History and current state of meteorological measurements and observations in the Jeseníky region
Authors:   Český hydrometeorologický ústav, Řepka Miroslav , Lipina Pavel ,   Český hydrometeorologický ústav, Šustková Veronika ,   Český hydrometeorologický ústav
Published: January 2025

The oldest known mention of meteorological observations in the area of interest is from 1816 Frývaldov (German: Freiwaldau, today’s town of Jeseník). Between 1840 and 1845, Dr. Heinisch observed the weather in the Karlova Studánka municipality. In 1851, the Central Institute for Meteorology and Earth Magnetism was founded in Vienna, which, however, was more important for the region of Bohemia. The foundation of the Natural Research Society in 1861 in Brno by Johann Gregor Mendel contributed to the enlargement of the meteorological station network in northern Moravia. The result of the activities of this association was, for example, the station of a meteorological station in Šumperk, established in 1865. One of the oldest meteorological stations with available meteorological data in the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute is the Bernartice station near Javorník at the foothills of the Rychleby Mountains (1848–1946). Another organization that had an influence on the development of meteorological stations in the Jeseníky Mountains region was the Hydrographic Commission for the Kingdom of Bohemia and especially its Ombrometric Section (1875). In 1876, observations began in Heřmanovice, Holčovice, Jeseník and Vrbno pod Pradědem. The Razová station has been observing since 1877, and the observation from Rýmařov has been preserved since 1879. Since 1881, meteorological observations have been carried out in Albrechtice near Rýmařov, in Branná or in Dětřichov, and in 1883 records from the first peak station on Králický Sněžník are also available (although only from a few years). A greater increase in the number of meteorological stations occurred in 1895 (13 new stations in the Jeseníky Mountains) as a result of the establishment of the k. k. Central hydrographic office at the Ministry of the Interior in Vienna (1893). Shortly after the floods in Moravia in July 1997, on September 15, 1997, the operation of the highest professional meteorological station in the Czech Republic at Praděd was terminated. Since January 1, 2004, the professional station at Šerák has been in operation. On October 27, 2019, an automatic weather station was established under the peak of Králický Sněžník at an altitude of 1,402m above sea level. On September 23, 2022, the automated weather station Nové Heřminovy was put into operation. The owner of the station is the Povodí Odry Enterprise. Since 2020, the Forestry and Game Management Research Institute has been operating an EMS Brno automated weather station in Švýcárna. The CHMI managed to establish cooperation with the Institute, and we use the data from this station to prepare climatological characteristic of the top parts of the Jeseníky Mountains. The installation of new snow measuring stations at Malý Děd and Pod Jelení studánkou took place in June 2024. These two stations thus complemented the ASNS type station (so-called snow measuring pillow, i.e. snow measuring sensor and “pillow”) for measuring water content of the total snow cover on Klepáčov, which has been operating since 2011. Since 2018, the CHMI regional office in Ostrava has operated several additional stations with air temperature measurements in the Jeseníky Mountains (Červenohorské sedlo, Dlouhé Stráně lower reservoir, Rejvíz, and Alfrédova myslivna) and from 2023, in cooperation with amateur meteorologists, three measurements in frosty locations (Heřmanovice, Moravský Kočov, Moravský Beroun). There are around 100 locations within an area of interest of the Jeseníky Mountains where meteorological stations with various observation programs existed or still exist. Currently, there are 41 stations under the management of the CHMI, Ostrava regional office.