Too Near for Dreams: Exploring the Life of Cleveland Abbe

In an age when weather forecasts are as accessible as a smartphone, it's easy to forget there was a time when reliable predictions based on the systematic collection of observations did not exist. In 1869, a thirty-year-old astronomer named Cleveland Abbe changed that when he established a system for creating daily weather forecasts, first while director of the Cincinnati Observatory and later as a civilian employee of the newly established forecast and storm warning division of the U.S. Army Signal Service.

This presentation will explore the research into Abbe's life and career that went into writing the new biography of Cleveland Abbe, published by the AMS. It will discuss some of the challenges encountered in piecing together Abbe's life from a variety of sources and shine a light on some of lesser-known aspects of the life of America's first weather forecaster.