National Weather Service (Toledo, OH) records

Collection

Identifier: GLMS-0107

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

Includes meteorological observations recorded at the Toledo, Ohio office of the National Weather Service from 1870-1994.

Dates

Creation: 1870-1994

Extent

30 Cubic Feet (30 record storage cartons)

Creator

United States. National Weather Service (Organization)

Scope and Contents

This collection contains meteorological observations recorded at the Toledo, OH office of the National Weather Service for the years 1870-1994. Records contain several series of reporting forms used during daily weather observations. Temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, precipitation, wind conditions and other sky data were recorded from 1901 to 1948 in the Original Monthly Record of Observation and from 1948 to 1989 in the Surface Weather Observations records. These two series form most of the collection and contain the entries made daily by Weather Service staff.

Two smaller series extend weather data back to 1871. The Climatological Record, 1871-1910, 1951-1970, 1983, contains summaries of data taken from daily observation records. The Meteorological Summary, 1871-1950, also is a summary derived from daily observations records. These two series of summaries provide "typical" weather conditions for morning, afternoon and evening observation times by noting the mean weather conditions at specific times on each day of the year.

A subject file for 1870-1994 completes the collection. Within this series specialized logs of weather data step beyond the daily records and summaries of the first four series. Significant weather events in the Toledo, OH area appear in files on the tornadoes of June 1953 and April 1965. A file on the blizzard of late January 1978 is also present. The network of local observers who report severe conditions is recorded in an index of members. Specialized logs on wind data, 1873-1880, 1954-1958, and precipitation, 1870-1950, report on meteorological phenomena of a single type over lengthy periods.

Agency History

The National Weather Service opened an office in Toledo, OH on November 1, 1870 in a building on Water Street. Observations were made from this location through February 1871. On March 1, 1871, a new office was opened in the Toledo Chamber of Commerce Building on the corner of Summit St. and Madison Ave. These quarters were used for only one month. A move to a new office in the same building occurred in April 1871. This office was used until February 1, 1888.

The Government Building on St. Clair St. and Madison Ave. became the operations center and remained so until July 1906. Office space was acquired in the Nicholas Building at Madison Ave. and Huron St. Several offices in this building were used until June 1932 when a move was made into the new Federal Building at Ontario St. and Spielbusch St.

In February 1943 offices were transferred to the Toledo Municipal Airport southeast of Toledo near Moline, OH. Some functions were still performed in Toledo until 1949 when all operations were located at the airport. An office was opened at the new Toledo Express Airport near Swanton, OH in January 1955. This office housed National Weather Service operations for Toledo until it was closed in 1996.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

The collection is in the public domain.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Separated Materials

Two cubic feet of publications such as books and pamphlets have been separated from the collection to be integrated into the main book and pamphlet collections.

Related Materials

For records of the National Weather Service office in Cleveland, Ohio, see GLMS 93 - National Weather Service (Cleveland, OH) records, 1870-1948.

For records of the office in Alpena, Michigan, see GLMS 23 - Government Weather Station #85: Alpena, MI records.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

These records from the National Weather Service office in Toledo, OH, were donated to the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes by Charles A. Spicer of the National Weather Service Office in Cleveland, OH, on May 9, 1996.