RESEARCH TIP — OLD WEATHER MAPS — 1871 to the Present — Often when I’m investigating some matter I need to know something about weather conditions on some long-ago day. This was the case when I researched the Greenwood Railroad Disaster for a presentation at the town library. On Dec 2, 1903, a day that a blinding snowstorm raged across Delaware, a freight train with a dangerous cargo headed south toward Cape Charles. But with whiteout conditions occurring as the locomotive eased into Greenwood, it struck another engine standing on the tracks.
This depiction shows the forecast for the morning of Dec 2, 1903. These products have been prepared daily since Jan 1, 1871. You may find this extended series helpful when you are looking into something. Here’s the link to the digital library of old weather maps from NOAA.
Source: NOAA Central Library Data Imaging Project — available online with free access
