M9 U.S. Weather Bureau/Service Meteorological Records, Springfield, Illinois, 1879-1994

This record series consists of the following items:

U.S. War Department, Signal Service U.S. Army, Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce and Agriculture.

Meteorological Record, Springfield, Illinois,

1 v.: 5 July 1879-22 October 1881.

Daily record of temperature (including maxima and minima), barometric pressure, hygrometer readings, wind velocity and direction, cloud types, and precipitation. Readings taken four to six times a day.

Located in box 1.

U.S. War Department, Signal Service.

Monthly Meteorological Report, Springfield, Illinois.

3 v. : September 1881-January 1886; February 1886-January 1889; February 1889-June 1889.

Daily record of barometric pressure, temperature (including maxima and minima), relative humidity, dew-point, wind direction and velocity, cloud types, precipitation amounts, and sunset observations. Also includes sums and means of observations and comments on unusual phenomena (frosts, halos, heavy precipitation, etc.) Readings taken three times a day.

Located in box 2.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Weather Bureau.

Daily Journal; Sunshine, Wind Direction, Wind Velocity, Springfield, Illinois, 1900-1904.

1 v.

Bound volume of onion skin carbon copies of daily narrative journal of weather conditions, including descriptions of thunderstorms, fog, solar halos, snowstorms, and other weather phenomena. Also included are hourly observation records of wind velocity and direction, and sunshine. The daily journal includes a subject index.

Located in box 3.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Weather Bureau (1889-1940).
U.S. Department of Commerce, Weather Bureau (1941-48).

Original Monthly Record of Observations at Springfield, Illinois, 1889-1943; Meteorological Record, 1944-1948.

49 v.

Daily record of barometric pressure, temperature (including maxima and minima), relative humidity, dewpoint, wind direction and velocity, amounts of sunshine, cloud types, precipitation amounts, and sunset observations. Also includes sums and means of observations, monthly and annual summaries, and comments on unusual phenomena (frosts, halos, heavy precipitation, auroras, meteor showers, earthquakes, eclipses, heat prostrations, etc.) Readings summarized twice daily, 1889-1904. From 1905 a "Daily Local Record" is included, showing hourly observations. Written narratives of weather observations, and especially of severe storms, are often included, as well as newspaper clippings of weather-related stories.

Located in boxes 2-7.

U.S. Department of Commerce: Weather Bureau (1948-1968); Environmental Science Services Administration, Environmental Data Service (1969-1973); National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service (1974- ).

Surface Weather Observations, Springfield, Illinois, September 1948-1994.

44 boxes, 14.5 cubic feet

Carbon copies of ledger sheets recording hourly observations of barometric pressure, temperature (including maxima and minima), relative humidity, percentage of sky cover, cloud types, precipitation amounts, wind direction and velocity, visibility, and minutes of sunshine. Also includes daily and monthly sums and means of observations, and brief notes of unusual phenomena. Beginning in 1989, the record takes the form of computer print-outs.

Located in boxes 8-49, 53-55. Duplicates of monthly summaries for the years 1949-1954 and surface weather observations for 1949 are in box 50.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Weather Bureau.

Means Books, Springfield, Illinois, July 1879-1904.

2 v. : 1879-1898; 1899-1904.

Monthly and annual summaries of maxima, minima, and means of temperature, wind direction and velocity, precipitation amounts, cloud cover, barometric pressure, dates of first and last frosts, relative humidity, and occurrence of thunderstorms and foggy days. Also includes remarks on unusual weather occurrences, such as severe thunderstorms, blizzards, floods, and droughts.

Located in box 50.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Weather Bureau: Illinois Weather Service.

Monthly Section Publications, November 1891-November 1894.

1 v.

Statewide summary of means and extremes of temperature, barometric pressure, and precipitation; also averages of clear days and prevailing wind direction, and dates of occurrences of thunderstorms, hailstorms, rainbows, fog, frost, halos and auroras. Also included are means and extremes of temperature and precipitation and occurrences of clear days at about 65 stations around Illinois..

Located in box 50.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Weather Bureau.

Climatological Record, Springfield, Illinois, 1879-1970.

5 v. : 1879-1910; 1911-1930; 1930-1950; 1931-1950; 1951-1970.

Detailed comparative monthly and annual summaries of means and extremes of barometric pressure, temperature, precipitation, wind direction and velocity, cloudiness and sunshine, and numbers of days with fog, hail, thunderstorms, halos and auroras. Also included is information on the types and placement of measuring instruments, and location and layout of the recording station.

Located in box 50.

U.S. Department of Commerce: Weather Bureau (1954-1968); Environmental Science Services Administration, Environmental Data Service (1969-1973); National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service (1974- )

Local Climatological Data: Annual Summary with Comparative Data, Springfield, Illinois, 1954-1992.

Published monthly and annual summaries of temperature averages and extremes, precipitation, relative humidity, wind direction and velocity, cloudiness and sunshine. Also included are tables comparing average temperatures, precipitation totals, heating and cooling degree days, and snowfall for 40-year periods.

Located in boxes 50-52.

Boxlist:

Box 1:

Meteorological Record, Springfield, Illinois, 5 July 1879-22 October 1881.

