Web Link Tornado Preparedness - 1950s style

Wonderful vintage 14 minute public service type film on tornado preparedness. Estimated date about 1956 or 1957 and the film highlights the work of the SELS unit in Kansas City with featured role by Joe Galway, Don House and other SELS personnel.

Web Link Ruskin Heights - from NWS Pleasant Hill

Excellent account and meteorological background on the Ruskin Heights tornado of May 20th, 1957. By the National Weather Serivce Forecast Office - Pleasant Hill, MO

Web Link Ruskin Heights Tornado Memorial

Website commemorating the 50th anniversary of the May 20th, 1957 Missouri-Kansas Tornado - often termed the Ruskin Heights Tornado. A community observance will be held May 19th, 2007 at the Ruskin High School featuring Joe Audsley and Dan McCarthy.

Web Link SELS History from Storms Prediction Center

History of the Severe Local Storms unit by Steve Corfidi.

Web Link History of Operational Use of Weather Radar AMS 1998

Weather and Forecasting survey article of weather radar systems from early developments to the WSR-88D including the APQ-13 developed for the B-29, the WSR-1 and 3, the WSR-57 and the FPS-77. Lead author Roger Whiton of Air Weather Service.

Web Link The Birth and Early Years of the Storm Prediction Center

August 1999 Weather and Forecasting article by Stephen F. Corfidi providing an overview of the birth and development of the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center, formerly known as the National Severe Storms Forecast Center.

Web Link SELS / SPC Timeline

Timeline from 1945 to present of significant events and units associated with SELS and the SPC. Created by Roger Edwards and Fred Osbty. Maintained by Roger Edwards. Hosted on the Storms Prediction Center Website.

Web Link SELS/SPC Images

Series of photos from the SELS unit - hosted at SPC, Norman, OK.

Web Link History of the USWB/NWS in Kansas City

A chronology of US Weather Bureau/National Weather Service forecast offices in Kansas City from 1888 to present. Written and hosted by the NWS Forecast Office, Pleasant Hill, MO.

Web Link Improved Accuracy in Severe Storms Forecasting - by Fred Ostby 1999

Weather and Forecast article by Fred Ostby on historic trends in SELS accuracy and operations. This paper from September 1999 is in PDF format and will open in an Adobe Acrobat window

Web Link Operations of NSSFC

Abstract and link to the full paper in PDF format of a Weather and Forecasting article titled: Operations of the National Severe Storms Forecast Center by Frederick P. Ostby, Director. An examination of the June 15th to 17th, 1992 severe weather out

Web Link History of forecast-related research at NSSL 1964-2004

Slide presentation format presentation by Dr. Charles Doswell of CIMMS Univ of Oklahoma on the 1963 creation of NSSP, the National Severe Storms Project, and its evolution into NSSL, the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, OK

Web Link When to Duck: July 1951 article on Fawbush and Miller's pioneering tornado forecasts

Reproduced from the "Take Off", an Air Force publication, describing the gutsy and accurate tornado forecast that cemented the reputations of Cols. Fawbush and Miller, Tinker AFB.

Web Link Evolution of the NWS 1849 to 1994

From the NWS website a timeline of NWS history - ends in 1994 and I would deem the mention of NSSFC as erroneous but still gives good account of organizational and equipment changes through the years.

Web Link Kansas City Chapter - AMS

Home page for the Kansas City Chapter of the American Meteorological Society. Features chapter information, notice of upcoming Chapter meetings and link to area employers and job opportunities as well as other weather sites.

Web Link Aviation Weather Center

Aviation Weather Center - Kansas City Missouri Follow on organization for the many aviation related units that have been based in Kansas City. Nationwide Area Forecasts, SIGMETS, AIRMETS. Convective Sigmets also originate within the AWC. 

Web Link Pleasant Hill NWS office

National Weather Service office serving the Kansas City area. Responsible for forecasts and warning for a large portion of western Missouri and east central Kansas. WSR-88D Doppler Radar located at Pleasant Hill along with the River Forecast Center

Web Link Storms Prediction Center

Home page for the Storms Prediction Center in Norman Oklahoma. This is the present day follow on to the SELS Unit.

Web Link Today in Weather History

Daily listing of significant weather events from the past. Most entries compiled by Hugh Crowther of the Aviation Weather Center and taken from a variety of sources including the National Weather Summaries written by the NPSU unit of NSSFC .

Web Link NWS Photo Library

Photo album compiled by NWS HQ - the older photos are toward the bottom of the opening page and include instrumentation, warnings and a small number of office and personnel photos. Several pages of early radar images and equipment.