National Weather Service

"Weather Bureau" redirects here. For other uses, see Meteorological Administration.

National Weather Service
Agency overview
FormedFebruary 9, 1870; 154 years ago (1870-02-09)
Preceding agency
  • United States Weather Bureau
JurisdictionUnited States federal government
HeadquartersSilver Spring, Maryland
38°59′30″N 77°01′48″W / 38.99167°N 77.03000°W / 38.99167; -77.03000
Annual budgetUS$1.204 billion (FY 2021)
Agency executive
Parent agencyNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Child agency
Key document
Websiteweather.gov
Footnotes
[2][3][4] [5]

The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency of the United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weather-related products to organizations and the public for the purposes of protection, safety, and general information. It is a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) branch of the Department of Commerce, and is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, within the Washington metropolitan area.[6][7] The agency was known as the United States Weather Bureau from 1890 until it adopted its current name in 1970.[8]

The NWS performs its primary task through a collection of national and regional centers, and 122 local Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs). As the NWS is an agency of the U.S. federal government, most of its products are in the public domain and available free of charge.

  1. ^ "Kenneth Graham selected as next director of NOAA's National Weather Service | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration". noaa.gov.
  2. ^ "History of the National Weather Service". National Weather Service. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  3. ^ "Guide to Federal Records: Records of the Weather Bureau". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  4. ^ "About NOAA's National Weather Service".
  5. ^ "Final FY21 Appropriations: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration". aip.org. January 27, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  6. ^ "Silver Spring CDP, Maryland". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2009.
  7. ^ "NOAA's National Weather Service". National Weather Service. Retrieved August 2, 2009.
  8. ^ Nass, Sharyl J.; Stillman, Bruce, eds. (2003). Large-scale Biomedical Science: Exploring Strategies for Future Research. National Academies Press. p. 224. doi:10.17226/10718. ISBN 978-0-309-08912-8. LCCN 2003009162.