National Weather Service Chicago, currently based inRomeoville, Illinois, at Lewis University, is a weather forecast office responsible for monitoring weather conditions for 23 counties inNorthern Illinois, theChicago metropolitan area andNorthwest Indiana.^[1] TheArmy Signal Service established the first federal weather office in the region inChicago on October 15, 1870.^[2] During May 1894 the Chicago Weather Bureau was given a new forecast area extending from theGreat Lakes region all the way to theRocky Mountains.^[2] The current National Weather Service Chicago is located inRomeoville and is in charge of issuing local forecasts and weather warnings for theChicago area.^[2] It is one of only two National Weather Service offices in Illinois, the other beingNational Weather Service Central Illinois inLincoln, Illinois. The National Weather Service Chicago forecast office is located adjacent to theLewis University Airport inRomeoville, Illinois.^[3]

National Weather Service Chicago Forecast Office in Romeoville, Illinois, currently provides programming for 11NOAA Weather Radio stations.

KWO39 regular programming serves marine interests on southern Lake Michigan and the Illinois and Indiana lake-shore. KWO39 also carries severe weather watches and warnings forCook,DuPage, andLake counties inIllinois, plusLake andPorter counties inIndiana.^[4]

This station first began in 1954 as the first weather radio system in the Chicago area dedicated to theaviation user and continued until 1958 when the aviation broadcast wentdark. Ivan Brunk, meteorologist in charge of the Chicago U.S. Weather Bureau (now National Weather Service) office at that time, suggested that the radio service be reinstated and put toMarine usage on an experimental basis. The marine weather broadcast was an immediate success, and the service became permanent two years later.

Throughout the 1960s, programming was expanded to includeweather information for the general public, as well as the marine community. In the early 1970s, the forecast office moved from theUniversity of Chicago to a location on West Pershing Rd. The 300 watt transmitter was located on the roof of the six-story building where it remained until 1975 when the transmitter was relocated to the Sears Tower (nowWillis Tower).^[5]

KZZ81 broadcasts weather and hazard information forCook,DuPage,Grundy,Kane,Kankakee,Kendall,Lake, &Will counties inIllinois as well asLake County inIndiana.^[6]

Hourly conditions on this station are reported for the following locations:O'Hare Airport,The Lakefront,Joliet,Aurora,Waukegan, Illinois,Springfield,Bloomington,Midway Airport,Rockford,Kankakee.

KXI41 broadcasts weather and hazard information forBoone,Cook,Kane,Lake, &McHenry counties inIllinois, plusKenosha &Walworth counties inWisconsin.^[7]

KXI58 broadcasts weather and hazard information forDeKalb,DuPage,Grundy,Kane,Kendall,LaSalle, &Will counties inIllinois.^[8]

KZZ57 broadcasts weather and hazard information forWinnebago,Boone,Ogle,DeKalb,Lee &Stephenson counties inIllinois, plusGreen &Rock counties inWisconsin.^[9]

Programming for most counties is provided from the National Weather Service Chicago Forecast Office inRomeoville, Illinois, with warnings for Stephenson County being issued by the National Weather Service office inDavenport, Iowa, and Green and Rock counties in Wisconsin being issued by the National Weather Service office inMilwaukee, Wisconsin.^[9]

WXK24 broadcasts weather and hazard information forLaSalle,Grundy,Livingston,Ford,Will,Kankakee,Iroquois,Marshall,Woodford &McLean counties inIllinois.^[10]

Programming for most counties is provided from the National Weather Service Chicago Forecast Office inRomeoville, Illinois, with warnings for Marshall, Woodford, and McLean Counties being issued by theNational Weather Service Central Illinois located inLincoln, Illinois.^[10]

WNG536 broadcasts weather and hazard information forDeKalb,Boone,Winnebago,Ogle,Lee &Kane counties inIllinois.^[11]

KXI86 broadcasts weather and hazard information forFord,Kankakee,Iroquois, &Vermilion Counties inIllinois, as well asNewton &Benton Counties inIndiana.^[12]

Programming for most counties is provided from the National Weather Service Chicago Forecast Office inRomeoville, Illinois, with warnings for Vermilion County being issued by theNational Weather Service Central Illinois located inLincoln, Illinois.^[12]

KZZ55 broadcasts weather and hazard information forOgle,Lee,Carroll,Whiteside &Bureau Counties inIllinois.^[13]

Programming for Ogle and Lee counties is provided from the National Weather Service Chicago Forecast Office inRomeoville, Illinois, with warnings for Carroll Whiteside & Bureau counties being issued by the National Weather Service office located inDavenport, Iowa.^[13]

KZZ58 broadcasts weather and hazard information forKankakee,Iroquois &Will Counties inIllinois, as well asNewton &Lake Counties inIndiana.^[14]

WNG689 broadcasts weather and hazard information forLake,Porter,Newton,Jasper,LaPorte,Starke &Pulaski Counties inIndiana.^[15]

Programming for most counties is provided from the National Weather Service Chicago Forecast Office inRomeoville, Illinois, with warnings for LaPorte, Starke, and Pulaski Counties being issued by the National Weather Service Northern Indiana located inSyracuse, Indiana.^[15]

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• O'Hare International Airport (Chicago)
• Chicago Rockford International Airport (Rockford)

• NWS Chicago Main Page
• NOAA Weather Radio Coverage Maps

• National Weather Service Forecast Offices
• Radio stations in Illinois

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