Our
Town: Alto's weather and its history
and the current weather for Alto, Texas
and the current weather for Alto, Texas
Currently at the Water Tower
in Alto, Texas
Sky and Clouds: Fair
Temperature: 77.0 F (25.2 C)
Heat Index:
Relative Humidity: 46%
Barometric Pressure: 30.02
Wind: Calm
Last Updated on Sep 4 2010, 8:45 pm CDT
Time of This Posting:
Saturday, September 4th, 2010 9:41 PM
in Alto, Texas
Sky and Clouds: Fair
Temperature: 77.0 F (25.2 C)
Heat Index:
Relative Humidity: 46%
Barometric Pressure: 30.02
Wind: Calm
Last Updated on Sep 4 2010, 8:45 pm CDT
Time of This Posting:
Saturday, September 4th, 2010 9:41 PM
in our
town
The village dwellers didn’t concern themselves too much with the forecasts, but it still seemed only right that the record be kept, so for many, many years there was a rain gauge and a key-wound recording thermometer at the water tower. An unofficial weather committee carefully watched, recorded and reported the temperature and rainfall, emptied the rain gauge, wound the recording mechanism, and replaced the paper disks when necessary. Highs, lows and rainfall were not posted, but anyone who wanted to know just asked the weather trackers.
With the advent of automated techniques, the daily reading and recording of the weather numbers at the water tower went from a meaningful, if not useful community service, to a ritual. As the old timers died off, the group of weathermen grew smaller. Eventually there were days when nobody read the gauges. Then the dirt daubers built a nest in the clockwork mechanism of the recording thermometer, and our village came to the realization that there was nobody still living who knew how to work on–or even clean–the mechanical works in the thermometer. The practice of local record keeping thus ended, but as with all good traditions, weather watching remains a vital part of our culture.
Yes, Virginia, to this day when we talk about the weather in our fair town, we’re talking about the official weather, and that means at the Water Tower--not at city hall, or the post office, or the Red Light. It’s at the Water Tower. And it always will be.
The village dwellers didn’t concern themselves too much with the forecasts, but it still seemed only right that the record be kept, so for many, many years there was a rain gauge and a key-wound recording thermometer at the water tower. An unofficial weather committee carefully watched, recorded and reported the temperature and rainfall, emptied the rain gauge, wound the recording mechanism, and replaced the paper disks when necessary. Highs, lows and rainfall were not posted, but anyone who wanted to know just asked the weather trackers.
With the advent of automated techniques, the daily reading and recording of the weather numbers at the water tower went from a meaningful, if not useful community service, to a ritual. As the old timers died off, the group of weathermen grew smaller. Eventually there were days when nobody read the gauges. Then the dirt daubers built a nest in the clockwork mechanism of the recording thermometer, and our village came to the realization that there was nobody still living who knew how to work on–or even clean–the mechanical works in the thermometer. The practice of local record keeping thus ended, but as with all good traditions, weather watching remains a vital part of our culture.
Yes, Virginia, to this day when we talk about the weather in our fair town, we’re talking about the official weather, and that means at the Water Tower--not at city hall, or the post office, or the Red Light. It’s at the Water Tower. And it always will be.
Technical
note: The weather data presented in the table above was collected at the
Cherokee County Airport, approximately 18 miles NNW of the water tower.
All weather data is provided via live feed from NOAA (National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration).
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on the
farm
There was a time when the farmers and ranchers in East Texas carefully followed the weather forecasts and planned their activities accordingly. To say that the radio and newspaper forecasts were accurate would be a long stretch. In fact, nobody even claimed as much. However, the old timers were methodical with their observations and record keeping. Virtually every farmhouse kitchen had a huge, oversized wall calendar with plenty of space in each day’s square to record the rainfall and the high or low temperature (sometimes both) of the day, depending on the season.
There was a time when the farmers and ranchers in East Texas carefully followed the weather forecasts and planned their activities accordingly. To say that the radio and newspaper forecasts were accurate would be a long stretch. In fact, nobody even claimed as much. However, the old timers were methodical with their observations and record keeping. Virtually every farmhouse kitchen had a huge, oversized wall calendar with plenty of space in each day’s square to record the rainfall and the high or low temperature (sometimes both) of the day, depending on the season.
