‘Inigo Jones’s Forecast,’ Wodonga and Towong Sentinel, 26 January 1940, 2.
Transcript: In a forecast bulletin issued by Mr Inigo Jones… the prediction is made that drought conditions will prevail until April, 1940, that there will be thunderstorms and heavy rains in late March and April; that there will be heat waves early in January and rain about February 12, the last one breaking up with a series of storms. Only a little rain is anticipated locally.
Story:
Unfavourable weather and low rainfall had long fuelled public interest in the enigma of broader climate patterns, making it a popular theme in newspapers.32 During the Federation Drought, the long-term forecasts and narrative articles of controversial meteorologist, Clement Wragge, had featured prominently in media reports. At the time of the WW11 drought (1937-45), climate patterns continued to poorly understood and the long range forecasts of farmer and meteorologist Inigo Jones achieved similar popularity. While Jones’ predictions were scientifically discredited, they were given weight by many in the farming community and were widely printed in regional newspapers.