National Weather Service - NWS
The National Weather Service (NWS) is a U.S. federal agency under NOAA providing free weather, water, and climate forecasts and warnings to the public, emergency managers, aviation, agriculture, and marine users through 122 Weather Forecast Offices, the 159-radar NEXRAD network, and the AWIPS/NWS HIVE forecasting platform.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersSilver Spring, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What National Weather Service - NWS does
The National Weather Service (NWS) is the U.S. federal government's authoritative weather, water, and climate forecasting agency, operating as a component of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the Department of Commerce. Founded in 1870 (with the modern NWS established in 1970 under NOAA), the agency is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland and operates a nationwide infrastructure of 122 local Weather Forecast Offices, a 159-radar NEXRAD Doppler network, satellite ingestion systems, and upper-air observation programs. Its product portfolio spans public forecasts, severe weather warnings (tornado, severe thunderstorm, flash flood, hurricane), aviation, marine, fire weather, and hydrologic services, delivered through weather.gov, NOAA Weather Radio, Wireless Emergency Alerts, and IDSS engagements with emergency managers.
The agency's underlying technology stack centers on AWIPS (Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System) — the mission-critical forecaster workstation platform currently being replaced by NWS HIVE via a 2026 contract with Accenture Federal Services, which embeds AI, cloud, and DevSecOps capabilities. Specialized ML capability has emerged through TACLS, a NASA JPL/UC San Diego/NWS collaboration that uses satellite data for near real-time flash flood prediction (93% simulation capture rate, 15-minute latency). Commercial partnerships — notably with Climavision for gap-filling radar integration reaching 30+ WFOs — extend observational coverage to ~130 million Americans previously underserved by NEXRAD.
NWS generates no commercial revenue. It is funded entirely through annual federal appropriations ($1.351B for FY2026) and provides all services free of charge to the public, emergency managers, aviation, agriculture, and marine stakeholders. Its customer base spans every U.S. resident plus institutional users across federal, state, tribal, and local government. The agency is currently navigating a contracted workforce (~15% reduction since late 2024, partially offset by 200+ rehirings; average tenure down from 25 to 15 years) while pursuing core platform modernization and AI capability expansion.
National Weather Service - NWS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- National Weather Service - NWS
- Legal name
- National Weather Service
- Website
- https://weather.gov
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- The National Weather Service (NWS) is a U.S. federal agency under NOAA providing free weather, water, and climate forecasts and warnings to the public, emergency managers, aviation, agriculture, and marine users through 122 Weather Forecast Offices, the 159-radar NEXRAD network, and the AWIPS/NWS HIVE forecasting platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
National Weather Service - NWS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Weather Forecasting and Warning Services
- NAICS
- Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161), Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)
- SIC
- Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832), Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Emergency Communications, Alerting & Public Warning Systems (HLAJAGAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Early Warning, Event Monitoring & Forecasting (Extreme Weather Alerts, Nowcasting) (EUABALAJ), Traffic/Weather/Information Radio Networks (MPABABAI), 24/7 Snow & Ice Response / Seasonal Contract Services (HSAIAIAJ)
Keywords
Where National Weather Service - NWS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Silver Spring
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
National Weather Service - NWS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Federal Appropriations: NWS is a component of NOAA under the U.S. Department of Commerce. The agency is funded through annual federal appropriations from Congress. As a government agency, NWS does not generate revenue from sales but provides services free to the public as a matter of national safety and public welfare.
- FY2026 Congressional Funding: $1.351 billion allocated to the National Weather Service in the Commerce, Justice, Science appropriations package for fiscal year 2026, providing operational funding for staff, technology infrastructure, and forecasting operations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Free public service available to all |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
National Weather Service - NWS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NWS provides weather, water, and climate data, forecasts, and warnings through a nationwide network of 122 local Weather Forecast Offices supported by NEXRAD radar, NOAA Weather Radio, satellite integration, and the AWIPS forecasting platform. Services are delivered free of charge to the public, emergency managers, aviation, agriculture, and marine interests for the protection of life and property.
Product overview
NWS provides a comprehensive suite of weather forecasting and warning products through its network of 122 local Weather Forecast Offices, supported by national centers and the AWIPS platform. The core offerings include the NDFD (National Digital Forecast Database) for standardized forecasts, NEXRAD radar network for precipitation detection, NOAA Weather Radio for 24/7 broadcasts, and probabilistic snowfall products. Localized services include Severe Weather Warnings (tornadoes, thunderstorms, flash floods), Fire Weather Services, Aviation Weather, and Marine Weather. Community resilience programs include SKYWARN storm spotters, StormReady, and TsunamiReady. The system supports multiple data formats including XML/CAP alerts, KML geographic data, and graphical forecast maps across multiple sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD) Digital forecast data system providing standardized weather forecasts across multiple elements including temperature, precipitation, wind, and hazards for the contiguous United States.
- NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) Nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest NWS forecast office, providing life-saving warnings and forecasts 24 hours a day.
Companies that use National Weather Service - NWS
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
National Weather Service - NWS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability4 records
Feature5 records
National Weather Service - NWS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NASA Jet Propulsion LaboratorycoreNASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory collaborated with NWS and UC San Diego to develop TACLS, a machine learning system that analyzes satellite data to predict flash floods in near real-time. In simulations, TACLS successfully captured 93% of issued flash flood warnings and can produce forecasts in as little as 15 minutes. NWS meteorologists are working to incorporate TACLS into existing systems for Southern California forecasting, with software and training data to be released as open-source.
- University of VermontminorUniversity of Vermont opened an extreme weather monitoring station in Lyndonville, the first of approximately 20 planned stations across the state designed to fill gaps in current radar coverage and improve flood and severe weather predictions. The 10-meter tower will provide localized data to NWS and Vermont state emergency officials, with soil moisture measurements expected to significantly enhance flood prediction lead times.
