CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
EN/FR
Search
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

National Climatic Data Center

former United States archive of weather data

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 11, 2026
Entity authorityQ179373 ↗
Source-derived summary

The United States National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), previously known as the National Weather Records Center (NWRC), in Asheville, North Carolina, was the world's largest active archive of weather data.

In 2015, the NCDC merged with two other federal environmental records agencies to become the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

History

In 1934, the U.S. government established a tabulation unit in New Orleans, Louisiana, to process weather records. Climate records and upper air observations were punched onto cards in 1936. This organization was transferred to Asheville, North Carolina, in 1951, where the National Weather Records Center (NWRC). It was housed in the Grove Arcade Building in Asheville, North Carolina.

Processing of the climate data was accomplished at Weather Records Processing Centers at Chattanooga, Tennessee; Kansas City, Missouri; and San Francisco, California, until January 1, 1963, when it was consolidated with the NWRC.

In 1967, the agency was renamed the National Climatic Data Center.

In 1995, the NCDC moved into the newly completed Veach-Baley Federal Complex in downtown Asheville.

In 2015, the NCDC merged with the National Geophysical Data Center and the National Oceanographic Data Center to become the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Sources

Data were received from a wide variety of sources, including weather satellites, radar, automated airport weather stations, National Weather Service (NWS) Cooperative Observers, aircraft, ships, radiosondes, wind profilers, rocketsondes, solar radiation networks, and NWS Forecast/Warnings/Analyses Products.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “National Climatic Data Center” as former United States archive of weather data. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around National, Climatic and Data.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2015, 1934, 1936, 1951—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1951. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with National, Climatic and Data providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “National Climatic Data Center”, the useful work is to connect “former United States archive of weather data” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q179373. VIAF identifies the subject as 124745756. The Library of Congress control number is n83004739. 2 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2015, 1934, 1936 and 1951.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “National Climatic Data Center”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow National Climatic Data Center primary sources, National Climatic Data Center archive and National research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “National Climatic Data Center”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “National Climatic Data Center” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.