Two USAF Air Weather Service meteorologists learn how to predict tornado development. Within three years, the Joint Numerical Weather Prediction Unit is turning out routine computer forecasts, which prove 35 percent accurate. The first meteorological satellite sensor is launched. 1966 Geostationary satellite goes into orbit 22,000 miles over the equator, sending the first full views of Earth. Satellite cloud pictures are used during TV forecasts, with weather forecasters drawing highs, lows and fronts by hand.
Computer graphics allow color images and animation in weather forecasts.
1990s Doppler radar, developed during World War II and improved through the 1970s, is installed at National Weather Service stations nationwide. Ultimately, they limit our ability to predict. I am a meteorologist trained in physics who has been forecasting the weather on TV for 30 years, and I still need to begin my workday many hours before I go on the air. I'm also guided by local climatological statistics and geographic variables. I rely, too, on my decades of experience.