- Accenture Federal ServicescoreAccenture Federal Services was awarded a contract by NOAA to modernize and operate NWS HIVE (Hazardous Information and Visualization Environment), the National Weather Service's mission-critical forecasting system. AFS will bring AI, cloud, DevSecOps, platform engineering, and operational resilience expertise to build a modern system with enhanced performance, scalability, and security, replacing the legacy AWIPS system.
- Disaster Imaging, Inc.minorNOAA's NWS signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Disaster Imaging, Inc. to explore using drones for post-storm damage assessments following severe weather events. The partnership focuses on rapid deployment of uncrewed aircraft systems to collect and distribute aerial imagery of tornado damage to improve damage assessments and advance research.
- ClimavisioncoreLouisville-based weather radar company Climavision has integrated 10 of its 29 radar systems with NWS, enabling its technology to feed directly into NWS forecasting operations. The partnership addresses gaps in aging legacy radar infrastructure, demonstrated when Climavision's radar provided dramatically clearer imaging of the EF4 tornado that struck Somerset and London, Kentucky. Climavision plans to expand to 42 radar systems by end of 2026.
- ClimavisioncoreClimavision's proprietary gap-filling radar network has been integrated into NWS AWIPS II software, enabling forecasters to access commercial radar data alongside NEXRAD data. With 29 radars installed to fill coverage gaps affecting nearly 130 million Americans, the partnership addresses aging legacy radar infrastructure. Integration was handled by KBR and Synoptic Data PBC through NOAA's National Mesonet Program, with pilot program expanding to over 30 Weather Forecast Offices.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
National Weather Service - NWS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- DTN: A private provider of weather, climate, and agricultural intelligence to industries including aviation, agriculture, energy, and logistics. Comparable in producing decision-support weather services and operating as an alternative/complementary source to NWS for commercial users.
- The Weather Company (IBM): A leading private-sector provider of weather data, forecasts, and analytics to consumers, media, and enterprises. Comparable in producing and distributing weather information at scale, but as a commercial entity complementing rather than replacing NWS.
- AccuWeather: A major private weather forecasting and media company that distributes forecasts and warnings to consumers and enterprises. Comparable in providing public-facing weather products and serving as a downstream redistributor of NWS-issued warnings.
- European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF): An intergovernmental organization producing global numerical weather predictions used by NWS and other national services. Comparable in producing authoritative weather model data and serving as a backbone infrastructure provider to national meteorological agencies.
Direct peers
- Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA): Japan's national meteorological agency, providing public weather forecasts, severe weather warnings (typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis), and climate monitoring. Similar authoritative role and integration with emergency alerting systems.
- UK Met Office: The UK's national meteorological service, operating as a government agency providing weather and climate forecasts, severe weather warnings, and supporting emergency response. Functionally analogous to NWS as a national-scale public weather authority with research, forecasting, and warning mandates.
- Environment and Climate Change Canada (Meteorological Service of Canada): Canada's national weather service within Environment and Climate Change Canada, providing public forecasts, warnings, and climate services. Comparable mandate, infrastructure footprint (forecast offices, radar network), and government-funded operating model.
- Australian Bureau of Meteorology: Australia's national weather, climate, and water agency, providing public forecasts, severe weather warnings, and decision-support services to emergency managers. Operates a comparable radar and forecast office network and is a direct government-agency analog.
- Météo-France: France's national meteorological service providing public weather forecasts, warnings, and climate services. Operates radar networks and forecast offices under a government mandate analogous to NWS, including aviation and marine weather services.
- Deutsche Wetterdienst (DWD): Germany's national meteorological service providing public weather forecasts, severe weather warnings, and aviation/marine services. Operates a comparable nationwide network of forecast offices and radar infrastructure.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
National Weather Service - NWS social profiles
Digital presenceNational Weather Service - NWS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
National Weather Service - NWS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
National Weather Service - NWS subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
National Weather Service - NWS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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National Weather Service - NWS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about National Weather Service - NWS
What does National Weather Service - NWS do?
NWS provides weather, water, and climate data, forecasts, and warnings through a nationwide network of 122 local Weather Forecast Offices supported by NEXRAD radar, NOAA Weather Radio, satellite integration, and the AWIPS forecasting platform. Services are delivered free of charge to the public, emergency managers, aviation, agriculture, and marine interests for the protection of life and property.
Is National Weather Service - NWS a public or private company?
National Weather Service - NWS is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was National Weather Service - NWS founded?
National Weather Service - NWS was founded in 1970. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is National Weather Service - NWS based?
National Weather Service - NWS is headquartered in Silver Spring, United States, in the North America region.
How does National Weather Service - NWS make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Federal Appropriations are the primary driver. The others are FY2026 Congressional Funding.
Who are National Weather Service - NWS's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are DTN, The Weather Company (IBM), AccuWeather and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Direct peers are Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), UK Met Office, Environment and Climate Change Canada (Meteorological Service of Canada), Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Météo-France and Deutsche Wetterdienst (DWD).
Does National Weather Service - NWS have an API?
Yes. NWS provides multiple data access methods including XML/CAP v1.2 and ATOM formats for public alerts, KML format for geographic data exports, and XML/DWML format for forecast data downloads. These are data distribution APIs rather than traditional developer REST APIs.
What industry is National Weather Service - NWS in?
National Weather Service - NWS's product category is Weather Forecasting and Warning Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAJAGAF, Emergency Communications, Alerting & Public Warning Systems, with a secondary code of EUABALAJ, Early Warning, Event Monitoring & Forecasting (Extreme Weather Alerts, Nowcasting). Its NAICS code is 5161 and its SIC code is 4832.