Western New York’s official weather and climate information is based on observations made by the Buffalo office of the National Weather Service (NWS), which has maintained the region’s official record for over 150 years. But this record is bimodal—divided between the “early” record and the “modern” record. The former division encompasses the initial 73 years, when the observing station was in downtown Buffalo. The latter, then, refers to observations taken at the Buffalo airport (80 years to date). The divide between the two periods is July 1, 1943, when the official observation site was moved from downtown to the airport.

What follows here is a selective look at those early years of Buffalo’s weather recording. Unless otherwise indicated, information was garnered from logbooks, inspection reports and news clippings housed at the Buffalo Museum of Science and newspaper accounts housed at SUNY Buffalo State University.

Recognizing that "military discipline would probably secure the greatest promptness, regularity, and accuracy in the required observations,” on February 9, 1870, Congress passed a resolution calling on the Secretary of War "to provide for taking meteorological observations at the military stations in the interior of the continent, and at other points in the States and Territories...and for giving notice on the northern lakes (Great Lakes) and on the seacoast, by magnetic telegraph and marine signals, of the approach and force of storms." Once signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant, implementation of the resolution fell to the U.S. Army Signal Service’s new “Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce.” This rather unwieldy name would be changed to the U.S. Weather Bureau when transferred to the Department of Agriculture in 1892. Since 1970, it has been known as the National Weather Service, within the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Brevet Brigadier General Albert J. Myer, an early supporter of weather observation and forecasting, served as the chief signal officer for the new division. Raised in Buffalo, General Myer graduated from the Buffalo Medical College and served in the military. When he passed away in 1880, his remains were interred in the Walden-Myer Mausoleum (easily recognized by the stone globe atop it) in Buffalo’s Forest Lawn Cemetery.

The first entry placed in the logbook of the U.S. Army Signal Service’s Buffalo office was by Observer-Sergeant William Slater, dated November 1, 1870. Aside from announcing the station’s first day, this entry noted that General Myer was present, and it gave a hint that all wasn’t perfect. The station was located in downtown Buffalo (at the Hollister Building, located at Main and Seneca). The first official act was a 7:00 a.m. weather observation made on opening day. On that day, the skies were clear with a barometric pressure of 29.41 in/Hg and a temperature of 40⁰F, with winds out of the west at 15 mph.

To better understand the historic context of Buffalo’s U.S Army Signal Service station, let us step back in time to the years prior to1870. Back then, the recording of weather data was limited to private journals and later to fledgling weather networks. An early, if not first, public listing of weather data for Buffalo appeared in the village’s newspaper—the Buffalo Gazette’s January 14, 1812, edition. It reported temperature and prevailing wind data from an 8:00 a.m. observation, as maintained by Dr. Coltrin (likely Dr. Asa Coltrin, a resident of Buffalo, with an office on Main Street). Sporadic newspaper listings appeared over time.

The local newspapers of the day had much to say about the summer of 1816, now referred to as the “Year Without a Summer.” While unknown at the time, its source was the massive eruption of Mount Tambora (Indonesia) that had released fine ash and sulfate into the stratosphere. Once in the stratosphere, it circled the planet, blocked sunlight and lowered global temperatures. By way of example, Andrew Young’s 1875 History of Chautauqua County included the following description of the weather during that year’s Independence Day celebration in the town of Ellicott:

Before morning the weather was uncomfortably cold and those who returned home the latter part of the night, especially the ladies in white dresses, complained much of the severity of the cold. The grass was frozen stiff, and the ground quite hard.

Weather and war pairs well—land and naval skirmishes are often influenced by weather—such that after the War of 1812, a weather network of sorts was established. Dr. James Tilton was appointed the very first Surgeon-General of the American Army in 1813. He issued an order to army hospital, post and regimental surgeons that read, in part, “He shall keep a diary of the weather….” Surgeon General weather sites in Western New York included Fort Niagara and Fort Porter (Buffalo).

Some of the earliest weather records in the region, however, were made by observers associated with academic institutions in New York State. Simeon DeWitt, vice chancellor of the University of the State of New York, procured a grant from the state legislature to maintain weather observations. Observers in the communities of Buffalo, Cuba, Fredonia, Gaines, Jamestown, Lewiston, Springville and Wyoming were a part of this state-wide network.

Along the side of Route 436, just east of the village of Nunda in Livingston County, there exists a roadside placard titled “Telegraph Road,” which commemorates the route of the New York and Erie telegraph line constructed in 1848. The telegraph line connected Buffalo, and thus Western New York, to cities across the eastern U.S. as never before. Communication became instantaneous, rather than requiring the sending or receiving of dispatches that would take several weeks.

Joseph Henry, the first secretary of the newly established Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., recognized the natural pairing between the telegraph and weather. He realized that the telegraph could quickly convey weather observations—well ahead of advancing weather—to provide warnings of approaching storms. By 1849, Henry established a network of 150 volunteers (growing to 600 within a decade) to provide weather observations to the Smithsonian Institution via telegraph—“Weather Telegraphy” was born.

