The history of the meteorology in Vic and its region, Osona, Spain, has an important legacy of data and information on different phenomena. Since the middle of the nineteenth century there is information in newspapers, newspapers or magazines, but we can also find data in municipal, religious or private sources.
Since the mid-nineteenth century, as of 1847, there is weather data in Vic. The first one, of which we have consistency, was collected until 1866, by Don Clemente Campà, who was a medical practitioner, and devoted himself to collecting temperatures, although it is unknown from where he was doing it.
In 1855, doctor Joaquim Salarich, a man of science and a doctor of profession, collected data and published them (Salarich, J. 1854. Memory about the morbid cholera epidemic observed in the city of Vich (Memoria acerca del cólera morbo epidémico observado en la ciudad de Vich). To perform his measurements, he used the Réaumur thermometer, and recorded the temperature, wind and atmosphere conditions.
The newspaper El Ausonense publishes some data, from May 2, 1861 to March 29, 1863, in the section “Meteorological Hobbies.” The Echo de la Montaña, in 1863, revives it and publishes until 1868, maintaining the section. In this period ‘Vich’s Misfortunes: October 8, 1863’ (Desgracias de Vich: 8 d’octubre de 1863) also appears. Although it focuses on the effects and consequences of the flood that took place on that day, it also provides meteorological information. Vich’s misfortunes; reve historia de las que causó la avenida del Meder en la madrugada del dia 8 de octubre de 1863, of Df. of A.A.P and DJS (1863), Vich, Printing and library of Soler brothers.
The newspaper El Pueblo Vicense (Miralpeix, C. Op. Cit. P.130) also publishes data sporadically from 1868 to 1869: “Weather conditions.” La Patria (1869), until 1871, collects daily temperatures, from 6 in the morning till 2 afternoon (Réaumur temperatures), and records the state of the atmosphere and winds. In the Diary of Vich 1877, from October 9, 1877 to November 30, 1877, meteorological information appears on the cover, and, therefore, gets much more prominence. The voice of Montserrat, from 1878 to 1902, publishes the weather information entitled ‘Monthly Bulletin of the healthcare state’ (“Bol.letí mensual de l’estat sanitari”).
It is interesting, from the meteorological point of view, that from 1894 to 1896, meteorological data from the Azucarera de Vich was already incorporated. The installation of the observatory is described in the same newspaper: “La Sucreria de Vich has set up a meteorological observatory and this week we have been aware of the daily variations that occurred from day 1 to 12 of the current. From next issue, we will publish the result of these observations that are useful and curious every week “(The voice of Montserrat (La veu de Montserrat), January 13, 1894).
In the La plana de Vich, from 1887 to 1889, with the title “Meteorological observations”, observations about the state of the clouds appear, but we do not have certainty from where these observations were made. From 1855 until the beginning of the 20th century, information appears in different publications that are of great interest. Parallel to these publications, from 1885 to 1887 there is rainfall data recorded by M. Garcia and V. Gimeno in the San Francisco street (February, J. 1930- Memories Paxot, vol, 1. Atlas Pluviomètric de Catalunya, Barcelona Institució Paxot ).
Father Manuel Cazador i Lopez, from June 30, 1897, founded the observatory of the Roser School in Sant Julià de Vilatorta, which operated without interruption until 1956, the year in which he died . He was an investigator in the field of agriculture, radio and meteorology, and made daily observations of weather. He became the first meteoric forcaster that used remote sensing.
Josep Pratdesaba was born in Vic on August 6, 1870. He was a collaborator of Dr. Fontserè, founded the installation of the Montseny meteorological observatory, and in 1913 founded the meteorological station of the Marist Brothers of Vic , located on the street of Gurb, in the current Museum of Leather.
From 1914 to 1936, the Pluviometric Network of Catalonia (la Red Pluviométrica de Cataluña), controlled by the Astronomical Society of Barcelona (SAP) (la Sociedad Astronómica de Barcelona), collected the data from Vic.
In 1923 Eduard Fontserè and the father Cazador were responsible for mounting the observatory network of the region, which allowed quantifying the thermal inversion in the plain of Vic (“The thermal anomaly of the Plana de Vic”). From 1933 until 1944 Joan Blancafort, of Balmesiana Typography (Tipografia Balmesiana), collected the minimum winter temperatures.
In 1939, after the Civil War, Pratdesaba and the Marist brothers continued their work. In 1950 Llucià Riubrogent Bosc began as a man of weather at Ràdio Vic. Until 1976 he relayed the meteorological information; Every day, he obtained data from the Camprodon ring road and he maintained collaborations with Josep Pratdesaba, who was publishing his scientific work.
Mossèn Manuel Serinadell i Mir, a pupil of Pratdesaba, began his observations in 1961 at the observatory located on Carrer de Sant Cristòfol, called Carrer Estret. With the comparison they could observe that there were differences between the two observatories. The measures were recorded in sheets of the INM (National Institute of Meteorology). Mossèn Manel Serinadell, popularly known as Mossèn ‘Have fun’ (Mossèn “Passi-ho-bé”), in 1984, established collaborations with TV3 and was the founder of the Astronomy Group of Osona (l’Agrupació Astronòmica d’Osona). In 1991, he started collaborating with Manel Dot i Arnau, who took charge of Vic’s weather station in 2000.
The Astronomical Grouping of Osona (AAO) was founded in 1986, coinciding with the visit of the Halley comet to the Earth’s vicinity.
In 1992, the meteorological network with Manel Serinadell and Manel Dot was reactivated and the Osona Meteorological Network (XMO) (la Xarxa Meteorològica d’Osona) was created, together with the Catalan Association of Meteorological Observatories (ACOM) (l’Associació Catalana d’Observatoris Meteorològics), the University of Barcelona (UB) the Territorial Meteorological Center of Catalonia (INM), the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (SMC) (el Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya), and the Meteorological Center of Osona (CMO) (el Centre Meteorològic d’Osona). Since that year, nine referenced towns have been measured and, currently, there are already thirty-eight manual observatories distributed throughout the region, from which a monthly and annual meteorological summary is elaborated that can be consulted on the Infomet website. This task is coordinated by Manel Dot and Anna Jiménez. In 2000, Manel Dot took over the weather station on Carrer Estret de Vic, and since 2002, data on the sports zone station is obtained.
The activity that Agrupació Astronòmica d’Osona has dedicated to meteorology is very remarkable, which has given it a great projection, with the collaboration of many observers from different municipalities of the region and the participation of different partners of the ‘Catalan Association of Meteorological Observers (ACOM). Years ago the Group has installed an Weather Monitor II weather station with Weatherlink, whose readings are accessible to the public through the website of the Association.
In 2010, the City Council of Vic, from the Department of the Environment, took charge of the project to scale and publicize the weather station of the sports zone and the Meteorological Network of Osona. Consequently, the meteorological data of the city of Vic, from 1993 until now, are digitized, and this section is launched on the Environment site, on the website of the City Council of Vic.
