National Weather Service Forecast Office to Hold Open House

The National Weather Service will host a rare open house this weekend, giving the public an opportunity to see a weather balloon launch, meet meteorologists and tour the operations center.

The free event takes place on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at the Baltimore/Washington Weather Forecast Office, 43858 Weather Service Rd., Sterling. 

There will be tents set up with activities for kids, and staff will give talks about the weather. The local Lions Club will have food on hand. There will also be a ceremony promoting a "weather-ready nation," with talks from Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th District), ABC7 meteorologist Bob Ryan, NOAA's administrator Jane Lubchenco and others. 

In addition, classes for volunteer weather spotters are scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Click here to register. 

For more information on the open house and to see the full open house schedule, visit the NWS website. To learn more about operations at the Sterling office, click here.