 | |
 | |
 The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Buffalo during theNovember 2022 winter storm | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | November 1870; 155 years ago (1870-11) |
| Type | Meteorological |
| Jurisdiction | National Weather Service |
| Headquarters | 587 Aero Drive Cheektowaga, NY 14225 42°56′29″N78°43′09″W / 42.94140091854919°N 78.71929989811092°W /42.94140091854919; -78.71929989811092 |
| Employees | 25 |
| Agency executives |
|
| Parent agency | National Weather Service |
| Website | www |
TheNational Weather Service Buffalo, New York (office identification code: BUF) is a local office of theNational Weather Service responsible for monitoring weather conditions inWestern New York and other portions ofupstate, downwind fromLake Erie andLake Ontario. It is based on the premises ofBuffalo Niagara International Airport inCheektowaga. The territory covers the cities ofBuffalo,Rochester,Geneva,Fulton, andWatertown. Much of the office's work focuses onlake-effect snow.[1]
On February 9, 1870,PresidentUlysses Grant signed into law a Joint Congressional Resolution that required theSecretary of War to establish a weather forecasting service for the United States. Tasked with taking and disseminating weather observations from selected sites, this agency was assigned to theSignal Service of theUnited States Army due to the fact that military discipline was needed and the new service needed to have a reliable communications system. Weather observations were initially to be made at 24 sites, with observations to be taken three times daily at 7:35 a.m., 4:35 and 11:35 p.m. local time. The official observations were then transmitted back toWashington D.C., with other observations to be taken as required.[2]
Operations of the Buffalo forecast office under the Signal Service began in the Hollister block of downtown Buffalo in November 1870. The station remained in the downtown area until 1944, when it moved its operations to theBuffalo Niagara International Airport. An observatory building was completed on the eastern side of the airport in the early 1960's, and a separate forecast wing at the airport terminal opened later in the same decade. In 1981, the observatory portion was converted into a contract meteorological observatory. The observation function was moved to the airport's terminal in the late 1990's, after the observatory's operation was transferred to theFAA. The forecast office moved into its present facilities near the eastern edge of the airport on Aero Drive in April 1995.[3]
The National Weather Service Buffalo, New York forecast office maintains programming for sevenNOAA Weather Radio stations in New York to transmit routine extended and specialized short-term forecasts, current weather observations, hazardous weather outlooks and historical weather information. Each of the transmitters, through theEmergency Alert System, also disseminate watches, warnings and advisories issued by the NWS office, severe thunderstorm and tornado watches issued by theStorm Prediction Center, lake-effect and winter weather warnings, and other emergency information to the public.[4]
The office schedules a required weekly test of theSpecific Area Message Encoding system for public alert dissemination on all seven NOAA Weather Radio transmitters in the region each Wednesday at about 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. If there is a threat of severe weather in the listening area of any or all of the stations, the test would be postponed to the next available good weather day, barring that severe weather is not forecasted to occur then.[5]
| Station | Frequency (MHz) | City of license | Transmitter power |
|---|---|---|---|
| KEB-98 | 162.550 | Buffalo, New York | 600 Watts |
| WNG-541 | 162.525 | Frewsburg, New York | 175 watts |
| WWG-32 | 162.425 | Little Valley, New York | 100 watts |
| KHA-53 | 162.400 | Rochester, New York | 500 watts |
| WNG-539 | 162.525 | Spencerport, New York | 300 watts |
| WZ-2536 | 162.475 | Lyons, New York | 250 watts |
| WXN-68 | 162.475 | Watertown, New York | 100 watts |
| ByAM frequency | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ByFM frequency |
| ||
| NOAA Weather Radio frequency | |||
| Digital radio by frequency & subchannel | |||
| Bycall sign | |||
| Defunct | |||
| |||
