Pre-Weather Bureau Observation Networks
Pre-Weather Bureau NARA Collection; EV2 - Forts
The collection consists of monthly weather records from U.S. Army Forts stations (~1820-1871), U.S. Army Signal Service Stations (1871-1892), Smithsonian Institution voluntary observer network (1848-1875), and other stations which conducted weather observations in the 19th century. Observations were generally conducted three times daily, around 7am, 2pm and 9pm. The voluntary and Signal Service stations were transferred to the newly-created U.S. Weather Bureau in 1891. Many of the stations continue on past 1892 in the Cooperative Observations and Surface Weather Observations (1001) libraries. Some keyed data from this series resides in the NCDC digital archive, but the vast majority is held and accessed through the Midwest Regional Climate Center (MRCC), a key partner in digitzation of the records. The MRCC holds keyed data for over 400 stations. All data in this collection were provided to the archive by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The original forms were deteriorating in the National Archives and were converted to microfilm in the late 1930s as part of a Works Projects Administration program. A copy of the set was made for archival at NCDC, and the film was converted to TIFF format images around the year 2000 under the The Climate Database Modernization Program (CDMP). The physical collection spans from approximately 1804 until 1893, though some stations extend into the twentieth century. The digital collection includes any digitzed pre-1893 data received from NARA.
Dataset Citation
- Cite this dataset when used as a source.
Dataset Identifiers
- NCEI DSI 3900_01
- NCEI Physical Archive Collection: FORTS
- gov.noaa.ncdc:C01085
ISO 19115-2 Metadata
gov.noaa.ncdc:C01085
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Ordering Instructions | Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions. |
Distributor |
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.info@noaa.gov |
Dataset Point of Contact | Customer Engagement Branch NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information 1-828-271-4800 ncei.orders@noaa.gov |
Time Period | 1820 to 1892 |
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates |
West: 172.0
East: -66.0
South: 18.0
North: 72.0
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Dataset Information |
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Data Presentation Form | Hardcopy image - image archived in analog format Digital image |
Dataset Progress Status | Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility |
Data Update Frequency | Irregular |
Supplemental Information | **update alt title** *add digital representation info** **update file formats** **Add acquisition info** |
Purpose | This collection contains the earliest systematic weather observations in the United States, extending the period of record for many modern weather stations to the time before the formation of the US Weather Bureau in 1891. |
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Theme keywords |
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
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Data Center keywords |
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
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Platform keywords |
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Platform Keywords
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Instrument keywords |
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
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Place keywords |
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
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Data Resolution keywords |
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Horizontal Data Resolution Keywords
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Stratum keywords |
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
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Lineage Statement | The original forms were deteriorating in the National Archives and were converted to microfilm in the late 1930s as part of a Works Projects Administration program. A copy of the set was made for archival at NCDC, and the film was converted to TIFF format images around the year 2000 under the The Climate Database Modernization Program (CDMP). |
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Processing Environment | Paper forms captured digitally using various types of scanning equipment. All forms were scanned using a minimum of 300 dpi (standard archive quality). |
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Last Modified: 2023-09-08
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov