Huntsville had a National Weather Service Office from 1958 to 1997. The Huntsville Weather Office made observations and was responsible for issuing severe weather warnings for North Alabama. For years it operated with its own WSR-3 radar. It was replaced with a modern WSR-74 local warning radar in 1977 after the Superoutbreak of tornadoes on April 3, 1974. Doppler capabilities were added to the radar after the devastating Huntsville tornado in November 1989.
In the mid and late 1980s, the announced National Weather Service modernization plan called for the Huntsville weather office to close. Weather Service officials claimed that the powerful new NEXRAD Doppler Weather Radar system and other automation technologies allowed offices to cover larger territories. There was an immediate outcry from local residents and public officials. They touted statistics that show that only Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is more likely to experience a tornado within a 20 mile radius of a city of at least 100,000 population.
Many people were upset about the move, claiming that it was impossible for meteorologists in Birmingham to effectively warn for the Tennessee Valley with the radars in Birmingham and Nashville. Political pressure mounted immediately when the announcement was made. In response, a new Doppler Radar was planned for the Huntsville area. It was installed at Hytop, just east of Huntsville in April 1997. Despite the protests, the Huntsville weather office was closed in December 1997 and warning responsibility was transferred to Birmingham.
Representative Bud Chramer of the northern district of Alabama fought hard for a $3 million appropriation to open a new NWS office in Huntsville. With support from the emergency management community in North Alabama, the office was approved.
On January 14, 2003, the new office opened with the smallest County Warning Area in the NWS. The new National Weather Service Huntsville has been a model office, at the forefront of weather research and innovative service for its customer base.
This Saturday, they will have an open house from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
