On February 9, 1870, Congress established the United States Weather Bureau with the mission "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." (Source: www.nws.noaa.gov) Congress proposed creating the Weather Bureau through a Joint Congressional Resolution, and President Ulysses S. Grant signed the law into effect.

Congress gave the Secretary of War authority over the Weather Bureau with the thought that military leadership would ensure promptness and accuracy in the Bureau’s observations. Over the years, the Weather Bureau became a civilian department when it moved to the Department of Agriculture, and then to the Department of Commerce.

Since the establishment of the Weather Bureau on February 9, 1870, it has been at the forefront of weather and climate related experimentation, discovery, and technology. This includes two important advancements that we still use today: storm tracking and warning systems.

Today, the Weather Bureau is known as the National Weather Service, and it is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).