History of National Weather Service in Timeline

The National Weather Service (NWS), a U.S. federal agency, provides weather forecasts, hazardous weather warnings, and related information to protect life and property. As part of NOAA within the Department of Commerce, the NWS is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland. Formerly known as the United States Weather Bureau (1891-1970), the NWS plays a crucial role in public safety and disseminating weather-related knowledge.

1937: First Weather Bureau radiosonde launch

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

1938: Tornado warnings disseminated to emergency personnel

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

1940: Weather Bureau moved to Department of Commerce

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

1941: Margaret Smagorinsky 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 pioneered

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

July 12, 1950: Ban on public tornado alerts lifted

On July 12, 1950, the Weather Bureau officially lifted its ban on public tornado alerts, allowing for the issuance of tornado forecasts due to the difficulty in accurately predicting tornadic activity.

March 1952: First experimental public tornado forecasts issued

In March 1952, the Weather Bureau issued its first experimental public tornado forecasts.

1957: Use of radars for short-term forecasting begins

In 1957, the Weather Bureau began using radars for short-term forecasting of local storms and hydrological events, deploying a network of WSR-57 systems nationwide through the early 1960s.

August 1966: Weather Bureau becomes part of ESSA

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

October 1, 1970: ESSA becomes 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: National Weather Service name adoption

In 1970, the United States Weather Bureau was renamed the National Weather Service (NWS).

1970: Renaming to National Weather Service

In 1970, the organization formerly known as the Weather Bureau was renamed the National Weather Service, and the head of the organization became known as the director of the National Weather Service.

1974: Upgrade to WSR-74 models begins

Beginning in 1974, some of the 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, outsource 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 at auction

In 1983, the Reagan administration proposed to sell all of the agency's weather satellites at auction with the intent to repurchase the weather data from private contractors, facing strong opposition.

1988: NEXRAD system deployment begins

In 1988, the deployment of the NEXRAD (Next Generation Radar) system, designed to improve severe storm detection and warning times, began, replacing the WSR-57 and WSR-74 systems.

1997: NEXRAD system fully deployed

By 1997, the NEXRAD (Next Generation Radar) system was fully deployed, replacing the WSR-57 and WSR-74 systems.

1997: WSR-88D Doppler weather radar system fully deployed

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

October 2000: NOAA Weather Wire Service (NWWS) established

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 the National Weather Service Duties Act

In 2005, Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum introduced the National Weather Service Duties Act, a bill which would have prohibited the NWS from freely distributing weather data, which was widely criticized and ultimately failed.

September 30, 2007: Warnings issued using geopolitical boundaries end

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: Storm-based warnings implemented

On October 1, 2007, storm-based warnings were implemented, delineating alerts by polygonal shapes based on the projected path of a storm, replacing the use of geopolitical boundaries.

April 2012: Impact Based Warning system introduced

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: Impact Based Warning system expanded

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

2016: National Weather Service organization

As of 2016, the National Weather Service was organized.

2016: Criticism of NWS Forecast Accuracy

In 2016, critics like Cliff Mass claimed that National Weather Service forecasts were less accurate than those from the British Met Office, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), and the Northwest Regional Modeling Consortium, leading to inaccurate daily forecasts and poor predictions of extreme weather events.

2016: NOAA announced The Next Generation Global Prediction System development

In 2016, the NOAA announced the development of The Next Generation Global Prediction System. The Next Generation Global Prediction System project at NWS aims to address some criticisms by running a unified high-quality model that takes advantage of more recent research results.

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.

August 28, 2025: Executive order dissolving 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.

2025: Mass layoffs during Trump administration

During the federal mass layoffs in 2025, probationary employees received notices because the Trump administration advocated for the privatization of weather forecasting.

2025: NWS affected by NOAA cuts

In 2025, the National Weather Service was deeply affected by cuts to NOAA under the second presidency of Donald Trump, including staff being laid off, contracts with universities being cancelled, and restrictions on exchanges with other national weather services.