The National Weather Service operates 122 weather forecast offices.[1][2] Each weather forecast office (WFO or NWSFO) has a geographic area of responsibility, also known as a county warning area, for issuing local public, marine, aviation, fire, and hydrology forecasts. They also issue severe weather warnings, gather weather observations, and daily and monthly climate data for their assigned area. The local weather forecast offices also control the broadcasts of weather information on the NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards stations.[3] The NWS is divided into six regions.
History
editPrior to the NWS reorganization in the 1990s, each state and territory had its own forecast office — with the exception of northern and southern California; north, south, and west Texas; and upper and lower New England. Local offices (NWSOs) then each maintained their own county warning area, and the official hourly and daily readings at the weather station where they were located, typically at a regional airport in a smaller city.[4]
During the reorganization, many of these became forecast offices, while most were closed in favor of cheaper automatic weather stations like AWOS and ASOS. Since then, many offices and weather radars have moved to separate non-airport locations, where they are assigned new location identifiers, such as EYW/KEYW to KEY/KKEY for NWSFO Key West, and BHM/KBHM to BMX/KBMX for Birmingham radar.[5]
Forecast offices
editAlaska Region (3 offices)
editForecast office | State | Office call sign | Address |
---|---|---|---|
Anchorage[6] | Alaska | AFC | 6930 Sand Lake Rd, Anchorage, AK 99502 |
Fairbanks[7] | Alaska | AFG | UAF-Akasofu Building, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7345 |
Juneau[8] | Alaska | AJK | 8500 Mendenhall Loop Rd, Juneau, AK 99801 |
Central Region (38 offices)
editForecast office | State | Office call sign | Address |
---|---|---|---|
Denver - Boulder | Colorado | BOU | 325 Broadway Boulder, CO 80305 |
Grand Junction | Colorado | GJT | 2844 Aviators Way Grand Junction, CO 81506 |
Pueblo | Colorado | PUB | 3 Eaton Way Pueblo, CO 81001 |
Chicago | Illinois | LOT | 333 West University Drive Romeoville, IL 60446 |
Lincoln | Illinois | ILX | 1362 State Route 10 Lincoln, IL 62656 |
Indianapolis | Indiana | IND | 6900 West Hanna Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46241 |
Northern Indiana | Indiana | IWX | 7506 E 850 N Syracuse, IN 46567 |
Davenport/Quad Cities | Iowa | DVN | 9040 N Harrison Street, Davenport, IA, 52806 |
Des Moines | Iowa | DMX | 9607 NW Beaver Drive Johnston, IA 50131 |
Dodge City | Kansas | DDC | 104 Airport Road Dodge City, KS, 67801 |
Goodland | Kansas | GLD | 920 Armory Road Goodland, KS 67735 |
Topeka | Kansas | TOP | 1116 NE Strait Avenue Topeka, KS 66616 |
Wichita | Kansas | ICT | 2142 S. Tyler Road Wichita, KS 67209 |
Jackson | Kentucky | JKL | 1329 Airport Road Jackson, KY 41339 |
Louisville | Kentucky | LMK | 6201 Theiler Lane Louisville, KY 40229 |
Paducah | Kentucky | PAH | 8250 Kentucky Highway 3520 West Paducah, KY 42086 |
Detroit/Pontiac | Michigan | DTX | 9200 White Lake Road White Lake, MI 48386 |
Gaylord | Michigan | APX | 8800 Passenheim Road Gaylord, MI 49735 |
Grand Rapids | Michigan | GRR | 4899 Tim Dougherty Dr, Grand Rapids, MI 49512 |
Marquette | Michigan | MQT | 112 Airpark Drive South Negaunee, MI 49866 |
Duluth | Minnesota | DLH | 5027 Miller Trunk Highway Duluth, MN 55811 |
Chanhassen/Twin Cities | Minnesota | MPX | 1733 Lake Drive West Chanhassen, MN, 55317 |
Kansas City/Pleasant Hill | Missouri | EAX | 1803 North 7 Highway Pleasant Hill, MO 64080 |
Springfield | Missouri | SGF | 5805 West Highway EE Springfield, MO 65802 |
St. Louis | Missouri | LSX | 12 Missouri Research Park Drive St. Charles, MO 63304 |
Hastings | Nebraska | GID | 6365 North Osborne Drive West Hastings, NE 68901 |
North Platte | Nebraska | LBF | 5250 E. Lee Bird Drive North Platte, NE 69101 |
Omaha/Valley | Nebraska | OAX | 6707 North 288th Street Valley, NE 68064 |
Bismarck | North Dakota | BIS | 2301 University Drive Building 27 Bismarck, ND 58504 |
Grand Forks | North Dakota | FGF | 4797 Technology Circle Grand Forks, ND 58203 |
Aberdeen | South Dakota | ABR | 824 391st Ave S. Aberdeen, SD 57401-9311 |
