Remember this? Forecasting the weather

It's a common topic in conversations and can dictate how our day will proceed - the weather. The weather is a huge influence in our lives.

As I have been sorting out scanned articles to identify and prepare entries or viewed them on Microfiche, I have located some weather pages from various Sydney newspapers in various years. I may do another entry in the future.

They are interesting to view as they show one how weather forecasting has evolved but also how this is communicated to the wider community.

Weather pages do not have the prominence that they once may have had, even with additional weather information now available. The Australian removed the weather page altogether when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

We are fortunate to live in an age where access to weather forecasts are available such as websites and apps on our phones, but they have a place in mainstream media. For instance, publishing weather forecasts in a newspaper can also serve as a written record of the climatic and weather conditions of that time. Websites and phone apps cannot do this. Personally, I enjoy reading weather forecasts in a written newspaper. It can feel immersive. I can always draw on apps and the internet if I need to know specific details at a specific point in time e.g. storm warnings and current temperatures. 

Collecting climatic data and weather forecasting has become easier and more accurate with advancements in technology. Satellites in space also monitor weather patterns and have helped meteorologists with their observations and forecasts. Ultimately, it has meant that society has access to more information about weather and climate. This has been reflected in the samples that have been provided. 

In 1961, The Daily Mirror had the weather section blended in with general news and features on Page 6 in the edition dated September 21. No temperature statistics to be seen and a brief overview of the forecast for that evening. The weather map was state based. 

This one was published in The Daily Mirror on January 28 1970 (Page 70). There was no synoptic chart compared with 1961 and no mention of forecast temperatures for the remainder of that day or the following day. They did record observations for that morning.

By 1988, The Daily Mirror had allocated more space for its weather feature. Below is one from the edition of 25 January, 1988.

The Sydney Morning Herald in 1969 was wordy but note the space allocated to rainfall totals across NSW. There is a detailed synoptic map. This one was published on November 20, 1969 (page 15). 

In the 1980's The Daily Telegraph weather page was largely text based and without the visuals that would been seen in recent decades. They did have synoptic charts provided by the weather bureau. Apart from a metropolitan forecast, an overview of weather conditions for each region was also provided. Down the bottom, there was a long list of temperatures for world cities. 

The Daily Telegraph/The Daily Telegraph Mirror had full page weather forecasts from 1990, but during 2020, the space allocated was dramatically reduced. 

I was a big fan of them growing up and got better as colour was introduced. Satellite maps were also introduced. 

By 2000, there was a small weather feature produced by Don White that either provided an overview of climate trends or explained weather phenomena. Note the increased use of visuals to convey weather details. 

I thought The Sydney Morning Herald in the second half of the 1990's and 2000's had the best weather feature. It was comprehensive, not just with metropolitan forecasts but also forecasts for each region in NSW. I remember that country editions had less details for the metropolitan region and was tailored more specifically to them. A great balance between visuals and text and also kept a great record of weather observations for Sydney. This was published on September 23 1998. 

While these are samples, I will have to produce another set in the future but at least this gives us a general idea of how our newspapers have presented the weather.