franklin published his first issue of Poor Richard's Almanack. It wasn't the first published record of temperature for the benefit of forecasting, but it did signal a growing trend that would result in daily recorded temperatures for nearly every corner of the earth. Locating past weather information can be somewhat difficult, depending on what time period the search centers on, but there are a few simple ways of investigating past weather conditions that may satisfy some inquiries.

Instructions

- 1
  Order the appropriate publication from the National Weather Service. For most portions of the country, daily temperatures have been recorded by the National Climatic Data Center, archiving data for the NWS, and publications for specific dates can be ordered for a small fee. These records are extremely detailed and accurate, but they only cover recorded temperatures for specific areas during specific time periods.
- 2
  Assume temperature and weather conditions based on current conditions and averages. Temperature averages for a given date, at a given location, are a mean derived from, generally, a century's worth of temperatures. This average can be assumed to be relevant to temperatures on a given day before daily records.
- 3
  View trends of weather and temperatures. Tracking temperatures during a shorter period of time can help track weather patterns for an undocumented period of time. Often, journalistic literature from a relative period of time may mention weather conditions. This type of research can help derive a reasonable assumption of weather for a specific date. For areas prone to dramatic weather patterns, such as blizzards, hurricanes or tornadoes, it is extremely important to take account of weather event records before assuming an "average weather" day.

Nature