LMK Station History
Click here to view a comprehensive history of the National Weather Service and the Louisville and Lexington offices
- Observations of the weather in Jefferson County, Kentucky, began on October 1, 1851 as part of a national weather observing network set up by the Smithsonian.
- The Weather Bureau was first established in Louisville, Kentucky on September 11, 1871 in the Customs House and Post Office Building at Third and Green Streets. Observations were started on November 1 by US Army personnel.
- On February 29, 1872 the Weather Office was moved to the corner of Main and Bullitt Streets.
- On March 3, 1877 the Weather Office was moved to the corner of Fourth and Green streets, located in the Courier-Journal Building
- On May 1, 1893 the Weather Office was moved to the Post Office Building on the northeast corner of Fourth and Chestnut Streets. In July of 1897 civilian personnel began taking observations at this location.
- On January 21, 1913 the office was moved to the northeast corner of Fifth and Jefferson Streets.
- On June 29, 1924 the office was moved to the northwest corner of Fourth and Market Streets.
- On April 29, 1939 the office was moved to the sixth floor of the Federal Building and Post Office on Broadway between Sixth and Seventh streets. As airport offices were established at Bowman Field and later at Standiford Field, this office became known as the "city office," and ceased operations January 19, 1955.
The various locations of the Weather Offices in the city were all within a radius of 1/2 to 1 mile of each other.
- On May 7, 1930 a Weather Bureau Airport Station was established at Bowman Field, though the official records point remained at the city office until July 1, 1945 when the official observing point moved to Bowman Field.
- On December 1, 1947 the Weather Office was moved from Bowman Field to Standiford Field. The office would remain in the immediate vicinity of Standiford Field for the next four and a half decades.
- On September 19, 1950 the office was moved to the Lee Terminal Building.
- On February 20, 1962 a new weather radar (WSR-3) was commissioned. It was placed on the roof of the terminal.
- On July 28-29, 1981, the office moved to a location on Standiford Lane.
- An Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) was commissioned at Standiford Field August 1, 1994.
- February 23, 1995, the office moved to 6201 Theiler Lane, off the Gene Snyder Freeway in southern Louisville, where it remains today.
- On November 1, 1995, the official observing point for Louisville was moved from Standiford Field to the new weather office location. On January 1, 2006 the official observing point was moved back to the airport.
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