Hi all – How did you get current reference temps and other variables for your town before the web? I mean if you, or anyone, wanted to know the official temperature reading right now, or maybe within the last hour. I like to have comparison estimates for my own gear. Also for the majority of people who don't have any gear, what did they do, say in the 1980s?
I think I remember "weather hotlines" when I was a kid, but I'm hazy on it. They were phone numbers. I'm not sure how up to the minute they were. Were they free? Did newspapers report retroactive stats, like yesterday's highs and lows? At least then you'd be able to refer back and compare to your readings.