William C. Redfield

American meteorologist

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

William C. Redfield was an American meteorologist who made significant contributions to understanding storms. In 1831, he observed fallen trees after a New England hurricane and proposed that the wind flow in these storms was a rotary, counterclockwise circulation around a center of low pressure. This observation helped resolve a major debate in meteorology regarding the relationship between wind and low-pressure systems, known as cyclones. Redfield also identified that hurricanes are generated between the Equator and the tropics and tend to veer eastward as they enter westerly winds around 30° N latitude. His work laid important groundwork for modern weather forecasting methods.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Earth sciences
Observation and study of storms
…established by the American meteorologist William C. Redfield in the case of the September hurricane that struck New England in 1821. He noted that in central Connecticut the trees had been toppled toward the northwest, whereas some 80 kilometres westward they had fallen in the opposite direction. Redfield identified the…
Read More
…established by the American meteorologist William C. Redfield in the case of the September hurricane that struck New England in 1821. He noted that in central Connecticut the trees had been toppled toward the northwest, whereas some 80 kilometres westward they had fallen in the opposite direction. Redfield identified the…
Read More

weather forecasting
Analysis of synoptic weather reports
William Redfield, a self-taught meteorologist from Middletown, Conn., noticed the pattern of fallen trees after a New England hurricane and suggested in 1831 that the wind flow was a rotary counterclockwise circulation around the centre of lowest pressure. The American meteorologist James P. Espy subsequently…
Read More
William Redfield, a self-taught meteorologist from Middletown, Conn., noticed the pattern of fallen trees after a New England hurricane and suggested in 1831 that the wind flow was a rotary counterclockwise circulation around the centre of lowest pressure. The American meteorologist James P. Espy subsequently…
Read More