History of National Weather Service in Timeline

The National Weather Service (NWS) is a United States federal agency responsible for providing weather forecasts and warnings of hazardous weather to protect life and property. As part of NOAA and the Department of Commerce, it delivers weather-related products to organizations and the public. Formerly known as the United States Weather Bureau, it adopted its current name in 1970. The NWS is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.

1937: First Weather Bureau Radiosonde Launched

In 1937, the first Weather Bureau radiosonde was launched in Massachusetts, leading to the phasing out of routine aircraft observations in favor of radiosondes within two years.

1938: Limited Tornado Warnings

In 1938, the Weather Bureau began disseminating tornado warnings exclusively to emergency management personnel, reversing its prior policy of prohibiting the use of the word "tornado" in weather products.

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 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's tornado forecasts

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, Weather Bureau chief Francis W. Reichelderfer officially lifted the agency's ban on public tornado alerts, permitting tornado forecasts due to improving verification capabilities.

March 1952: First Experimental Public Tornado Forecasts

In March 1952, after facing criticism for withholding tornado warnings, the Weather Bureau issued its first experimental public tornado forecasts.

1957: Use of Radar for Forecasting

In 1957, the Weather Bureau began using radars for short-term forecasting of local storms and hydrological events and created the WSR-57 (Weather Surveillance Radar, 1957).

August 1966: Part of Environmental Science Services Administration

In August 1966, the Weather Bureau became part of the Environmental Science Services Administration when that agency was formed.

October 1, 1970: Renamed to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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

1970: Name Change to National Weather Service

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

1974: Radar Upgrade to WSR-74 Models

Beginning in 1974, some of the WSR radar systems were upgraded to WSR-74 models.

1983: Proposal to Auction Weather Satellites Fails

In 1983, NOAA administrator John V. Byrne's proposal to auction off weather satellites and outsource weather observation stations failed in a Congressional vote.

1983: Proposal to Sell Weather Satellites

In 1983, the Reagan administration proposed selling NOAA's weather satellites, but the proposal was met with negative reactions and ultimately failed in Congress.

1988: NEXRAD System Deployment Begins

Between 1988 and 1997, the NEXRAD (Next Generation Radar) system was deployed to improve severe storm detection and warning times, replacing the WSR-57 and WSR-74 systems.

1997: NEXRAD System Deployed

Between 1988 and 1997, the NEXRAD (Next Generation Radar) system was deployed to improve severe storm detection and warning times, replacing the WSR-57 and WSR-74 systems.

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

By 1997, the WSR-88D Doppler weather radar system, also known as NEXRAD, was fully deployed throughout the majority of the United States, becoming a cornerstone of severe weather warning operations.

October 2000: Establishment of NOAA Weather Wire Service

In October 2000, the NOAA Weather Wire Service (NWWS) was established to provide timely weather and related information to various users.

2005: National Weather Service Duties Act of 2005

In 2005, Senator Rick Santorum introduced the National Weather Service Duties Act of 2005, which aimed to restrict the free distribution of weather data by the NWS; the bill was widely criticized and died in committee.

September 30, 2007: End of Geopolitical Boundary Warnings

Until September 30, 2007, local offices of the National Weather Service issued warnings using geopolitical boundaries.

October 1, 2007: Implementation of Storm-Based Warnings

On October 1, 2007, the National Weather Service implemented storm-based warnings, delineating alerts for meteorological threats by polygonal shapes based on storm paths.

April 2012: Introduction of Impact Based Warning System

In April 2012, the NWS introduced the Impact Based Warning system at Weather Forecast Offices in select locations.

2015: Impact Based Warning system Expanded

By the spring of 2015, the Impact Based Warning system expanded to 80 Weather Forecast Offices.

2016: NWS Organization

As of 2016, the National Weather Service was organized.

2016: Criticism of NWS Forecast Accuracy

In 2016, critics such as Cliff Mass claimed that NWS forecasts weren't as accurate as they could be, leading to inaccurate daily weather forecasts and poor predictions for extreme weather events. The British Met Office, ECMWF, and Northwest Regional Modeling Consortium were cited as more accurate in some cases.

2016: NOAA announces development of The Next Generation Global Prediction System

In 2016, the NOAA announced plans to develop The Next Generation Global Prediction System. This project at NWS aims to address criticisms by running a unified high-quality model that uses recent research results.

2016: Increased Computational Power of Supercomputers

In 2016, the NWS significantly increased the computational power of its supercomputers with new machines from Cray and IBM, driven by the need to improve the accuracy of its Global Forecast System (GFS).

August 28, 2025: Executive Order Dissolves NWS Employee Union

On August 28, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order dissolving the NWS Employee Union and designating the National Weather Service as having a primary function in intelligence and national security work.

2025: Mass Layoffs in Federal Government

During the mass layoffs in 2025, probationary employees received notices that their abilities and skills did not fit the agency's needs, and the companies assisting NOAA had ties to Trump officials.

2025: Impact of NOAA Cuts on NWS

In 2025, the National Weather Service faced significant cuts under the second Trump presidency, leading to staff layoffs and restrictions, leaving many offices without a chief meteorologist as hurricane season approached.