February 5 is National Weatherperson's Day

(WAND) - The day of the year for meteorologists is February 5, which is National Weatherperson's Day.

John Jeffries' birthday is the reason why National Weatherperson's Day is celebrated on February 5.

He is considered America's 1st weatherman and is one of America's first weather observers. His profession is both of a physician & surgeon, who sided with the British during the Revolutionary War.

His contributions to meteorology began in 1774, by taking weather observations every day in Boston, before fleeing to Nova Scotia in 1776. He did eventually return to America in 1780; where he was listed in the Massachusetts Banishment Act before moving to London.

Jefferies would later take weather observations from a balloon in 1784. He did this by flying at 9,000 feet over London with a thermometer, barometer & hygrometer on the flight. His biggest achievement would be in 1785, when he & French inventor Jean-Pierre Blanchard became the 1st two people to fly across the English Channel in a balloon. He returned to Boston in 1790 despite the ban & recorded daily weather observations through 1816, before dying in 1819.

February 5 is an important day, where we thank all men and women for their contributions to weather. This ranges from the National Weather Service who provide forecasts & warnings to private companies who interpret NWS data to customize a forecast for a specific sector of business such as oil or aviation. Also, broadcast meteorologists who relay the alerts from the NWS during inclement weather but also our trusted & visible faces of weather; along with storm chasers who risk their lives to go inside of storm. Lastly, we have emergency management and local volunteers who provide measurements and storm reports.