Rapid City | South Dakota | UNR | 300 East Signal Drive Rapid City, SD 57701 |
Sioux Falls | South Dakota | FSD | 26 Weather Lane Sioux Falls, SD 57104 |
Green Bay | Wisconsin | GRB | 2485 South Point Road Green Bay, WI 54313 |
La Crosse | Wisconsin | ARX | N2788 County Road FA La Crosse, WI 54601 |
Milwaukee/Sullivan | Wisconsin | MKX | N3533 Hardscrabble Road Dousman, WI 53118 |
Cheyenne | Wyoming | CYS | 1301 Airport Parkway Cheyenne, WY 82001 |
Riverton | Wyoming | RIW | 12744 West US Highway 26 Riverton, WY 82501 |
Eastern Region (23 offices)
editForecast office | State | Office call sign | Address |
---|---|---|---|
Caribou | Maine | CAR | 810 Main St, Caribou, ME 04736 |
Gray/Portland | Maine | GYX | 1 Weather Ln, Gray, ME 04039 |
Boston/Norton | Massachusetts | BOX | 46 Commerce Way, Norton, MA 02766 |
Mount Holly/Philadelphia | New Jersey | PHI | 732 Woodlane Rd, Mt Holly, NJ 08060 |
Albany | New York | ALY | ETEC - National Weather Service 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222 |
Binghamton | New York | BGM | 32 Dawes Dr, Johnson City, NY 13790 |
Buffalo | New York | BUF | 587 Aero Drive, Cheektowaga, NY 14225 |
New York/Upton | New York | OKX | 175 Brookhaven Ave, Upton, NY 11973 |
Newport/Morehead City | North Carolina | MHX | 533 Roberts Rd, Newport, NC 28570 |
Raleigh | North Carolina | RAH | 1005 Capability Dr #300, Raleigh, NC 27606 |
Wilmington | North Carolina | ILM | 2015 Gardner Dr, Wilmington, NC 28405 |
Cleveland | Ohio | CLE | 925 Keynote Circle Suite 314, Brooklyn Heights, OH 44131 |
Wilmington (de facto “Cincinnati/Wilmington”) | Ohio | ILN | 1901 OH-134, Wilmington, OH 45177 |
Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | PBZ | 192 Shafer Rd, Coraopolis, PA 15108 |
State College | Pennsylvania | CTP | 328 Innovation Blvd, State College, PA 16803 |
Charleston | South Carolina | CHS | 5777 S Aviation Ave, North Charleston, SC 29406 |
Columbia | South Carolina | CAE | 2909 Aviation Way West, Columbia, SC 29170 |
Greenville-Spartanburg | South Carolina | GSP | 1549 GSP Dr, Greer, SC 29651 |
Burlington | Vermont | BTV | 1200 Airport Dr, South Burlington, VT 05403 |
Baltimore/Washington | Virginia | LWX | 43858 Weather Service Road, Sterling, VA 20166 |
Blacksburg/Roanoke | Virginia | RNK | 1750 Forecast Dr, Blacksburg, VA 24060 |
Wakefield | Virginia | AKQ | 10009 General Mahone Hwy, Wakefield, VA 23888 |
Charleston | West Virginia | RLX | 1754 Hendrickson Dr, South Charleston, WV 25303 |
Pacific Region (2 offices)
editForecast office | State | Office call sign | Address |
---|---|---|---|
Guam | Guam | GUM | 3232 Hueneme Rd, Barrigada, GU, 96913 |
Honolulu | Hawaii | HFO[9] | 2525 Correa Rd # 250, Honolulu, HI 96822 |
Southern Region (32 offices)
editForecast office | State | Office call sign | Address |
---|---|---|---|
Birmingham | Alabama | BMX | 465 Weather Vane Rd, Calera, AL 35040 |
Huntsville | Alabama | HUN | 320 Sparkman Dr NW, Huntsville, AL 35805 |
Mobile/Pensacola | Alabama | MOB | 8400 Airport Blvd #11, Mobile, AL 36608 |
Little Rock | Arkansas | LZK | 8400 Remount Rd, North Little Rock, AR 72118 |
Jacksonville | Florida | JAX | 13701 Fang Dr, Jacksonville, FL 32218 |
Key West | Florida | KEY | 1315 White St, Key West, FL 33040 |
Melbourne | Florida | MLB | 421 Croton Rd, Melbourne, FL 32901 |
Miami | Florida | MFL | 11691 SW 17th Street Miami, FL 33165 |
Tallahassee | Florida | TAE | 1017 Academic Way FSU, Love Bldg, 4th Floor, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4509 |
Tampa | Florida | TBW | 2525 14th Ave SE, Ruskin, FL 33570 |
Peachtree City/Atlanta | Georgia | FFC | 4 Falcon Dr, Peachtree City, GA 30269 |
Lake Charles | Louisiana | LCH | 500 Airport Blvd, Lake Charles, LA 70607 |
New Orleans/Baton Rouge | Louisiana | LIX | 62300 Airport Rd. Slidell, LA 70460 |
Shreveport | Louisiana | SHV | 5655 Hollywood Ave, Shreveport, LA 71109 |
Jackson | Mississippi | JAN | 234 Weather Service Dr, Flowood, MS 39232 |
Albuquerque | New Mexico | ABQ | 2341 Clark Carr Loop SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106 |
Norman/Oklahoma City | Oklahoma | OUN | 120 David L. Boren Blvd. Suite 2400, Norman, OK 73072 |
Tulsa | Oklahoma | TSA | 10159 E 11th St #300, Tulsa, OK 74128 |
