Who invented the weather vane? Is it still important in weather forecasting?
While its invention cannot be traced to any one individual, the earliest recorded weather vane dates back to the first century B.C. The first American weather vane maker was Shem Drowne, who made weather vanes in the early 1700s. Weather vanes are still important instruments in forecasting the weather. Part of forecasting future weather is knowing what is going on in the present, and that includes knowing the direction from which the wind is blowing both at the surface of the Earth and higher up in the atmosphere. Weather vanes are part of the instrument packages at surface observing stations as well as those attached to weather balloons that are launched into the atmosphere to gather data. Learn more about weather vanes on this USA TODAY resource page.