To remind us of how telegraph messages were relayed in the 1800s, a crumpled piece of paper with a cryptogram was recently found in the hidden pocket of an 1880 dress. Since they were charged by the word, to keep messages inexpensive, a shorthand was used. The mystery code found in the pocket of the dress—“Bismark, omit, leafage, buck, bank”—turned out to be a weather observation. Translated, it provides the station name—Bismark, Dakota Territory—followed by the weather observation: an air temperature of 56⁰F, barometric pressure of 30.08 in/Hg, a dew point of 32⁰F and clear skies with winds at 12 mph.

The telegraphed data was processed in Washington by about a dozen individuals referred to as “computers.” Most, if not all, of these computers were women. In Western New York, the communities of Buffalo, Alfred, Angelica, Eden, Falconer, Little Genesee, Niagara Falls and Wellsville were Smithsonian stations. William Ives, former librarian of the Young Men’s Association (parent organization of the Buffalo Museum of Science) was a Smithsonian meteorological observer. Ives recorded the daily Buffalo weather in Buffalo in his ledgers, which are now archived by the Buffalo Museum of Science.

The outbreak of the Civil War, however, put an end to this early effort of the Smithsonian. At the war’s conclusion, Joseph Henry pushed for a renewed weather network, one to be administered by the federal government. Henry’s dream was realized with the 24 fledgling U.S. Army Signal Service weather stations, including the Buffalo station.

Between 1870 and 1943, Buffalo’s original U.S. Army Signal Service weather station moved between seven different buildings in downtown Buffalo, prior to its final move to the Buffalo airport. Though it shuffled around downtown Buffalo, each move took it no more than a couple blocks, such that “it has remained within a circle one-fourth of a mile in diameter,” as described in weather station correspondence. The correspondence went on to say that, at the time, “Open exposure to the prevailing winds, which here are from the southwest, and unobstructed view of the lake have been of primary consideration in its location.”

An unobstructed view of the harbor was necessary, as the city’s commerce centered on the harbor. At the turn of the 20th century, Buffalo was the third busiest port in the country. Critical to harbor commerce was the visibility of weather-related signals. Recall, that the legislation establishing the U.S. Army Signal Service weather stations called for “giving notice…by magnetic telegraph and marine signals.” But as the City of Buffalo grew, so did the height of its buildings. Subsequently, each move of the weather office was to a higher building with a clear view of the harbor. In reference to the Board of Trade Building, correspondence noted: “The office is now located in an excellent building and the location is the best possible to be obtained for giving the people and shipping the full benefits to be received from the service. It is in full view from the lake and vessels have no difficulty in seeing signals when displayed.”

Weather forecasts telegraphed to the Buffalo weather station from Washington needed to be communicated to the public. This communication involved flags. Examples, as described in a 1914 write up, titled “Weather Bureau and Laws of Weather Forecasting,” included a white flag forecasting clear weather; a blue flag forecasting rain or snow, a black triangular flag forecasting temperature and a white flag with a centered black square forecasting the approach of a cold front, to mention but a few.

Buffalo weather office correspondence noted that, “Great dependence is placed upon the cold wave warning, as perishable articles are carefully watched, shippers of such goods always take the warning.” There were also a series of flags that warned of approaching storms. Lights were used at night. It should be noted that, by the early part of the 20th century, in addition to Buffalo Harbor, the Buffalo Weather Office maintained additional warning signal towers at Dunkirk, Fort Niagara and Tonawanda, as well as the use of prominent private flag staffs.

According to correspondence, the weather office and equipment was briefly moved from the Hollister Block to the three-story Brown Building on March 24, 1871, before a subsequent move to the Weed Block on August 31, 1871. The Brown Building station comprised two rooms on the third floor. One room served as an office and a second room, divided from the first by a partition, served as a bedroom with two cots. The inspector noted that a barometer hung near one window, and from the other window projected an instrument shelter for the thermometer and hygrograph, which measured humidity.

The reason for the station’s brief occupancy of the Brown Building can be found in the scathing remarks in the inspector’s report. He found the office was used as a storage room and referred to the rooms as being “defaced and soiled.” He noted that, “newspaper pictures (some of them of an improper character, tho’ not recognized as such by the Sergeant—having been put up by his assistant), were pasted on the walls.” He went on to describe the rooms as “not fit for occupancy—needing scrubbing, painting and paper or whitewashing—besides not possessing the facilities for the exposure of instruments.”

Criticism was also leveled at the observers, noting, “The sergeant in charge at this station is very well versed in his duties, but seems afflicted with chronic laziness, which has caused him to do as little work as he could get along with, hence the shiftless, unclean appearance of everything around him.” Based on the inspector’s report, the office was relocated to the Weed Block.

An office on the fourth (top) floor of the Weed Building was procured and the relocated station was operational on August 31, 1871. This location was considered beneficial as it was only one block from the telegraph office, two blocks from the post office and eight blocks from the docks. The sergeant was instructed to clean up his act, and equipment transferred to the new station was polished, painted and repaired. The new office again consisted of two rooms that, this time, received a favorable review from inspectors. Everything was counted and inspected, down to the office’s one eraser and spittoon, which were reported as being in “good” condition. The rough start noted earlier seems to have been addressed. While a listing of monitoring equipment is not included in this article, an interesting comment in inspector correspondence was made on the effect of air pollution: “The action of the smoke of the soft coal so generally burned in Buffalo very quickly destroys all metal surfaces on instruments in the open air and quickly corrodes bright surfaces indoors.”

