Predicting Weather with a Storm Glass?
What is a Storm Glass? Long before the popular TV source RTÉ – and even further back, before the 17th century—people relied on keen observation to predict the weather. Changes in cloud formations or wind direction were often key natural indicators of what was to come. What is a storm glass? A storm glass is a glass container that is sealed and filled with water and chemicals, and demonstrates a chemical process of crystallisation. The storm glass was used to predict weather changes based on the appearance of the crystals inside the container. What is it made of? The liquid in a storm glass is a mixture of various ingredients, often containing distilled water, ethanol, camphor, ammonium chloride, and potassium nitrate. Who Invented the Storm Glass? The credit goes to Robert FitzRoy, an English Meteorologist and Officer of the Royal Navy. Although a device similar to this was already developed…