About the NWS Heritage Web site

Illustration of men doing meteorological work of the United States Signal Service in 1881. The woodcut illustration shows the interior of the “Fact Room,” where the weather probabilities were made
Two men launching a weather balloon from the roof of the Weather Bureau building in Washington, D.C., circa 1936 or 1937.
A woman in the Weather Bureau station at National Airport (Washington, DC) is gathering surface weather observations at a Weather Bureau instrument panel on which are mounted barometers, thermometers, wind direction and velocity indicators, and other instruments for measuring weather elements, circa 1943.
Television photograph of Hurricane Beulah from the TIROS VII satellite on Aug. 22, 1967.

From its beginnings as part of the U.S. Army Signal Service through today, the history and legacy of the National Weather Service is a story of science and service to save lives, protect property, and enhance the national economy...which it has done for more than 150 years.

This site serves as a portal for those who seek to learn about and contribute to our heritage. Here you can read and engage with stories about our illustrious past. Though much of our history is marked by terrible tragedy resulting from weather, water, and climate events, these instances precipitated great advances in meteorology, hydrology, numerical computer modeling, policy, and other scientific and engineering firsts. Here, we will delve deeper into our more recent history, including the ground-breaking Modernization and Associated Restructuring (MAR) effort of the 1980s and 1990s, which led to even greater breakthroughs in the years to follow. Importantly, this site serves as a focal point for your insights, documents, pictures, videos, and stories. The point is: we cannot do it alone! If you can contribute in any way, please contact Heritage Projects Lead Greg Romano at (301) 351-1557, or email us at NWS.HeritageProjects.Team@noaa.gov.

Understanding our agency’s history helps define the path forward so that we can continually meet the needs of those we serve. We appreciate your support of these efforts to learn from our past, now and for future generations.