National Weather Service Wichita, Kansas

Wichita, Kansas Weather Forecast Office

The Wichita, Kansas National Weather Service office.
Agency overview
JurisdictionFederal Government of the United States
Headquarters2142 S. Tyler Road, Wichita, KS
37°39′17.7″N 97°26′36.1″W / 37.654917°N 97.443361°W / 37.654917; -97.443361
Employees23
Agency executives
  • Suzanne Fortin, Meteorologist in Charge
  • Chance Hayes, Warning Coordination Meteorologist
Parent agencyNational Weather Service
Websitewww.weather.gov/ict/
Map
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Location of the National Weather Service Wichita, Kansas and its county warning area.

The National Weather Service Wichita, Kansas (NWS Wichita) is a local weather forecast office of the National Weather Service responsible for monitoring weather conditions for 26 counties in central, south-central, and southeastern Kansas, including the Wichita Metropolitan Area and Salina, Kansas.[1]

History

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The Army Signal Service established a federal weather office in the region on June 13, 1888.[2] On April 1, 1930, the Wichita Municipal Airport (currently McConnell Air Force Base) weather office opened. Pilot Balloons were sent at 5:30 am and pm each day, and from April 1, 1930, to November 29, 1940, there were two Weather Bureau Offices in Wichita.[2]

Present day

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The current National Weather Service Wichita is located at 2142 S. Tyler Road in the southwestern part of Wichita, near Eisenhower Airport, and is in charge of issuing local forecasts and weather warnings for central, south central, and southeastern Kansas.[2] It is one of four National Weather Service offices located in Kansas and one of seven that serve the state.[1] In the event that the office becomes temporarily unable to perform its duties, NWS Wichita's primary backup office (the office that would take over until NWS Wichita was able to resume service) is the National Weather Service office in Topeka, Kansas, with the secondary backup office being the National Weather Service office in Dodge City, Kansas.[3]

NOAA Weather Radio

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NWS Wichita operates six NOAA Weather Radio transmitters to serve Central, South-Central and Southeast Kansas:

N.B. Counties marked with a § are outside the Wichita WFO's County Warning Area.

References

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  1. ^ a b National Weather Service (2009-06-26). "NWS Wichita Mission". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
  2. ^ a b c National Weather Service (2009-05-28). "NWS Wichita History". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
  3. ^ "Backup Plan for Central Region Offices" (PDF). National Weather Service. 2008-12-30. Retrieved 2011-08-25.
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