How Do I Get Old Synoptic Charts?

[BadBrain]

Hey, you've already guessed that I'm looking into the Lake Michigan/Southern Lake Huron Firestorms of October 8th-9th, 1871.

I need to get the synoptic charts for this region for the period 7 October through 12 October 1871. Can anyone tell me how to get these materials?

[davenn]

have you queried your local met office ?
They may have archived data, but it may be hard copy rather than on computer

would be interesting to know if they even had synoptic charts that far back

Dave

[BadBrain]

They did have them back then. I think I once heard that they were compiled by collecting weather reports from Weather Bureau offices and telegraphers.

I'll try looking at newspapers of the time, seeing as I live one block away from a library that has complete collections of newspapers on microfilm going back to before the Civil War.