Originally published by AP News · Written by Laura Martin Agudelo & Alex Megerle, MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing · April 29, 2026
AP News and the MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing published a feature on Blue Hill Observatory & Science Center, spotlighting the 141-year tradition of daily weather observation that makes the station one of the most scientifically valuable climate records in the country.
The piece follows chief weather observer Matthew Douglas through his daily routine atop the tower — emerging through the roof hatch to read a glass sunshine recorder, mercury thermometers, and hygrometers that use human hair to measure moisture, many of them unchanged since the observatory opened in 1885.
“The only thing that changes are the numbers and the weather itself.”
— Matthew Douglas, Chief Weather Observer
Executive Director Alex Evans is also quoted in the article, explaining why the unbroken consistency of instruments and location is so critical: any change in the data can be trusted to reflect real shifts in climate, not changes in equipment or method.
The story is part of AP’s ongoing climate science coverage and draws on BHO’s role as a living laboratory — one that continues to fill gaps in modern weather forecasting and climate research that automated sensors alone cannot replicate.
