Weather beacon

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"Weatherball" redirects here. For the antenna-protecting structure, see Radome.
File:Westpac weather beacon.jpg
Weather beacon barometer atop the Westpac Place building in Sydney

A weather beacon is a beacon that indicates the local weather forecast in a code of colored or flashing lights. Often, a short poem or jingle accompanies the code to make it easier to remember. (example, example 2)

The beacon is usually on the roof of a tall building in a central business district, but some are attached to towers. The beacons are most commonly owned by financial services companies and television stations and are part of advertising and public relations programs. They provide a very basic forecast for the general public and not as an aid to navigation.

In addition to displaying weather forecasts, some weather beacons have been used to signal victory or defeat for a professional sports home team.

History

The first attempt to create a weather beacon as a form of advertising was from Douglas Leigh, who, in 1941, arranged a lighting scheme for the Empire State Building to display a weather forecast code with a decoder to be packaged with Coca-Cola bottles. The plan was never implemented because of the attack on Pearl Harbor later that year.[1] Mr. Leigh resurrected his idea in Minneapolis in October 1949 with the Northwestern National Bank Weatherball.[2]

In Australia, the Mutual Life and Citizens insurance company installed weather beacons atop its buildings in 1957 and '58.[3]

Weather beacons were most popular during the 1950s and '60s.

Similar devices

List of weather beacons

Australia

Austria

  • Wetterleuchtturm, Ringturm, Vienna

Belgium

Canada

Denmark

Finland

Germany

Japan

Turkey

United Kingdom

  • Light Towers Project (Coventry Point, Mercia House, Hillman House), Coventry[27][28][29]
  • Castlemilk Lighting Project, Glasgow

United States

Gallery

  • Brisbane

  • Melbourne

  • Vienna

  • Kitchener

  • Toronto

  • Copenhagen

  • Tampere

  • Aachen

  • Osaka

  • Istanbul

  • Fresno

  • Sacramento

  • San Francisco

  • Des Moines

  • Dubuque

  • New Orleans

  • Boston

  • Flint

  • Grand Rapids

  • Kansas City

  • New York City

  • Syracuse

  • Chicquita Center weather beacon.JPG

    Cincinnati (no longer in use)

  • Portland

  • Pittsburgh

  • Pittsburgh

  • Nashville (no longer functional)

