A Brief History of the Portland

National Weather Service Office

The National Weather Service has its beginnings in the early history of the United States. Weather has always been important to the citizenry of this country, and this was especially true during the 17 ^th and 18 ^th centuries.

The beginning of the National Weather Service we know today started on February 9 ^th , 1870, when President Ulysses S. Grant signed a joint resolution of Congress authorizing the Secretary of War to establish a national weather service. This resolution required the Secretary of War

" 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 "

After much thought and consideration, it was decided that this agency would be placed under the Secretary of War because military discipline would probably secure the greatest promptness, regularity, and accuracy in the required observations. Within the Department of War, it was assigned to the Signal Service Corps under Brigadier General Albert J. Myer. General Meyer gave the National Weather Service its first name: The Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce.

Picture of President Ulysses S. Grant.

Ulysses S. Grant

Later that year, the first systematized, synchronous weather observations ever taken in the U.S. were made by "observing-sergeants" of the Army Signal Service at 22 stations and telegraphed to Washington. An agency was born which would affect the daily lives of most of the citizens of the United States through its forecasts and warnings.
January 15, 1871 The Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefits of Commerce opens a Portland Office at 4 Exchange street.
September 30, 1873 office moves to Boyd's Block , Middle and Exchange Streets.
December 1, 1874 office moves to the Custom House.
July 1, 1875 office moves to the First National Bank Building, 57 Exchange Street.
July 1, 1891 Department of War takes Signal Corps' Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefits of Commerce and transfers it to U.S. Department of Agriculture. The newly created civilian agency is named the U.S. Weather Bureau.
1940 the U.S. Weather Bureau is transferred from U.S. Department of Agriculture to U.S. Department of Commerce.
December 4, 1940 The Weather Bureau office moves to the Portland City Airport, second floor of Administration Building. Note: name of building changed to General Aviation Terminal in October 1968. Name of the Airport changed to Portland International Jetport in September 1969.
August 25, 1969 Weather Bureau begins process of modifying Navy Radar to Weather Bureau specifications. In November, Weather Bureau opens a Meteorological Observatory at Brunswick Naval Air Station to operate and maintain the weather radar.
1970 The U.S. Weather Bureau is renamed the National Weather Service .
April 20, 1970 National Weather Service establishes a Forecast Office at the Main Post Office Branch on Forest Avenue in Portland.
December 15, 1984 Weather Service Meteorological Observatory at BNAS closed and employees moved to Forecast Office in Downtown Portland. New Weather Radar installed at Portland Jetport.
1988 NWS Forecast Office moved from Post Office in downtown Portland to Jetport and consolidated with existing Weather Balloon /Surface Aviation Observing Unit.
Fall 1993 National weather Service installs "state of the art" Doppler Weather Radar in Gray Maine.
August 1994 The ASOS (Automated Surface Observing System) Unit is commissioned at the Portland Jetport. Weather Observations are now automated and taken by sophisticated computerized equipment.
September 1994 The NWS Forecast Office and remaining Observing Unit moves to a new facility in Gray. This new facility is colocated with the existing Doppler Weather Radar Site.
Fall 1995 National Weather Service installs second "state of the art" Doppler Weather Radar near Houlton Maine. This second radar is operated remotely by the Forecast Office in Gray.
Fall 1999 National Weather Service Office in Caribou becomes a Forecast Office and assumes all responsibilty for Northern and Eastern Maine as well as Houlton Doppler Weather Radar.

Created by Eric Schwibs
Eric.Schwibs@noaa.gov
updated 5/01