The accuracy of weather predictions has obviously increased due to technology.  However there are "other" methods that are still used. Years ago, on the Canadian prairie, pig farmer, Gus Wickstrom initiated and continued a tradition handed down to him from his Swedish great-great-grandfather. His weather predictions were accomplished by examining  pig spleens. Wickstrom believed that the depressions and fatty deposits on a two-foot-long pig spleen determined the weather that included cold snaps, summer warmth and early autumns. Gus believed that 80% of the time, his forecast was accurate for a 200-mile radius from the point where the pig was slaughtered.  Another pig spleen examiner, Ken Porter, compared previous spleen forecasts with Environment Canada weather reports. Both forecasters have gone "hog-wild" with amazing accuracies.