NOAA TO COMMEMORATE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF COMPUTER WEATHER MODELING

Jan. 12, 2004 — This year the meteorological community celebrates the 50th anniversary of operational numerical weather prediction, commonly known as computer weather models. These models are the basis for all weather and climate forecasts issued by the NOAA National Weather Service. (Click image for larger view of NOAA Forecast Systems Lab supercomputer. Click here for high resolution version of this image, which is a large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)

(Click to see the video "A Century of Weather Services.")

Operational numerical weather prediction began on July 1, 1954, with the establishment of the federal government’s Joint Numerical Weather Prediction Unit, which was staffed by members of the U.S. Weather Bureau (precursor to the National Weather Service), the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy. The JNWPU was a landmark collaborative approach between civilian and military services organized to pool resources for the best new computer technology for operational weather forecasting. The origins of the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction, the U.S. Air Force Weather Agency and the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center can all be traced to the JNWPU.

“Whether you are fighting a war or sending humanitarian efforts half way around the globe, navigating transatlantic cargo ships or dressing your child for a field trip at school, you are relying on weather forecasts based on sophisticated atmospheric and oceanic numerical models, the work pioneered at the JNWPU,” said John Jones, deputy director of NOAA National Weather Service. (Click NOAA image for larger view of the local weather forecast office in Buffalo, N.Y., circa January 1899. Click here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)

During the American Meteorological Society’s annual conference in Seattle, Wash., the NOAA National Weather Service will commemorate this historic occasion on Monday, Jan. 12, 2004, at 6:00 p.m. PDT in booth number 601 at the Seattle Convention Center. “This is an ideal venue to celebrate the pioneering developments in numerical weather prediction and the remarkable improvements in forecast skill that has supported the nation's economy and national defense over the last 50 years,” added Jones.

On June 14-17, 2004, the AFWA, AMS, FNMOC, NOAA and the National Weather Association will team up to host a Symposium on the 50th Anniversary of Operational Numerical Weather Prediction. The program will be held at the University of Maryland Inn and Conference Center located in College Park, Md. The symposium will feature an historical overview describing the early days of numerical weather prediction in the U.S. and the steps leading up to the formation of the unit. Other speakers will discuss how model data assimilation methods and computing have evolved and examine the changes in how models are used in the forecast process. Sessions will include invited papers, poster and oral presentations and panel discussions. (Click NOAA image for larger view of the local weather forecast office in Washington, D.C., circa 1926. Click here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)

The NOAA National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. The NOAA National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation’s coastal and marine resources. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA National Weather Service

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction

Media Contact:
Marilu Trainor, NOAA National Weather Service western region headquarters, (801) 541-7093 (cell)