History of National Weather Service in Timeline

The National Weather Service (NWS) is a US federal agency responsible for providing weather forecasts, hazardous weather warnings, and related information to protect life and property. As part of NOAA under the Department of Commerce, it evolved from the United States Weather Bureau in 1970. The NWS plays a crucial role in public safety by disseminating weather information to organizations and the general public.

1937: First Weather Bureau Radiosonde Launched

In 1937, the Weather Bureau launched its first radiosonde in Massachusetts, leading to a transition from routine aircraft observations to radiosondes within two years.

1938: Tornado Warnings Disseminated

In 1938, the Weather Bureau started disseminating tornado warnings exclusively to emergency management personnel after previously prohibiting the use of the word "tornado" in weather products due to concerns about inciting panic.

1940: Bureau moved to Department of Commerce

In 1940, the Weather Bureau was moved to the Department of Commerce.

1941: First Female Statistician Hired

In 1941, Margaret Smagorinsky (née Knoepfel) was hired as the Weather Bureau's first female statistician.

September 23, 1946: First River Forecast Center Founded

On September 23, 1946, the first River Forecast Center (RFC) was founded.

1948: USAF Severe Weather Warning Center Tornado Forecasts Pioneered

In 1948, Air Force Capt. Robert C. Miller and Major Ernest Fawbush pioneered tornado forecasts at the USAF Severe Weather Warning Center.

July 12, 1950: Ban on Public Tornado Alerts Lifted

On July 12, 1950, Bureau chief Francis W. Reichelderfer officially lifted the agency's ban on public tornado alerts in a Circular Letter, due to the difficulty in accurately predicting tornadic activity.

March 1952: First Experimental Public Tornado Forecasts

In March 1952, the Bureau issued its first experimental public tornado forecasts after facing criticism for preventing the release of the USAF Severe Weather Warning Center's tornado forecasts.

1957: Use of Radars for Short-Term Forecasting

In 1957, the Bureau began using radars for short-term forecasting of local storms and hydrological events, using modified versions of those used by Navy aircraft to create the WSR-57 (Weather Surveillance Radar, 1957).

August 1966: Weather Bureau Becomes Part of ESSA

In August 1966, the Weather Bureau became part of the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA).

October 1, 1970: ESSA Renamed NOAA, Weather Bureau Becomes NWS

On October 1, 1970, the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) was renamed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Weather Bureau became the National Weather Service (NWS).

1970: Name Change to National Weather Service

In 1970, the United States Weather Bureau adopted its current name, the National Weather Service (NWS).

1974: WSR-74 Radar Upgrade

Beginning in 1974, some of the WSR-57 radars were upgraded to WSR-74 models.

1983: Proposed Satellite Auction

In 1983, NOAA administrator John V. Byrne proposed auctioning off all of the weather satellites to repurchase data from private buyers, outsourcing weather observation stations, NOAA Weather Radio and computerized surface analysis to private companies but the proposal failed in a Congressional vote.

1983: Proposal to Sell Weather Satellites

In 1983, the Reagan administration and NOAA proposed selling all of the agency's weather satellites at auction with the intent to repurchase the weather data from private contractors, this proposal failed due to public and congressional objections.

1988: NEXRAD System Deployment

Between 1988 and 1997, the NEXRAD (Next Generation Radar) system of Doppler radars was deployed to improve the detection and warning time of severe local storms, replacing the WSR-57 and WSR-74 systems.

1997: Completion of NEXRAD Deployment

1997: Full Deployment of WSR-88D Doppler Weather Radar System

By 1997, the WSR-88D Doppler weather radar system, also called NEXRAD, was fully deployed throughout the majority of the United States.

October 2000: Establishment of NOAA Weather Wire Service

In October 2000, the NOAA Weather Wire Service (NWWS) was established as a satellite data collection and dissemination system.

2005: Introduction of the National Weather Service Duties Act of 2005

In 2005, Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum introduced the National Weather Service Duties Act of 2005, a bill which would have prohibited the NWS from freely distributing weather data. The bill died in committee.

September 30, 2007: Warnings Issued Using Geopolitical Boundaries

Until September 30, 2007, local offices of the National Weather Service issued warnings for severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, flash flooding and marine hazards using geopolitical boundaries.

October 1, 2007: Implementation of Storm-Based Warnings

On October 1, 2007, storm-based warnings were implemented, delineating alerts for meteorological or hydrological threats by polygonal shapes in map-based weather hazard products.

April 2012: Introduction of Impact Based Warning System

In April 2012, the NWS introduced the Impact Based Warning system at its Weather Forecast Offices in Wichita and Topeka, Kansas, and Springfield, St. Louis and Kansas City/Pleasant Hill, Missouri.

2015: Expansion of Impact Based Warning System

By the spring of 2015, the Impact Based Warning system expanded to 80 Weather Forecast Offices overseen by the Central, Eastern, Southern and Western Region Headquarters.

2016: National Weather Service Organization

As of 2016, the National Weather Service was organized as follows.

2016: Criticism of NWS Forecast Accuracy

In 2016, critics claimed that NWS forecasts are not as accurate as they could be, which has resulted in inaccurate daily weather forecasts and dangerously bad predictions concerning the location and intensity of extreme weather events like blizzards and hurricanes.

2016: Development of The Next Generation Global Prediction System

In 2016, the NOAA announced to develop The Next Generation Global Prediction System.

2016: Increased Computational Power with New Supercomputers

In 2016, the NWS significantly increased the computational power of its supercomputers, spending $44 million on two new supercomputers from Cray and IBM, increasing processing power from 776 teraflops to 5.78 petaflops.