Its roots trace back to the climatological work of Thomas Jefferson, with the United States Army Signal Corp taking over responsibility of the climate program in the late 19th century.

The roots of modern climate prediction can be traced to the work of one of the nation's first applied climatologists, Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States.

A century later, the federal government assigned to the Army Signal Corps the mission to define the climate of the regions of the country being opened for farming.

The CPC is best known for its United States climate forecasts based on El Niño and La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific.

Applications include the mitigation of weather-related natural disasters and uses for social and economic good in agriculture, energy, transportation, water resources, and health.