Whether or not you believe in climate change, you have to admit the current weather conditions are a bit screwy. Or more like unpredictable and extreme. On Christmas Day it was sunny and relatively warm, meaning I did not have to wear a real winter coat. Did I mention I live in Chicago? Now a few days later it’s sleeting and my skin feels like craters on the moon. I heard down south in Texas there were flash floods and tornadoes and winter storms. What the hell is going on? Something tells me if there was a Weather Machine in every city of the U.S. it would be slightly confused. What’s a Weather Machine, you ask?
Well, in downtown Portland, Oregon there is a spinning bronze contraption that tells you about that specific day’s weather by producing a symbolic icon. I guess people would call it a weather beacon, but instead it’s more like a sculptural art piece because this is Portland we’re talking about. Installed in 1988, it rings out each day at noon with mist and flashing lights and the sound of trumpets playing Fanfare for the Common Man. Then one of three metal symbols rise up from the top of the orb-like pole. If the weather is clear and beautiful, the machine delivers an abstract golden sun; if the weather is transitional or a bit drizzly, the machine produces a blue heron (the official bird of Portland); if the skies have opened and it’s a downpour, a dragon appears. Not only is it a wacky and playful tourist attraction, but it also serves as a kind of clock. When you hear the machine’s trumpet fanfare, you can be pretty certain it’s noon. Who needs an Apple Watch when you can have a Weather Machine?
