Official Weather Observer's records for Santa Rosa, California
Scope and Contents
Records for 1944 July-1949 February entered in the United States Weather Bureau's Cooperative Observer's Daily Memoranda (W.B. Form no. 1011); for 1949 March 1954 September, in Official Weather Observer's Record (WB Form 1011); for 1949 October-1973 September, in Official Weather Observer's Record (WB Form 612-7) [with various revision dates]; and for 1973 October-1979 June, in a mix of Official Weather Observer's Record (WB Form 612-7) and Official Weather Observer's Record (WS Form F-7).
Some items include handwritten notes on scraps of paper.
Dates
- Creation: 1944 July-1979 June
Conditions Governing Access
Materials stored offsite, but collection is open to research. In many cases, further details on individual items can be found by contacting staff at the Sonoma County History and Genealogy Library. To view these materials, please call staff at (707) 308-3212 to request they be brought to the Library for viewing
Conditions Governing Use
Collection does not circulate and may be photocopied or photographed by arrangement only.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the County of Sonoma. By arrangement, the Sonoma County Library has made this collection available and believes that the collection is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Collection may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Preferred credit line is: Courtesy, the County of Sonoma and the Sonoma County Library. Please see additional reproduction and reuse information on our Copyright and Permissions page.
Ocie Kathryn Newberry
Ocie Kathryn Newberry (June 22, 1900-May 18, 1982) served as Santa Rosa, California's official weather observer for the US Weather Bureau (later, the National Weather Service) from July 1944-June 1979. A resident of Santa Rosa, Ms. Newberry's husband, Clarence Newberry, volunteered her for the job after the previous observer, a Southern Pacific Railroad co-worker's widow, moved away from the area. Ms. Newberry's weather station was a rain gauge and thermometer, located at her home at 829 Morgan Street, Santa Rosa. She did not miss a day of recording for 51 years, though when she was away from home, she hired someone to take the readings. After her retirement in June 1979, the Santa Rosa Junior College took over her duties.
US Weather Bureau and National Weather Service
The National Weather Service was established under the US Army Signal Corps in 1870 as the Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce. The agency was transferred to civilian control and renamed as the Weather Bureau. In August 1966, the Weather Bureau became part of the Environmental Science Services Administration when that agency was formed. The Environmental Science Services Administration was renamed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on October 1, 1970, with the enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act. At this time, the Weather Bureau became the National Weather Service.
Although the new National Weather Service began issuing record booklets with a new form number (WS Form F-7) in June 1971, Ms. Newberry continued logging observations in a mix of the old WB Form 612-7 and the new form through August 1976; the remainder of the observations used the new form.
Extent
2.2 linear feet (2 record storage cartons (492 record logs; 6.5 in. x 3.25 in. x 0.25 in.)) : forms; handwritten notes
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Collection consists of 492 record books containing weather observations for Santa Rosa, California, collected at 4:00 PM, daily for the United States Weather Bureau from July 1944 through September 1970, and the Bureau's successor, the National Weather Service, from October 1970-June 1979, by Ocie Kathryn Newberry, official weather watcher for the City of Santa Rosa.
- Title
- Official Weather Observer's records for Santa Rosa, California, 1944 July-1979 June
- Author
- Geoffrey Skinner
- Date
- 2024 June 27
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Sonoma County Archives Repository