National Weather Service history

Cleveland Abbe, the director of the Cincinnati Observatory, is appointed Assistant to the Chief Signal Officer of the Signal Service on January 3, 1871.

Consistent temperature records began in August 1872.

In order to keep consistent time among the reporting stations, he divides the nation into four standard time zones, which are adopted by the railroad companies in 1883 and later implemented nationally.

In late 1889, Senator William Bate of Tennessee introduces Senate Bill S. 1454 to transfer the Signal Service from the Army to the Department of Agriculture.

On October 1, 1890, President Benjamin Harrison signs the act that will transfer the meteorological responsibilities of the Signal Service to the Department of Agriculture.

The actual transfer occurred July 1, 1891, and at that time, organized civilian weather services within the Federal Government began in the United States.

1894: William Eddy, using five kites to loft a self-recording thermometer, makes first observations of temperatures aloft.

1898: President William McKinley orders the Weather Bureau to establish a hurricane warning network in the West Indies.

Around 1900, the Weather Bureau began to experiment with kites to measure temperature, relative humidity, and winds in the upper atmosphere.

1901: Official three-day forecasts begin for the North Atlantic.

He continues his work after leaving the Weather Bureau in 1902, and his work helps lay the foundations for AM radio.

1904: The government begins using airplanes to conduct upper air atmospheric research.

On September 1, 1905, the weather office made yet another move, this time to the 6th floor of the City Bank Building located on 17 North Royal Street in downtown.

1909: The Weather Bureau begins its program of free-rising balloon observations.

In 1910, the Weather Bureau began issuing weekly outlooks to aid agricultural planning.

1, 1911 The Key West Weather station was moved to the Island City Bank Building at 205 Duval Street while new observatory was being built.

1912: As a result of the Titanic disaster, an international ice patrol is established, conducted by the Coast Guard; first fire weather forecast issued.

By November 1st of 1913, the weather office moved to the top floor of the 8-story addition built on to the City Bank Building.

1914: An aerological section is established within the Weather Bureau to meet growing needs of aviation; first daily radiotelegraphy broadcast of agricultural forecasts by the University of North Dakota.

1916: A Fire Weather Service is established, with all district forecast centers authorized to issue fire weather forecasts.

1917: Norwegian meteorologists begin experimenting with air mass analysis techniques which will revolutionize the practice of meteorology.

1918: The Weather Bureau begins issuing bulletins and forecasts for domestic military flights and for new air mail routes.

1919: Navy Aerological Service established on a permanent basis.

1920: Meteorologists form a professional organization, the American Meteorological Society, which is still active today.

1921: The University of Wisconsin makes a radiotelephone broadcast of weather forecasts, the first successful use of the new medium for weather advisories.

1926: The Air Commerce Act directs the Weather Bureau to provide for weather services to civilian aviation; fire weather service formally inaugurated when Congress provides funds for seven fire weather districts.

1927: The Weather Bureau establishes a West Coast prototype for an Airways Meteorological Service.

The teletype was introduced in the Weather Bureau in 1928 and its use spread rapidly.

Such emergency assistants, by the way, were used until the late 1930's to fill the voids created when travel, illness or vacancies occurred.

It wasn't until February 1931, that the weather office moved into a "real" office building.

1933: A science advisory group apprizes President Franklin D. Roosevelt that the work of the volunteer Cooperative Observer Program is one of the most extraordinary services ever developed, netting the public more benefits per dollar expended than any other government service in the world.

The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), a forerunner to the FAA, began taking observations at the old Bates Field (now referred to as Brookley Field) several miles south of downtown Mobile in 1934.

1935: A hurricane warning service is established.

A few years later in 1936, the weather office re-located back to the US Court House and Customs House located in downtown Mobile, AL. A photograph of the US Court House and Customs House can be viewed to the left (courtesy of the University of South Alabama Archives).

1937: First official Weather Bureau radio meteorograph, or radiosonde sounding made at East Boston, Mass.

By 1938, the use of radiosondes is expanded to six stations.

On June 30, 1940, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt transferred the Weather Bureau to the Department of Commerce where it remains today.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, weather observations and forecasts are subject to censorship, to minimize their use by invading forces.

1, 1942 Upper air observations begin at Naval Air Station Key West on Boca Chica.

On July 1, 1943, the new Weather Bureau Airport Station (WBAS) opened at Juneau's International Airport.

1944: The decision to invade Normandy on June 6 was based on weather forecasts, which indicated the correct combination of tides and winds.

In response to the 1946 Aleutian Islands tsunami that devastated Hilo, HI, the United States government establishes a tsunami warning center for the Hawaiian Islands.

The first of these radars, the WSR-1, is deployed at Washington (DC) National Airport in early 1947.

1948: USAF Air Weather Service meteorologists issue first tornado warnings from Tinker Air Force Base.

As director of the Joint Numerical Weather Prediction Unit in the 1950's, he took the lead in applying computers to meteorological use.

1951: The Severe Weather Warning Center — forerunner of the National Severe Storms Center — begins operation at Tinker Air Force Base, in Oklahoma.

1952: The Weather Bureau organizes Severe Local Storms forecasting Unit in Washington, D.C., and begins issuing tornado forecasts.

The downtown office officially closed on May 1, 1953.

The Weather Bureau establishes the Severe Weather Unit in Washington, D.C. In 1954, the Unit is relocated to Kansas City and renamed the Severe Local Storm Warning Center.

Jul 1, 1957 The Weather Bureau in Key West moves to the Key West International Airport.. The office has since changed buildings but is still located at the Airport.

