General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

4

Total Parts

4

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Paper

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

61.5 cm

Width

50.5 cm

Height

N/A

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Meteorology

Category

Archives

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Environment CA

Country

Canada

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Unknown

Period

1980

Canada

An example of a weather map used at the Ontario Weather Centre. An item from a large collection of meteorological instruments used by the Meteorological Service of Canada (previously Atmospheric Environment Service) and acquired by the CSTM since 1967. MSC is the government agency responsible for collecting and disseminating meteorological data and forecasts in Canada. It was founded in 1871 in Toronto where it is still headquartered. The MSC was originally on the University of Toronto downtown campus but moved to Downsview in 1971 on land owned by UofT. The headquarters houses laboratories, research facilities and calibration and instrument maintenance facilities (now largely contracted out).

Function

A hand-coloured map showing observations made of surface weather conditions in Canada.

Technical

Since weather is three dimensional, there are both surface and upper-air weather maps. This map shows observations for surface weather. Surface weather maps are plotted on a constant altitude surface so that air-pressure readings taken at stations at different elevations can be compared. Often, meteorologists shows air-pressure readings at sea level. The maps show low and high pressure centres through isobars. They also show fronts and weather observing station information, such as temperature, dewpoint temperature, wind speed, and direction on wind barbs and air pressure. See also wind scale 2009.0129. Machine plotted maps replaced hand-plotted maps in major forecast centres before the 1980s. Hand analysed maps, like this one, were replaced by machine analysed ones not long after.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

Black lettering reading 'SURFACE ANALYSIS/ APRIL 30 1980 1800Z/ ONTARIO WEATHER CENTRE/ O.W.C. COMPUTER CENTRE/ ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT SERVICE'

Missing

Appears complete

Finish

White with black printed map of Canada and hand inscribed weather notations

Decoration

N/A