FOX44 - Burlington / Plattsburgh News, Weather & Sports02.09.12 Happy 140th Birthday, NWS!

02.09.12 Happy 140th Birthday, NWS!

Originally called "The Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce" the National Weather Service has come a long way since its beginning.

It was created after a motion from then President Ulysses S. Grant in 1870 under the secretary of war.  He urged Congress to authorize and establish it for purposes mostly pertaining to warfare.  In its origin this was the explanation of the duties:

"to provide for taking meteorological observations at the military stations in the interior of the continent and at other points in the States and Territories...and for giving notice on the northern (Great) Lakes and on the seacoast by magnetic telegraph and marine signals, of the approach and force of storms"

Wow. I can't imagine using magnetic telegraphs and marine signals for the approach and force of storms.  I mean to me it is very intriguing and I'd love to travel back in time to learn about their observations.  Forecasting must have been very difficult with short notice in that time period.

I find it interesting that it was put under the Department of War though.  This was done in order to secure the greatest promptest and regularity of observations and forecasts.  The reason I find it interesting is because a lot of things in the meteorology world were first introduced in warfare.  For instance radar was used by the military before being a conventional tool broadcasters use today.  Satellite pictures were also used by the military, now for meteorological use to monitor hurricanes and weather at night.

That year, 1870, what is now the National Weather Service ended up installing and running 22 weather stations across the country, relaying that data to Washington, D.C. The era of 1870-1891 would end up being called the Signal Years, the early history of the NWS with its first weather pioneers.  For more information on those years, click here.

From 1891-1940 the "Weather Bureau" was under the Department of Agriculture.  During this time many advancements were made in terms of forecasting, meteorological tools, and purposes for the forewarnings.

In 1940 President Franklin Roosevelt transferred the Weather Bureau to the Department of Commerce, where it still sits today.  At that time 25 radars were installed to track storms.  Now that number is up to 121 and they are currently being upgraded to Dual-Polarized radars, to scan storms even better in the future.

Fast-forwarding to today I work with the National Weather Service on a daily basis.  In our viewing area we cover northern New York, all of Vermont, and western New Hampshire.  The National Weather Service also has areas like ours, except their's is called County Warning Area. In short, I work with the NWS in Burlington, VT Albany, NY and Gray, ME to make sure everyone in our TV viewing area is covered.  We work together everyday to relay reports for snow, rain, temperatures, you name it.  At the same time, they provide Area Forecast Discussions and so many other valuable data.  Just go to www.weather.gov or www.weather.gov/burlington to see!

Happy Birthday! - Meteorologist Steve Glazier

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