Skipping through several station moves, in 1896 the weather station found itself on the 13th floor of the Prudential (Guaranty) Building from March 1, 1896, to February 13, 1913. A newspaper reporter provided a description of the weather office for the Buffalo Illustrated Times: 

Up high above the trees; up where the winds howls and the clouds roll; up so high that it seems one has reached the spot where the snow is really made is located one of the most important United States offices in Buffalo…up above the surrounding buildings, so high that the town appears as if viewed from a balloon… up so high that the noise of the street does not reach, the weatherman has his nest.

In reading newspaper clippings from this historic period, one cannot help but notice the admiration of the press for the chief weather forecaster in the Buffalo office, David Cuthbertson. Mr. Cuthbertson joined the Signal Service in 1872, serving in New York and Cleveland before landing in Buffalo in 1884 as the person in charge. He served in the Signal Service/Weather Bureau in Buffalo for just under 42 years.

Clearly, Cuthbertson made an impression in the community. In the press, the Weather Bureau is often personalized by referring to it as “The office of Forecaster Cuthbertson.” Their esteem for him was also evident in statements made during a Christmas holiday season: “Buffalonians are exceedingly grateful to Forecaster Cuthbertson for the excellent weather he is furnishing during the shopping season…Mr. Cuthbertson’s generosity is greatly appreciated by the children, who are pleased that there is no storm to keep them from visiting Santa Claus…” He was referred to in the press as the “Great Weather Man,” “Uncle David,” “Prof. Cuthy” and the “Sage of the Prudential Building.” His forecasting skills seem to have been legendary: “All things revealed to the penetrating gaze of Forecaster Cuthbertson,” and about storms: “He can smell ‘em a darn side farther than he can see ’em.”

During this period, a street-level weather kiosk was erected in downtown Buffalo as a public service on the recommendation of “Forecaster” Cuthbertson. The kiosk was to be in full view of the interested public and was installed with great fanfare. On one side were displayed weather instruments: a large mercurial thermometer, a thermograph, maximum and minimum thermometers, an aneroid barometer, a hair hygrometer (the stretching or shrinking of hair responded to changing humidity levels) and a tipping-bucket rain gage. On the other three sides were posted weather maps, daily forecasts and warnings for the public.

What was initially seen as a public service, however, soon turned into a liability for the city. As it turned out, the temperature measurements at ground level differed from the official record taken on the roof of the Prudential Building. Not only did they differ, but they differed in such a way—warmer in the summer—that ran counter to the city’s narrative of a summer-comfortable city. Newspaper headlines such as “Buffalo Comfortable While Other Cities of the Country Swelter” and “Weather Record Gives Reason Why People Come Here: Statistics Show that Buffalo is Without Peer as Summer City” supported this narrative. These concerns were brought to light in an article published in the Enquirer newspaper, which stated that:

Evidence from the Chamber of Commerce and from citizens is that the kiosk temperature records are inaccurate, that they are quoted in such fashion as to indicate Buffalo weather in summer as much warmer than it actually is and this form of detrimental advertising works to the city’s disadvantage in reference to tourist business and the securing of conventions.

The street-level kiosk was removed.

Canisius College was the location chosen for the first branch office weather station in Buffalo, and one of the first in the country. The site was established on September 1, 1913. Located at the college’s new building at Main and Jefferson Streets, according to Buffalo Forecaster Cuthbertson: “The purpose of such a station is that we will be able to secure observations where the climate conditions are more in harmony with the residential section of the city.” The station was well-instrumented and was placed in charge of the Jesuit Fathers. It should be noted that besides this satellite station, co-operative stations, maintained by trained observers, were established across Western New York.

In response to the Air Commerce Act of 1926, which directed the Weather Bureau to provide weather services to civilian aviation, a subsequent branch weather office was established on July 12, 1929, at the recently built administrative building on the grounds of the Buffalo Municipal Airport in Cheektowaga. The branch station served the new airfield, where passenger and airmail service had begun in 1927, and allowed for upper air balloon observations for the Airway Division of the Department of Commerce

With Buffalo’s commerce shifting from the harbor to aviation, the downtown weather station was partially consolidated with the airport branch station on July 1, 1943. On June 30 of the following year, the two locations were completely consolidated and Buffalo’s downtown station was closed for good. Aside from the priorities of commerce, it had been noted in 1940 correspondence that weather gage exposure on ever-taller buildings in the city was not satisfactory, which offers another possible reason for the move to the airport.

The closure of the downtown station ended what today can be considered the “early” record of weather observation in Buffalo. All official Buffalo records, beginning with July 1, 1943, have been issued from the Buffalo airport station. This shift marked the beginning of the “modern” record for Buffalo, which is another chapter in the region’s weather story.

Stephen Vermette is a physical geographer and professor in the Geosciences Department at SUNY Buffalo State University.