Our Stories (old) - National Weather Service Heritage

Infogram celebrating the launch of the Weather Bureau in 1891. The image features a photograph of a Weather Bureau cooperative observer standing beside a weather instrument shelter at Granger, Utah, in the early 20th century. Volunteer observers like this were vital to the new Weather Bureau's mission of collecting nationwide climate data.

The Weather Bureau Begins

Read more about the transfer of the nation's weather service to the Department of Agriculture. Read MoreAboutThe Weather Bureau Begins »

Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. switchboards, Washington, D.C., circa 1919. Female operators manage numerous calls by manually connecting patch cables at a busy telephone exchange. (Library of Congress photo)

40,000 Calls a Day via WE6-1212

In 1939, the Weather Bureau's New York office begins an automated forecast service via telephone, with instant success. Read MoreAbout40,000 Calls a Day via WE6-1212 »

Virginia Tredinnick Denmark launches a radiosonde—a small, instrument-filled box carried by a weather balloon—during high winds in St. Louis in 1945. Denmark was one of over 900 women hired by the U.S. Weather Bureau during World War II, filling essential observation and forecasting roles to support the war effort. In her account of her time with the bureau, she shared her experiences as part of this pioneering group of women in meteorology.

Women in the Weather Bureau During World War II - Virginia Tredinnick Denmark

Virginia Denmark shares her reflections of her time with the Weather Bureau Read MoreAboutWomen in the Weather Bureau During World War II - Virginia Tredinnick Denmark »

LaVera Roland, one of the first women hired by the U.S. Weather Bureau during World War II, poses with a salmon she caught while stationed on Tatoosh Island, Washington. Roland worked as an observer for the Weather Bureau from 1943 to 1946, performing duties that included climatology, surface, and upper air observations.

Women in the Weather Bureau During World War II - LaVera Roland

LaVera Roland describes her experiences working with the Weather Bureau Read MoreAboutWomen in the Weather Bureau During World War II - LaVera Roland »

Bessie Bergman Paul at the Billings Weather Bureau Office — Bessie Bergman Paul, who worked for the U.S. Weather Bureau from 1944 to 1981, is pictured at an observation desk. Paul began her career during World War II, a time when women were instrumental in filling critical weather observation and forecasting roles left by men who entered the armed forces. She later reflected on her work, stating that she felt she proved women were just as capable of performing these duties as men.

Women in the Weather Bureau During WWII - Bessie Bergman Paul

From a young age, Bessie Bergman Paul learned about the importance of weather forecasts and observations from her father, a man who worked at an airport. Years later, she put her skills to good use as an employee of the Weather Bureau. Read MoreAboutWomen in the Weather Bureau During WWII - Bessie Bergman Paul »

Charlcia B. Rosenlund, an employee of the U.S. Weather Bureau from 1944 to 1948, operates a theodolite to track a pilot balloon. Her duties, and those of other women who joined the Bureau during WWII, included vital tasks like weather observations, mapping, and radiosonde operation. Rosenlund, whose assignments included locations like Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Fairbanks, Alaska, was one of the many women who helped fill critical roles during the war.

Women in the Weather Bureau During WWII - Charlcia B. Rosenlund

Charlcia B. Rosenlund reflects on the time she spent working in the wartime Weather Bureau, including her experiences working in the Last Frontier: Alaska. Read MoreAboutWomen in the Weather Bureau During WWII - Charlcia B. Rosenlund »

Women in the Weather Bureau During WWII - Shirley E. Kodalen Buhmann

Shirley Buhmann shares her story working with the Weather Bureau during World War II and after. Read MoreAboutWomen in the Weather Bureau During WWII - Shirley E. Kodalen Buhmann »

Dorothy Chambers (left) and another Weather Bureau employee plotting weather maps from teletype reports.

Women in the Weather Bureau During WWII - Dorothy Hurd Chambers

Dorothy Chambers shares her time with the Weather Bureau, including an interesting anecdote about "finding" the Jet Stream. Read MoreAboutWomen in the Weather Bureau During WWII - Dorothy Hurd Chambers »

Grace D. Harding inflating a pilot balloon for observation.

Women in the Weather Bureau During WWII - Grace D. Harding

Grace D. Harding tells of her time working for the Weather Bureau, including one particular story about a mysterious incendiary device. Read MoreAboutWomen in the Weather Bureau During WWII - Grace D. Harding »

Four female U.S. Weather Bureau employees operate complex teletype machines to rapidly transmit critical weather information across the national weather data network, a vital function during the mid-20th century.

Women in the Weather Bureau During WWII - Mary J.H. Williams

Mary J.H. Williams tells of her experiences in the wartime Weather Bureau, including the time she flew in the Goodyear blimp. Read MoreAboutWomen in the Weather Bureau During WWII - Mary J.H. Williams »

National Weather Service Heritage

Protecting Lives and Property for More Than 150 Years