  • Dallas

  • Salt Lake City

  • Walker Center.jpg

    Salt Lake City

  • Milwaukee

Notes

  1. ↑ Manhattan Users Guide
  2. ↑ "Remembering a beloved icon", Northwestern Financial Review
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Federation and Meteorology, Memories of the Bureau, 1946 to 1962, page 1032
  4. ↑ MLC Building, North Sydney
  5. ↑ Photo of Westpac Place: View of the weather beacon displaying its red light panels
  6. ↑ Brisbane's weather beacon: new bulbs needed! :: ABC Brisbane
  7. ↑ Brisbane's Weather Beacon » ABC Brisbane
  8. ↑ Hitachi Building, Brisbane
  9. ↑ Hitachi Building Weather Beacon RIP sur Flickr : partage de photos !
  10. ↑ Weather beacon to be given the flick – Queensland – BrisbaneTimes
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=casRsothePY
  13. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTGwaUziEvQ
  14. ↑ MLC Building, Adelaide
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 303 Collins Street, Melbourne
  17. ↑ "Who's afraid of Red, Green and Blue" – an urban installation by LAb[au] on Brussels Dexia Tower
  18. ↑ Dexiatower
  19. ↑ Coolopolis: Montreal 50s SKYTOWER woot-woot!!!!
  20. ↑ 505 Boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest, Montreal
  21. ↑ 2,640 Colored Bulbs Will Predict Weather, The Gazette, 13 April 1956, p. 23
  22. ↑ Montreal this morning, The Gazette, 14 Jan. 1976, p. 3
  23. ↑ Correction, The Gazette, 17 Jan. 1976, p. 4 (beacon to be demolished, not building)
  24. ↑ STAWAG – Die Wettersäule
  25. ↑ http://www.city.osaka.jp/english/osaka_walking/lv1.html
  26. ↑ Beyazit Tower
  27. ↑ icCoventry – Put that light out!
  28. ↑ Coventry Design Awards 2001 – Three Towers Lighting Project : Hillman House, Corporation Street
  29. ↑ http://www.mondiale.co.uk/mondoarc/coventry/coventry.html
  30. ↑ Mattei Building, Fresno
  31. ↑ News10.net – News10 Weather Tower Key
  32. ↑ http://www.socketsite.com/ORH%20Weather%20Beacon%20Card.jpg
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Orlando Sentinel – History of the Church Street Station Area by
  36. ↑ Bell Savings Building, Chicago
  37. ↑ Clocks of Chicago 1: Bell Federal
  38. ↑ Weather Bell sur Flickr : partage de photos !
  39. ↑ Weather Bell
  40. ↑ Clocks of Chicago 1: Bell Federal Savings
  41. ↑ Memories Of Marina City
  42. ↑ KCCI Weather Beacon – Des Moines Weather News Story – KCCI Des Moines
  43. ↑ Warmer Weather Ahead sur Flickr : partage de photos !
  44. ↑ Colder Weather in Sight sur Flickr : partage de photos !
  45. ↑ Channel 9 KCAU-TV Weather Ball
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ 1952 The Falstaff Weather Ball is First Lit
  48. ↑ http://clarionherald.org/20010301/stall.htm
  49. ↑ The Urban Conservancy › News Roundup › Falstaff Brewery complex sold for $1.1 million (27 Jun 2006)
  50. ↑ Falstaff Brewery – New Orleans Louisiana sur Flickr : partage de photos !
  51. ↑ New Orleans CityBusiness – The Business Newspaper of Metropolitan New Orleans
  52. ↑ New Orleans, Louisiana Daily Photo
  53. ↑ Nostalgia: Falstaff Weather Ball
  54. ↑ Tower shines after 50 years: 10/1/00
  55. ↑ http://www.mlive.com/business/mid-michigan/index.ssf/2013/11/watch_as_two_women_with_strong.html
  56. ↑ http://www.wzzm13.com/weather/weatherball.asp
  57. ↑ Grand Rapids Business Journal – Weather Ball History
  58. ↑ weather ball sur Flickr : partage de photos !
  59. ↑ Valley City Sign
  60. ↑ The Technical History of WEBC Radio: Chapter Five
  61. ↑ New Header
  62. ↑ Guided by History: Weatherball
  63. ↑ MNHS.ORG | Exhibits | Weather Permitting
  64. ↑ History of the NWS in the Twin Cities – At the Airport
  65. ↑ A History of Minneapolis: Banking and Finance
  66. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  67. ↑ MHS Visual Resource Database Image
  68. ↑ http://books.google.com/books?id=Z6k2sY7AeCwC&pg=PA121&dq=weatherball#PPA121,M1
  69. ↑ http://www.kchistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/Askren&CISOPTR=58&CISOBOX=1&REC=7
  70. ↑ http://www.hoachorus.com/harmonotes/Dec05Harmonotes.pdf
  71. ↑ Pershing Building, Kansas City
  72. ↑ http://www.terracottalofts.com/bldghistory.asp
  73. ↑ Blacktie-StLouis | PREMIERE EVENTS | The 8-foot, 1200-pound neon ball sits on top of a 50-foot rotating tower and can be seen over a 10-mile radius when lit
  74. ↑ Terra Cotta Lofts, St. Louis
  75. ↑ Weather Ball 2 sur Flickr : partage de photos !
  76. ↑ Weather Ball sur Flickr : partage de photos !
  77. ↑ US Bank Tower, Billings
  78. ↑ Helena_Last_Chance_Gulch
  79. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  80. ↑ Gothamist: Find Another Weather Forecast
  81. ↑ Mutual of New York Building, New York City
  82. ↑ http://townofmanteo.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={887829A3-F959-42C2-95C7-248BCDF8D423}&DE={82D8218D-C660-4DA1-89F4-E6303D384BA8}
  83. ↑ Burleigh County : General Information
  84. ↑ Bismarck-Mandan Blog – Weather Beacon: been there, done that, got the t-shirt
  85. ↑ Save the Weather Beacon! You can help!
  86. ↑ Chiquita Center, Cincinnati
  87. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  88. ↑ http://books.google.com/books?id=4dz2XwSzSKEC&pg=PA23&lpg=PA23&dq=%22weather+beacon%22+%22oklahoma+city%22&source=web&ots=Wc-AsNw0-b&sig=6GVF-IjtOoYxsQG8muL2OKXZ7uU#PPA23,M1
  89. ↑ Tulsa TV Weather
  90. ↑ Tulsa Historical Society | Learn | Exhibits | Historic Sites
  91. ↑ 320 S. Boston 3 sur Flickr : partage de photos !
  92. ↑ http://www.pdxmagazine.com/Nov_issue_06.pdf
  93. ↑ Standard Insurance Plaza, Portland
  94. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  95. ↑ Downtown Portland from our window by Gallun : Weather Underground
  96. ↑ officeflowers sur Flickr : partage de photos !
  97. ↑ http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/default.aspx?pageId=47
  98. ↑ New twist on an old landmark – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
  99. ↑ Gulf Building, Pittsburgh
  100. ↑ http://www.cparchives.com/archive.cfm?type=You%20Had%20to%20Ask&action=getComplete&ref=2497
  101. ↑ http://www.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=126076
  102. ↑ http://www.co.berks.pa.us/commissioners/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=490871
  103. ↑ http://www.topix.net/content/kri/1954371012356518807938181913012655219491
  104. ↑ US Bank Building, Sioux Falls
  105. ↑ [1]
  106. ↑ [2]
  107. ↑ 28 January 2007 – Provident: a Beacon in the Chattanooga Community – Memories – Chattanoogan.com
  108. ↑ Maclellan Building, Chattanooga
  109. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  110. ↑ http://www.cardcow.com/21559/life-and-casualty-tower-nashville-us-state-town-views-tennessee-nashville/
  111. ↑ http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-mercantileclock_13met.ART.State.Edition1.454c55b.html
  112. ↑ http://www.snarkymalarkey.com/?p=415
  113. ↑ Mercantile clock to tick once again | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Steve Brown | Real Estate | Business Columnist | Dallas Morning News
  114. ↑ The Center for American History
  115. ↑ ImageShack – Hosting :: 6006032fa.jpg
  116. ↑ Travis Tower, Houston
  117. ↑ ImageShack – Hosting :: 6006085yc.jpg
  118. ↑ http://www.wxresearch.org/newsletter/FALL95.TXT
  119. ↑ SixFlagsHouston.com | Photos :: Historical Photos :: globe
  120. ↑ Drury Plaza Hotel River Walk, San Antonio, Texas
  121. ↑ Drury Plaza Hotel- San Antonio Riverwalk, San Antonio
  122. ↑ KSL 5 Eyewitness Weather Tower at Trolley Square – Utah News from KSL-TV, Salt Lake City, Utah
  123. ↑ http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695216239,00.html
  124. ↑ ksl.com – Historic weather tower lights up skyline
  125. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  126. ↑ JS Online: Galvin envisioned weather flame on old Gas Co. building
  127. ↑ Wisconsin Gas Building sur Flickr : partage de photos !
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