Weatherwatch: From Astrology to Modern Meteorology

Published: 11 September 2025 | The English Chronicle Online

Weather forecasting, now considered one of the most advanced applications of modern science, has surprisingly mystical origins. Long before satellites and supercomputers, predictions about the atmosphere were drawn not from observation of winds and clouds, but from the movements of planets and stars.

The mathematician and astronomer Ptolemy of Alexandria, working in the second century, was one of the first to formalize this practice. Renowned for his contributions to astronomy, Ptolemy ventured further by attempting to link planetary motions with weather outcomes. This system, known as astrometeorology, claimed that celestial bodies influenced atmospheric conditions, and that their alignments could be calculated to forecast storms, sunshine, and rain.

For centuries, scholars across Europe clung to this method. Part of its endurance was rooted in what today would be recognized as confirmation bias—people remembered the accurate predictions but quickly forgot or excused the failures. What seemed convincing, therefore, was often little more than coincidence.

Astrometeorology was described by its practitioners as a harmless form of natural magic, distinct from darker occult practices. Yet as suspicion toward astrology and supernatural arts grew, so too did skepticism toward weather prediction by planetary movement. The Witchcraft Act of 1735 eventually made all forms of divination by magical means—including weather forecasting—illegal in Britain.

By the time the Met Office was established in 1854, the law was still technically in force, but meteorology had already begun to distinguish itself from its mystical roots. Predictions were grounded in systematic observation, barometric readings, and, later, advances in physics and atmospheric science. Unlike earlier forecasters, meteorologists could pursue their work without fear of accusations of witchcraft or persecution.

Yet Ptolemy’s astrological weather system never entirely vanished. Even today, its remnants survive in the form of popular almanacs that claim to offer year-ahead forecasts based on celestial alignments. While mainstream science rejects such methods, their persistence reflects humanity’s enduring desire to find patterns in the skies and impose order on the unpredictability of nature.

From Ptolemy’s tables to the Met Office’s data models, the story of weather forecasting illustrates not only the progress of science but also the resilience of old beliefs, lingering at the edges of modernity like clouds refusing to fully disperse.