Comparative weather data was gathered at Fort William -f irst by the schoolmaster and then from July 1890 at the purpose-built low level observatory. Observations were also made at intermediate stations - huts build on the mountain path and equipped with observing equipment.Ben Nevis Fort William Low Level Observatory.
This comparative data helped to put the mountain top observations into context so that the observers and the wider scientific community could undertand how extreme and how different conditions could be at altitude. For example it will always be windier on mountain top sites than at any other location.