Major Events in the United States Weather and Climatic History
John W. Enz, Professor Emeritus, Dept of Soil Science, ND State University
April 10, 2007

1644 - 1813:    Weather Diaries—Ben Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson.

1814:               U.S. Army Surgeon General directs medical corps to gather weather data at forts. 

1870:               A National Weather Program was started within the U.S. Signal Corps.

1881:               Governors urged to establish state weather services.  ND statehood in 1889.

1890:               National Weather Program transferred to USDA.   Renamed US Weather Bureau.

1893:               Cooperative Weather Network authorized within the USDA Weather Bureau.  Merged with existing state networks in 1895 for standardization.

1941:               Weather Bureau transferred to U.S. Dept Commerce (USDC).

1952:               National Weather Records Processing Center (WRPC) moved to Asheville, North Carolina in January.         

1954:               Dr. Helmut Landsberg started the U.S. Weather Bureau’s National State Climatologist Program.  

1965:               USDC reorganized;   Environmental Science Services Administration formed to oversee weather and climate. 

1966:               Weather Bureau renamed the ESSA National Weather Service (NWS), and National Data Center in Ashville NC renamed the ESSA Environmental Data Service.

1970:               ESSA was renamed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

1973:               National State Climatologist Program terminated.  Governors urged to establish state funded State climatologist Programs. 

1976:               American Association of State Climatologists (AASC) organized.  The Environmental Data Service was renamed the National Climatic Center.

1978:               National Climate Program Act passed by Congress after years of effort by many climatologists, but it was never funded.  National Climate Program Office (NCPO) was created. 

1981:               North Central (NC) Regional Research Committee on Agricultural Meteorology-Climatology (NC-94) obtained grant from the NCPO to establish a Regional Climate Center (RCC) as a 5-year demonstration project.   It was established by bid at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS).

1983:               The National Climatic Center was renamed the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).

1986:               The RCC demonstration project was successful.   NCPO worked to establish similar centers across the country.  The effort succeeded, but I don’t know the year.