Box 2:

Monthly Meteorological Report, Springfield, Illinois.

• 3 volumes:
• September 1881-January 1886
• February 1886-January 1889
• February 1889-June 1889.

Original Monthly Record of Observations at Springfield, Illinois:

• 1889-1892
• 1893-1896
• 1897-1900

Box 3:

• 1901-1904

Daily Journal; Sunshine, Wind Direction, Wind Velocity, 1900-1904
Original Monthly Record of Observations at Springfield, Illinois:

• 1905
• 1906
• 1907
• 1908
• 1909
• 1910 (includes clipping and comments on feared effects of Halley's Comet.)

Box 4:

Original Monthly Record of Observations at Springfield, Illinois:

• 1911 (includes report and newspaper clippings on severe thunderstorms of 6 and 13 September)
• 1912
• 1913
• 1914
• 1915
• 1916
• 1917
• 1918 (includes brief account of snowstorm of 10-14 January)
• 1919
• 1920

Box 5:

Original Monthly Record of Observations at Springfield, Illinois:

• 1921
• 1922 (includes report on severe thunderstorm of 13 June)
• 1923
• 1924 (includes clippings on ice storm of 17-18 December)
• 1925 (includes report on severe thunderstorm of 13 April)
• 1926
• 1927 (includes clipping on tornado of 19 April)
• 1928
• 1929 (includes clippings on snowstorms of 23 October and 20-22 December)
• 1930

Box 6:

Original Monthly Record of Observations at Springfield, Illinois:

• 1931
• 1932
• 1933 (includes report on hailstorm of 9 May)
• 1934
• 1935 (includes clipping on severe thunderstorm of 8 May)
• 1936 (includes clipping on dust storm of 9 June)
• 1937 (includes clippings on ice storms of 7-8 January and 12-21 December)
• 1938
• 1939 (includes clippings on winter storms in February,   severe thunderstorms of 15 April and 6 August, and earthquake of 23 November)

Box 7:

Original Monthly Record of Observations at Springfield, Illinois:

• 1940
• 1941 (includes clippings on tornadoes of 19 April and 3 October)
• 1942
• 1943 (includes clipping on severe thunderstorm of 4 July)

Meteorological Record, Springfield, Illinois:

• 1944
• 1945 (includes clipping on severe thunderstorm of 11 August)
• 1946 (includes report on aurora of 26 July)
• 1947 (includes clipping on severe thunderstorm of 15 May)
• 1948

Box 8:

Surface Weather Observations, Springfield, Illinois:
September-December 1948

Box 9: 1949
Box 10: 1950
Box 11: 1951
Box 12: 1952
Box 13: 1953
Box 14: 1954
Box 15: 1955
Box 16: 1956
Box 17: 1957
Box 18: 1958
Box 20: 1960
Box 21: 1961
Box 22: 1962
Box 23: 1963
Box 24: 1964
Box 25: 1965
Box 26: 1966
Box 27: 1967
Box 28: 1968
Box 29: 1969
Box 30: 1970
Box 31: 1971
Box 32: 1972
Box 33: 1973
Box 34: 1974
Box 35: 1975
Box 36: 1976
Box 37: 1977
Box 38: 1978
Box 39: 1979
Box 40: 1980
Box 41: 1981
Box 42: 1982
Box 43: 1983
Box 44: 1984
Box 45: 1985
Box 46: 1986
Box 47: 1987
Box 48: 1988
Box 49: 1989 (see box 53 for 1990 et seq.)

Box 50:

Means Book, 1879-1898
Means Book, 1899-1904
Monthly Section Publications, Illinois, November 1891-November 1894
Climatological Records:

• 1879-1910
• 1911-1930
• 1930-1950
• 1931-1950

inserts:

• Quantity of Rain and melted Snow, in inches, abstracted from the Meteorological Observations of JOEL HALL, kept at Athens, Ill.from Janaury, 1st 1843 to the present time [1861.]
• Easter Sunday minimum temperatures, 1882-1965
• Degree Days, 1895-1951.
• [Newspaper clipping showing old Post Office and Government Building, where Weather Bureau was located, 1879-1905.]
• [Plans of Weather Bureau Office in Federal Building at Seventh and Monroe, showing locations of recording devices and rooms, 1932.]
• Pressure, Highest and Lowest, in inches and hundredths...extremes for entire record of 61 years, 1946.
• Percentages of directions from which the wind blows as determined from the Springfield Airport records for the period 1929-1942.
• Description of Topography and Exposure of Instruments at Weather Reporting Station, 1943.
• Index of Earthquake Tremors at Springfield, Illinois, 1905-1947.

Climatological Record, 1951-1970
Station Meteorological Summaries, 1949-1954; Surface Weather Observations, 1949 (in black binder)

Box 51:

Springfield: Daily Normal of temperature and degree days, 1931-1960.
Local Climatological Data, 1947, 1949-1980.

Box 52: Local Climatological Data, 1981 - Oct. 1992
Box 53: Surface Weather Observations, 1990
Box 54: 1991
Box 55: 1992
Box 56: 1993
Box 57: 1994