However, following the launch of Explorer in 1958, the importance of satellites to observing the world’s weather soon became apparent.

Also, in 1959, the United States launches its first satellite to send weather information back to Earth.

On April 1, 1960, the first weather satellite is launched.

1961: President Kennedy, in his State of the Union address, invites all nations to join the United States in developing an International Weather Prediction Program.

The Palmer Observatory in Alaska, created following the March 1964 earthquake, is transferred to the National Weather Service and renamed the Alaska Tsunami Warning Center.

In July 1965, the Department of Commerce creates the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA), with the Weather Bureau as one of the agencies within ESSA.

1966: Weather officials from 25 nations meet in London for the First International Clean Air Congress.

1967 The Weather Bureau is renamed the National Weather Service.

1969: Weather-related historic event: Neil Armstrong, Commander of spacecraft Apollo 11, becomes first man to set foot on the moon.

In 1970, the name of the Weather Bureau was changed to the National Weather Service, and the agency became a component of the Commerce Department's newly created National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Jan 1, 1972 Key West becomes Weather Service Office (from WFO).

Due to pressure for increased and improved services, the now designated National Weather Service re-established a Juneau Forecast Office which moved into room 433 of the new Juneau Federal Building in December, 1973.

1975: The first "hurricane hunter" Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) is launched into orbit; these satellites with their early and close tracking of hurricanes, greatly reduce the loss of life from such storms.

1976: Real-time operational forecasts and warnings using Doppler radar are evaluated by the Joint Doppler Operational Project, spawning a third Generation Weather Radar (WSR-88D).

After the crash of Southern Airways Flight 242 near Atlanta in 1977 due to hail damage and lost thrust on both engines during a severe storm, the NWS establishes Center Weather Service Units to help with forecasting for air traffic.

He remains in the position after the Weather Bureau is renamed the National Weather Service, and serves until 1979.

1980 A WSR-74 radar was installed at the NWS office Key West.

1981: Weather-related science event: World's first reusable space shuttle, Columbia, is launched, completing its mission three days later.

By 1982, the Center's area of responsibility is expanded to include the West Coast and British Columbia.

The NWS provides special forecasts for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, CA.

1985: Harvard's Blue Hill Observatory celebrates 100 years of continuous monitoring of the atmosphere.

1986: The Voyager aircraft completes the first nonstop, non-refueled flight around the world in nine days with assistance of continuous weather support from retired, volunteer and current NWS employees.

He remains in this position until 1988, when he retires to become executive director of the American Meteorological Society.

1989: United States assists clean-up efforts following San Francisco Earthquake with mobile forecast unit.

1990: The National Meteorological Center procures and installs a supercomputer, the Cray Y-MP8, to run higher resolution and more sophisticated numerical weather production models.

Most of the following content first appeared in National Weather Service Snapshots: Portraits of a Rich Heritage by Gary K. Grice, published in 1991.

1992: Twenty-two of the planned 115 modernized Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) were built or remodeled during the year, with 12 NWS radars installed.

1993: "Year of Water" — record floods inundate the Midwest; the National Weather Service earns the United States Commerce Department's highest award, a gold medal, for performance during the flooding.

On May 25, 1994, Linden reported 3-inch hail at 6:30pm which caused $5,000,000 in crop damage.

1995: The National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP), the nation’s community-focused program to improve tsunami mitigation and preparedness of at-risk areas within the United States and its territories is created.

1996: NWS provides forecasting support for Atlanta Olympics.

1997 Many non forecast NWS offices are beginning to close and are consolidated into nearby offices under National Weather Service Modernization, an effort to make the NWS more efficient and save money.

In June 1998, the Weather Forecast Office officially moved to its current location located on the Mendenhall Loop Road.

July 1999 WSO Key West begins operating a second NOAA Weather radio station.

The MAR was completed in 2000, and forecast capabilities continued to improve through the beginning of the 21s Century.

2001: President George W. Bush issues the first presidential proclamation for the National Hurricane Preparedness week.

The NWS participates in a public-private partnership to provide weather support for the 2002 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games near Salt Lake City, UT.

2003: National Academy of Sciences report, “Fair Weather: Effective Partnerships in Weather and Climate Services” released to advise NOAA on approaches it should take to improve relationships with private sector.

June 1, 2004 NWS breaks ground for a new, hurricane-resistant Weather Forecast Office in Key West.

On May 25, 2005, thunderstorms that formed along the sea breeze front produced a brief severe thunderstorm over Moultrie, producing a damaging wind gust of around 73 MPH. There were several trees and power lines downed throughout the area, but luckily there was no property damage reported.

On May 25, 2006, isolated severe thunderstorms formed ahead of the sea breeze front producing damaging wind gusts of around 63 MPH. In Baconton, GA there were several trees downed on Highway 93 producing minor property damage of $1,000.

A series of three storms affected the Pacific Northwest between December 1 and 3, 2007, resulting in 11 fatalities and an estimated $1 billion in damage.

2009: Drought conditions occurred during much of the year across parts of the Southwest, Great Plains, and southern Texas causing an estimated $5 billion in agricultural losses in numerous states.

GOES-15, launched on March 4, 2010, from Cape Canaveral, Fla., joining three other NOAA operational GOES spacecraft that help the agency's forecasters track life-threatening weather.

Following several weather disasters in 2011 that took hundreds of lives, NWS initiates the Weather Ready Nation campaign.

In 2013, it is renamed the National Tsunami Warning Center.

The Weather Research and Forecasting and Innovation Act of 2017 codified the IDSS approach into law, authorizing the NWS to provide IDSS across federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial levels of government for the purposes of public safety and disaster management.