History of the National Weather Service in Boise, Idaho

1864 - On February 1st, Fort Boise Post Surgeon Adam H. Cochrane started taking meteorological observations. Although the accuracy of this data is still in question because of the instruments available at the time, some of the observations are still used in the climatic record for Boise.

1877 - On May 21, Sergeant Barnet E. Light of the U.S. Army Signal Service was order per S. O. No. 62 to establish a station at the Overland Hotel at 8th and Main Street in Boise City, Idaho Territory and commence weather observations on July 1. Weather observations were sent daily via telegraph and monthly via U.S. Mail. The office was moved to the third floor of the Overland Hotel April 16, 1878.

1880 - On September 1, the U.S. Signal Service Station and weather observations were moved to the second floor of the Davis Building adjoining the Overland Hotel between 8th and 9th street on Main Street. The office was in the back room of the second floor rented from J. S. Hatch for $25.00 a month with the front rooms being used by Doctor H. L. Dausman.

1888 - The U.S. Signal Service station was moved to the second floor of the Perrault-Fritchman Building at Capital and Main Street in Boise on January 1, 1888.

1890 - The U.S. Signal Service station was closed July 1, 1890 two days before Idaho became a state. The office was moved to Baker City, Oregon where it was deemed to be more useful to the forecasters in Washington D.C.. Weather Observations continued at the Boise Barracks Post Hospital by the Post Surgeon.

1891 - On July 1, U.S. Congress transferred the U.S. Signal Service's Weather Bureau to the Department of Agriculture. The new U.S. Weather Bureau did not fund a Boise office from July 1st, 1890 to November 30, 1898.

1898 - On September 29, the Chief of the Weather Bureau, Professor Willis L. Moore, order Samuel M. Blandford to “proceed from Salt Lake City, Utah to Boise, Idaho, to establish and assume charge of a weather bureau station at the latter point." Source: (Climate and Crop Service of the Weather Bureau, 1898). The office was opened on the third floor of the Sonna Building at 9th and Main Street in Boise on December 1st.

1905 - On March 16, The Weather Bureau and weather observations were moved to the fourth floor of the Federal Building at 8th and Bannock.

1931 - Weather observations were also taken at Boise's first airport where Boise State University is located today from October 13, 1931 to December 18, 1939. Pilot Balloons were also launch from the airport until June 1935 when it was transferred back to the city office.

1939 - Upper air soundings (weather balloon flights) started at the Boise International Airport on September 1.

1939 - The U.S. Weather Bureau moved to the Boise Airport Building at Gowen Field on December 19. Weather observations have been taken at the current airport since December 19.

1940 - The U.S. Weather Bureau is transferred from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Commerce on June 30.

1967 - On January 1, U.S. Weather Bureau was renamed the National Weather Service, under the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA).

1969 - On June 5, the National Weather Service office moved to the old administration building on the Boise Interagency Fire Center (BIFC) Campus (now known as NIFC).

1969 - On August 9, the weather balloon Inflation building was moved to the NIFC campus and the Weather Bureau Radiotheodolite (WBRT-57) system was installed.

1970 - National Weather Service in Boise, Idaho becomes a Weather Forecast Office on June 22nd. The Boise Forecast Office was responsible for issuing the official weather forecasts for Idaho south of the Salmon River. Fire weather and agricultural forecasts will continue to be issued by the Boise office. Source: ESSA News Vol 6, #25 June 19, 1970.

1993 - On July 21, the National Weather Service Office moved to it's current location on the NIFC campus.

1993 - The first weather radar in Idaho, the advanced WSR-88D Doppler radar, was installed in Boise on September 23rd. This was the 47th 88D installed in a new national network. The WSR-88D Radar was commissioned in January 11, 1995.

1999 - Modernization of the National Weather Service in Oregon and Idaho was completed. Weather Service Offices (WSO) in Lewiston, Twin Falls and Idaho Falls Idaho and Burns, Oregon were closed. Modernized Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) in Boise, ID, Pocatello, ID, Pendleton, OR, Missoula, MT and Spokane, WA took over forecast responsibilities for Idaho and Eastern Oregon. WFO Boise's forecast area covers southeast Oregon and Southwest Idaho. WFO Pocatello's forecast area covers Eastern and South Central Idaho. WFO Missoula's forecast area covers Central Mountains of Idaho. WFO Spokane's forecast area covers the Idaho Panhandle.

2000 - The Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) was commissioned on April 6th. It allows assimilation of radar, satellite, surface and upper air observations, and computer model guidance into one workstation.

2006 - The Radiosonde Replacement System (RRS) was installed at WFO Boise in October. The new system uses GPS to track the balloon as it rises through atmosphere collecting temperature and wind data.

2012 - On September 13th, the doppler weather radar (WSR-88D) was upgraded to Dual Polarization.

2013 - On November 20th, the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) was upgraded to AWIPS II. It allows assimilation of radar, satellite, surface and upper air observations, and computer model guidance into one workstation.