History of National Weather Service in Timeline

The National Weather Service (NWS) is a United States federal agency responsible for providing weather forecasts, hazardous weather warnings, and related information to protect life and property. As part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Commerce, it is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland. Originally named the United States Weather Bureau in 1891, it transitioned to its current name in 1970. The NWS plays a critical role in public safety by monitoring weather patterns and disseminating crucial alerts.

1937: First Weather Bureau Radiosonde Launched

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

1938: Limited Tornado Warnings

In 1938, the Weather Bureau, which had previously prohibited the use of the word "tornado" in its weather products, began disseminating tornado warnings exclusively to emergency management personnel.

1940: Weather 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 Pioneered

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

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, instructing stations to avoid statements negating the Bureau's ability to make tornado forecasts.

March 1952: First Experimental Public Tornado Forecasts

In March 1952, the Weather Bureau issued its first experimental public tornado forecasts after facing criticism for refusing to provide public tornado warnings and preventing the release of the USAF Severe Weather Warning Center's tornado forecasts beyond military personnel.

1957: Use of Radars for Short-Term Forecasting Began

In 1957, the Weather Bureau began using radars for short-term forecasting of local storms and hydrological events, utilizing modified versions of Navy aircraft radars 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, with the enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act.

1970: Name Change to National Weather Service

In 1970, the United States Weather Bureau officially changed its name to the National Weather Service (NWS).

1970: Director of the National Weather Service title created

With the renaming of the organization in 1970, the position of organization leader became the director of the National Weather Service.

1974: WSR-74 Radar Upgrade

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

1983: Proposal to Auction Off Weather Satellites

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

1988: NEXRAD System Deployment

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

1997: NEXRAD System 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, with 158 radar sites in operation.

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 operated by the National Weather Service.

2005: Introduction of 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; however, the bill attracted no cosponsors 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 for severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, flash flooding and marine hazards 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 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.

2016: Criticism of NWS Forecast Accuracy

In 2016, critics such as University of Washington professor Cliff Mass claimed that NWS forecasts are not as accurate as they could be, and that this has resulted in inaccurate daily weather forecasts.

2016: NOAA Announced Development of The Next Generation Global Prediction System

In 2016, the NOAA announced the development of The Next Generation Global Prediction System.

2016: Increased Computational Power of 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 computational processing power from 776 teraflops to 5.78 petaflops.

2025: Impact of Cuts to NOAA

In 2025, the National Weather Service was deeply affected by cuts to NOAA under the second presidency of Donald Trump, including staff layoffs, contract cancellations, and restrictions on exchanges with other national weather services, leading to 30 NWS offices being without a chief meteorologist entering hurricane season.