National Weather Service

Weather Service, National, part of the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA), in the U.S. Department of Commerce. Its head office in Washington, D.C., near the National Meteorological Center, is where data from 300 weather stations in the United States and from many other sources, including aircraft, satellites, and balloons, are coordinated and incorporated into charts for distribution to the 30 forecast centers across the country. Here long- and short-range forecasts are prepared and warnings of hurricanes, flooding, and other weather hazards given. Research to improve forecasting accuracy is also undertaken.