Clear Skies: Weather Museum Opens in Houston
Friday, April 21, 2006
By: Jack Williams

It's the first of its kind in the nation, a museum dedicated specifically to weather, and it's opening tomorrow here in Houston. Here's more from Houston Public Radio's Jack Williams.

Click to Listen

The John C. Freeman Weather Museum is not far from others in Houston's museum district, but offers a unique look at something that affects nearly everyone, the city's weather. Jill Hasling is the museum's executive director.

"I don't think there's any other weather museum in the nation. There's a lot of museums with weather exhibits, but this is the only museum dedicated to weather."

Hasling's father, Dr. John Freeman, came up with the idea for a museum dedicated to weather and meteorology and collected old forecasting equipment that's now on display at the museum. She says Houstonians are used to unusual weather.

"I think everyone is acutely aware of the weather, especially down here on the Gulf Coast, especially after last year's hurricane season, plus the heat that we get and the the severe weather, for example this morning, with the storms that blew through. In this area, everyone understands the weather and we want to tell them how they can save their lives and property."

Bill Read is the meteorologist in charge at the Houston-Galveston office of the National Weather Service and says weather offers a wide array of subject matter for a museum like the one that opens tomorrow.

"It's a very visual and hands-on kind of science, so there's quite a bit of things and it's very unique through history, so they can expand into areas of weather events and how they've affected world history, things like that, so there's all kinds of room for growth in a museum of this nature."

The John C. Freeman Weather Museum is located at 5104 Caroline.