February Chat
Weather its rain, snow or sun, the Hagers-town Town and Country Almanack has you covered! The Waynesboro Historical Society hosted its monthly Chat on Saturday, February 16 at the Oller House, with Mount St. Mary’s Professor and Almanack Weather Prognosticator Bill O'Toole facilitating.
Born in Waynesboro, and now living in close-by Emmitsburg, MD, O'Toole has been predicting the weather and calculating astronomical data for detailed calendar pages for The Almanack since 1969. Over his 40+ year tenure as prognosticator, he has developed his own 'unique technique'; based upon traditional methods of solar and lunar charting that have been handed down over the years as well as advanced computer software that O'Toole custom developed for his purposes. As a result, his level of accuracy of predicting the nature of the weather rivals most meteorological experts and even the National Weather Service – and remember that all of his calculations and predictions are made up to 14 months in advance!
It was a lovely Chat, and the Oller House was filled with wonderful conversation in a causal yet educational atmosphere. He was able to answer a variety of questions – from the history of the Almanack to global warming: “The population of the Earth is 7.7 billion…this has to have an affect (on weather),” he responded.
The almanac has been in print since 1797, as established by John Gruber. It is the second oldest in the United States, the oldest being the Farmer’s Almanac.
The pictures provided by Pat Fleagle capture his calm-storm passion for weather.
The Society will host the next Chat on Saturday, March 9 from 10am until 11am, focusing on Waynesboro Genealogy. The Chats are free and open to the public, held at the Oller House at 138 West Main Street.