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Huntsville Weather Timeline

2003 January 14: WFO Huntsville reopens at NSSTC building on UAH campus at 10am; assumes forecasting and warning responsibility for original CWA, plus Cullman County
June 24: NOAA Weather Radio station WNG-642 in Arab goes on the air
November 5: WFO Huntsville assumes forecast and warning responsibilities for Lincoln, Moore, and Franklin counties in Tennessee
2002 December: NOAA Weather Radio station WNG-554 is installed on Keith Springs Mountain in Franklin County, TN
1997 April 8: ASOS at Northwest Alabama Regional Airport in Muscle Shoals is commissioned
April 25: Dome installed on new Hytop WSR-88D (NEXRAD) radar.
July 1: Hytop radar becomes operational after testing period
December 2: WSO Huntsville transfers warning responsibility for its CWA to WSFO Birmingham at 10am; goes into "spindown" mode.
1996 April 3: NOAA Weather Radio station WWF-66 in Cullman goes on the air
October 23: ASOS at Pryor Field in Decatur is commissioned.
1995 January 1: ASOS at Huntsville International Airport is commissioned
1994 December 16: NOAA Weather Radio station WWF-44 near Henagar goes on the air
1993 March 12-14: "Storm of the Century" dumps up to 17" of snow on the Tennessee Valley
1991 WSR-74C radar at WSO Huntsville receives Doppler upgrade
1989 November 15: F4 tornado strikes South Huntsville during evening rush hour; 21 killed, 463 injured
Early 1980s AFOS computer system installed, replaces facsimile and teletype machines
1977 March 4: NOAA Weather Radio station KIH-57 in Florence goes on the air
WSR-74C radar installed at WSO Huntsville, replacing WSR-3 radar
1976 January 14: NOAA Weather Radio station KIH-20 goes on the air in Huntsville
1974 April 3: "Super Outbreak" of tornadoes hits the eastern U.S. Around 60 are killed and hundreds more are injured in the Tennessee Valley alone
1973 March 16: Major flooding across the Tennessee Valley, with extensive damage in Huntsville and the Shoals area. Over 50,000 acres of farmland flooded in Madison County alone
1970 October 3: ESSA becomes National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
October 9: U.S. Weather Bureau becomes National Weather Service
1967 October 29: WBAS Huntsville moves to the new Huntsville-Madison County airport near Madison, coinciding with the opening of the airport; WSR-3 radar moves with office
1965 July 13: U.S. Weather Bureau consolidated under the new Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA), still under the Department of Commerce
1963 December 31: Surprise snowstorm hits the area, dumping over 17" of snow on Huntsville
1958 October 31: Weather Bureau office opens in Huntsville at the Municipal airport. WSR-3 radar installed
1954 July 15: Huntsville Municipal Airport reclassified as "SAWRS" station. Official observations for Huntsville-Madison area temporarily taken in the city of Madison
1945 November 21: Huntsville observing site moves yet again - this time to the Huntsville Municipal Airport on the south side of town; classified as a "SA" station
1941 February 21: Huntsville observations now taken at Texaco station just south of downtown
1940 U.S. Weather Bureau is transferred to the Department of Commerce
1937 January 1: Huntsville-Madison area observations move to Huntsville's Alabama Power Company building
1932 March 21: Tornadoes rake across North Alabama and South Tennessee, killing over 60 and injuring over 600
1920 April 20: Tornado outbreak hits the Southeast United States killing over 50 and injuring hundreds in North Alabama.
1907 January 1: A continuous record of temperatures begins in the Huntsville-Madison area, first taken in the city of Madison
1897 March: Major flooding along the Tennessee River; highest crest on record at Florence, numerous bridges washed away
1894 A continuous record of precipitation begins in the Huntsville-Madison area, first taken in the city of Madison
1893 A continuous record of temperatures and precipitation begins in the Shoals area
1890 U.S. Weather Bureau becomes a part of the Department of Agriculture
1885 June 1: Cooperative observations begin at Valley Head in Dekalb County, the longest-running cooperative site in the Huntsville CWA
1871 June: Observations briefly resume at an unknown location in Huntsville, lasting through October of 1877
1870 February 9: United States Weather Bureau established under Army Signal Service
1867 March 15: Major flood on the Tennessee River; highest crest ever recorded on the river at Whitesburg
1831 January: First record of weather observations in Huntsville, taken at an unknown location. These last through December of 1837.


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Huntsville, AL Weather Forecast Office
320 Sparkman Drive
Huntsville, AL 35805
Phone: (256) 890-8503
Page Author: WFO Huntsville, AL Web Team
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Date Modified: May 14, 2007