The Flint weather ball has been a fixture of the city for over 60 years. Sitting 70 feet up on the top of the Huntington Bank building, the 1956 icon weighs 5000 pounds. During dark hours, the fiberglass ball was illuminated with neon lighting, corresponding to the weather forecast.
Most of these weather forecasters were constructed in the 1950s and 60s and consisted of weather balls, bells, beacons and towers. They were placed atop banks, radio and TV stations, or in other prominent locations looking to make an impact on the skyline.
When it was first lit, the weather ball sat atop what was then the Citizens Bank building. The letters under the structure changed from "CB" to "HB" in 2018, when Huntington Bank took over the building.
The ball has been renovated several times over the years, including for its 65th anniversary, when the old neon lights were replaced with energy efficient LED lighting.
The weather ball has its own poem to remember the coming weather.
"When the Weather Ball is red, higher temperatures ahead.
When the Weather Ball is blue, lower temperatures are due.
Yellow light in the Weather Ball means there will be no change at all.
When it blinks in agitation, means there will be precipitation."
Last year, for the first time, it went pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
To claim this cache: No need to send a message. Just please post a photo of your group or a personal item with the Weather Ball in the background and describe what the weather is at the time of your visit. If the ball is not lit, according to the poem, what color do you think it would be?
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Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.