Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory - History of Its Operations

History of Its Operations

Under Rotch's leadership, the Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory quickly became famous for its pioneering studies of the upper atmosphere. The study of cloud heights, directions and velocities that Rotch carried out at the Blue Hill Observatory made significant contributions to the knowledge of clouds in the early years of this century.

Rotch continued to work at the Blue Hill Observatory until his death on April 7, 1912. Under the terms of his will, the observatory was given to Harvard University with an endowment of $50,000 for operating costs. Harvard operated the observatory until 1971 when it disassociated itself from the site. The Rotch endowment was kept by Harvard.

After 1912, the Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory continued to operate as an active meteorological observatory. Weather observations and recordings have continued to this day, providing modern meteorologists with a record of uninterrupted climatological observations that is unique in the world.

Since these recordings were obtained from the same site with virtually no environmental change, they provide an important index to climate change. This information is of special importance to students of climatic change, in an age where so many weather records are flawed by environmental and procedural changes, and by repeated moves of the observing site over a number of years. For this reason, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration designated the Blue Hill Observatory one of 26 International Benchmark stations within the United States.

During the 1950s, the site housed a research group that used radar to scan approaching thunder storms as far away as western New York State, as part of an inquiry into the causes of lightning. Findings by this group were instrumental in the development of the US weather radar program. The installation consisted of a steel tower supporting a second-hand military radar set, several Quonset huts and box trailers, surrounded by a chain-link fence. Group members were on call to monitor the radar whenever severe storms could be observed. Data were also collected from a network of amateur co-operative observers who corresponded by mail. This era coincided with the end of the long career of the famous Director of the Observatory, Dr. Charles Brooks, said to be one of the few who accurately forecast the path of the destructive Hurricane of September, 1938.