San Juan | Puerto Rico | SJU | 5000 Expreso Román Baldorioty de Castro, Carolina, PR 00979 |
Memphis | Tennessee | MEG | 7777 Walnut Grove Rd #1, Memphis, TN 38120 |
Morristown/Knoxville | Tennessee | MRX | 5974 Commerce Blvd, Morristown, TN 37814 |
Nashville | Tennessee | OHX | 500 Weather Station Rd, Old Hickory, TN 37138 |
Amarillo | Texas | AMA | 1900 English Rd, Amarillo, TX 79108 |
Austin/San Antonio | Texas | EWX | 2090 Airport Rd, New Braunfels, TX 78130 |
Brownsville | Texas | BRO | 20 S Vermillion Ave, Brownsville, TX 78521 |
Corpus Christi | Texas | CRP | 426 Pinson Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78406 |
El Paso | Texas | EPZ | 7955 Airport Rd, Santa Teresa, NM 88008 |
Fort Worth-Dallas | Texas | FWD | 3401 Northern Cross Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76137 |
Houston/Galveston | Texas | HGX | 1353 FM646, Dickinson, TX 77539 |
Lubbock | Texas | LUB | 2579 S Loop 289 #100, Lubbock, TX 79423 |
Midland/Odessa | Texas | MAF | 2500 Challenger Dr, Midland, TX 79706 |
San Angelo | Texas | SJT | 7654 Knickerbocker Rd, San Angelo, TX 76904 |
Western Region (24 offices)
editForecast office | State | Office call sign | Address |
---|---|---|---|
Flagstaff | Arizona | FGZ | Building 49 Hughes Ave, Bellemont, AZ 86015 |
Phoenix | Arizona | PSR | 2727 E Washington St, NWS PAB 1TA, Phoenix, AZ 85034[10] |
Tucson | Arizona | TWC | 520 N Park Ave #304, Tucson, AZ 85719 |
Eureka | California | EKA | 300 Startare Dr, Eureka, CA 95501 |
Los Angeles/Oxnard | California | LOX | 520 N Elevar St, Oxnard, CA 93030 |
Sacramento | California | STO | 3310 El Camino Ave # 228, Sacramento, CA 95821 |
San Diego | California | SGX | 11440 W Bernardo Ct #230, San Diego, CA 92127 |
San Francisco Bay Area/Monterey | California | MTR | 21 Grace Hopper Ave, Monterey, CA 93943 |
San Joaquin Valley/Hanford | California | HNX | 900 Foggy Bottom Rd, Hanford, CA 93230 |
Boise | Idaho | BOI | NIFC Building 3807, 3833 Development Ave, Boise, ID 83705 |
Pocatello | Idaho | PIH | 1945 Beechcraft Ave, Pocatello, ID 83204 |
Billings | Montana | BYZ | 2170 Overland Ave, Billings, MT 59102 |
Glasgow | Montana | GGW | 92 Airport Rd, Glasgow, MT 59230 |
Great Falls | Montana | TFX | 5324 Tri Hill Frontage Rd, Great Falls, MT 59404 |
Missoula | Montana | MSO | 6633 Aviation Way, Missoula, MT 59808 |
Elko | Nevada | LKN | 3720 Paradise Dr, Elko, NV 89801 |
Las Vegas | Nevada | VEF | 7851 Dean Martin Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89139 |
Reno | Nevada | REV | 2350 Raggio Pkwy, Reno, NV 89512 |
Medford | Oregon | MFR | 4003 Cirrus Dr, Medford, OR 97504 |
Pendleton | Oregon | PDT | 2001 NW 56th St, Pendleton, OR 97801 |
Portland | Oregon | PQR | 5241 NE 122nd Ave, Portland, OR 97230 |
Salt Lake City | Utah | SLC | 2242 W North Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84116 |
Seattle | Washington | SEW | 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115 [11] |
Spokane | Washington | OTX | 2601 N Rambo Rd, Spokane, WA 99224 |
An interactive map of all six regions with links to individual WFOs can be found here: https://www.weather.gov/srh/nwsoffices
References
edit- ^ National Weather Service (2012-09-19). "National Weather Service Organization". weather.gov. Retrieved 2013-02-22.
- ^ "NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs)". United States census. United States Census Bureau. 22 November 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
- ^ National Weather Service. "NWS MKX Office Brochure" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-01-03.
- ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Station History". www.weather.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
- ^ "List of National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices". hmn.wiki. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
- ^ "NWS Forecast Office : Anchorage, AK". noaa.gov. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ^ "NWS Forecast Office : Fairbanks, AK". noaa.gov. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ^ "NWS Forecast Office : Juneau, AK". noaa.gov. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ^ [1], Honolulu WFO homepage.
- ^ "NWS Phoenix".
- ^ "Seattle/Tacoma, WA".