Multiple corridors of severe thunderstorms are expected across the Upper Midwest on Monday into Monday night, with a regional severe weather outbreak possible. The most dangerous period is likely during the late afternoon and evening when strong tornado potential should be maximized. Scattered large to very large hail and damaging winds are likely as well. Read More >
Observing History at South Bend
The weather station at South Bend was promoted to a station of the first order on October 19, 1937, joining the ranks of Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Evansville. As a station of the first order, commissioned personnel were hired along with official records being kept. Shortly after the promotion, however, the office was shut down from May 1938 to August 1939. Shortly after it was reopened, the station at South Bend had the 8 inch rain gage installed in August 1939 and the max/min thermometers on December 8, 1939. Finally, the weighing/recording rain gage was installed on February 24, 1941.
Around 2006, the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina began a project called ThreadEx. This program was designed to address the fragmentation of station information over time due to station relocations. This project helped lengthen the official period of record at South Bend by "threading" together weather data from the different weather observing locations. Official weather records which once began in 1940 now begin in 1883 thanks to these efforts.
Timeline
December 1, 1893 -- Cooperative station established at Swain Family Farms
April 1, 1912 -- Cooperative station established at the University of Notre Dame, Moreau Seminary.
December 1, 1929 -- Aviation observations begin at South Bend Municipal Airport, Administration Building, six miles northeast of the old Post Office (Cadet Field).
February 28, 1933 -- Aviation observation site moved to South Bend Municipal Airport three and a half miles northwest of the old Post Office (Bendix Field).
October 11, 1937 -- Weather Bureau Airport Station established at Bendix Field.
April 26, 1938 -- Cooperative station at Swain Family Farms closed
February 10, 1942 -- Station moved from the Administration Building to the Garage Building after the Administration Building was destroyed by fire on February 6.
November 10, 1949 -- Station moved from the Garage Building to the Terminal Building
January 1, 1954 -- Cooperative station at Moreau Seminary closed
January 14, 1981 -- Office moved to the new Terminal Building at Michiana Regional Airport
March 17, 1998 -- South Bend office closed. New NWS station at Syracuse, Indiana, took over.
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