Foundations of the Met Office

FitzRoy was a skilled hydrographic surveyor and is often better known as the Captain of HMS Beagle during her circumnavigation of the globe with naturalist Charles Darwin.

FitzRoy was recommended to take on the post of Meteorological Statist to the Board of Trade by Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort FRS, who, like FitzRoy, was a naval hydrographer with a strong interest in meteorology.

At the Board of Trade, FitzRoy immediately started the process of collecting marine observations and analysing the wind direction data in Royal Naval ship logs.

FitzRoy was building on the complex charts designed by Matthew Maury. FitzRoy used Maury's data and his own analysis to produce a new version.

Instead of each ten degree square holding a complex arrangement of numbers, FitzRoy used a graphical indication of prevailing wind direction not unlike a modern wind rose. On his charts he was also able to add information on currents and rainfall.

This illustration is from FitzRoy's Weather Book. Here, he covered all aspects of meteorology as he understood them in 1863 and coined the term "forecast" for scientific weather prediction.

The Royal Charter Gale was the most severe storm to hit the Irish Sea in the 19th century. The storm depression was first noted in the Bay of Biscay near Cape Finisterre on the 24th of October. The centre progressed slowly northwards over Britain from Cornwall to the Yorkshire Coast during the 25th and 26th.

These extracts from re-analysis modelling of the event show the approximate track of the storm based on the limited available data.

Observations were collected from coastal sites around the British and French coasts. The telegraph network was used to transmit data to the Meteorological Office in London where it was analysed and warnings issued if needed. Without the telegraph network, the system could not have worked fast enough to enable effective warnings.

Gale warning signals were designed to appear the same from all angles in order to avoid confusion and were to be hung from a high point where they could be seen by ships in harbour and those nearby the coasts.

Visibility took precedence over convenience and some signal masts were located a reasonable distance from the telegraph office where notification to hoist the warning would have been received.

The first recorded gale warning was issued on 5 February 1861, but was ignored on the Tyne and loss of life resulted, so future warnings were heeded.

The earliest surviving notification of a gale warning 'hoist drum' is from 11 March 1861. The effectiveness of the warnings was rapidly and very widely recognised.

FitzRoy knew that his gale warnings could only reach larger ports with a telegraph office. To reduce loss of life among the smaller fishing communities, he worked with instrument makers Negretti and Zambra to produce a Storm Barometer, also known as a Fishery Barometer.

The barometer was designed to be easy to read and included short rhymes to aid fishing communities interpret the movement of the mercury. The barometers saved countless lives.

FitzRoy became a hero across the maritime communities where his warnings saved lives among fishermen, lifeboat crews and merchant shipping. He was also aware that the population as a whole could benefit from advanced notice of the weather and proposed starting a forecasting service for the general public.

This is his draft for the first published Public Weather Forecast.

The first Public Weather Forecast was printed in The Times on 1 August 1861. Weather observations for the preceding day had been published among the reviews and advertisements for some time, so the forecast was added to this small section.