Weather Water Cooler

Now that the groundhog has *ahem* gone back into the shadows, we can return to looking back to the other weather prognosticators (squirrely or otherwise). February 5 is the birthday of John Jeffries, one of the earliest weather observers in what was about to become the United States.

From our friends at Wikipedia:

John Jeffries (February 5, 1744 – September 16, 1819)^[2] was a Boston physician, scientist, and a military surgeon with the British Army in Nova Scotia and New York during the American Revolution. Born in Boston, Jeffries graduated from Harvard College and obtained his medical degree at the University of Aberdeen. He is best known for accompanying Jean-Pierre Blanchard on his 1785 balloon flight across the English Channel. Dr. Jeffries also played a large role in the trial for the Boston Massacre as a witness for the defense.^[3] He was the surgeon for Patrick Carr,^[4] who was one of the Americans shot during that incident.

Jeffries is also credited with being among America’s first weather observers. He began taking daily weather measurements in 1774 in Boston, as well as taking weather observations in a balloon over London in 1784. National Weatherperson’s Day is celebrated in his honor on February 5, his birthday.^[5] The Archives and Special Collections at Amherst College holds a collection of his papers, including a letter he dropped from the balloon during his historic flight, considered the oldest piece of airmail in existence.^[6]

He lived in England from 1776 to 1790 and return to private practice until his death in Boston in 1819. His son John Jeffries II (1796-1876) was an ophthalmic surgeon and co-founded the Massachusetts Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary.

Two other men were who were also weather observers are much more well known – Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin also both watched the weather with great interest. If not for the records, observations, theories, and discoveries of these weather observers more than 200 years ago, we wouldn’t have the abilities to forecast the weather that we enjoy today.