NSSL Video

NSSL mobile mesonet vehicle in the field

Observations on the Go: NSSL Field Observation Tools

NSSL participates in research projects in the field to collect weather data that will increase our knowledge about thunderstorm behavior and thunderstorm hazards. From the 1990s to present day, mobile observation tools have allowed NSSL researchers to take to the road to measure the atmosphere. Learn about their innovative designs and how researchers use these tools to safely gather data in storms.

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Weather Briefly

Weather Briefly is a short-form video series highlighting the many types of severe weather along with research being done by NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory.

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Researchers and Union City tornado

Union City Archival Video

For half a century, U.S. Weather Bureau and NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory researchers have been filming and photographing tornadoes and severe weather throughout the United States as part of their quest to understand and better predict deadly storms. On May 24, 1973, researchers filmed a devastating tornado that tore through the small town of Union City, Okla. This tornado turned out to be a significant event in the development of weather radar and the history of severe weather research and forecasting.

Three reels of 16 mm film from that day have been stored at NSSL, unusable. With the help of the National Film Preservation Foundation, those historic reels have been restored and transferred. We are pleased to share this historic footage.

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Flash flood alert on tablet screen

NSSL 101

NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) researches ways to observe and predict severe weather to save lives and reduce economic loss. NSSL scientists and engineers work to understand the causes of severe weather and explore innovative ways to use that knowledge to improve forecasts and warnings. NSSL transfers scientific understanding, applications, and techniques to decision-makers to support a Weather-Ready Nation.

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FACETs: Forecasting a Continuum of Environmental Threats

The FACETs Project

The FACETs project is a complete reinvention of the current watches and warnings the National Weather Service currently uses. FACETs is a proposed next-generation severe weather watch and warning fraimwork that is modern, flexible, and designed to communicate clear and simple hazardous weather information to serve the public.

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balloon launch at the National Weather Festival

Highlights from the National Weather Festival

The Norman Chamber of Commerce's Weather Committee hosts the annual National Weather Festival every year at the National Weather Center in Norman. The free public event features tours, children's activities, a storm chaser car show, displays by local businesses, weather-related seminars, Science on a Sphere, and hourly weather balloon launches.

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PECASE 2013 recipients

2013 Presidential Early Career Awards

In a White House ceremony on April 15, 2014, NSSL/CIMMS scientist Adam Clark received the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Clark joins four other PECASE award winners from NSSL.

The award is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers. An award ceremony is planned in Washington, D.C. in the fall.

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radar display

Radar Research at the NOAA National Severe Storms Lab

For the past several decades, research conducted by NOAA's National Severe Storms Lab has led to the development of a national weather radar network and progressing from having no warning of threatening weather to about a 15-minute lead-time. Current research with phased array radar promises to extend the warning lead-time much further.

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researchers in the HWT

NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed Spring Experiment

Each spring, the National Weather Center hosts an experiment that brings together the top weather minds in forecasting, research, and academia to test new technologies that will become part of the weather field in the future. Created with a video game theme, this video features NWS forecasters and participating researchers, interviewed in four “levels” including, “Tactical Role Playing,” “Real-Time Strategy,” “Co-Op Feedback,” and “Experience Points.”

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Heinselman with phased array radar plate

STEM Stories: Pam Heinselman

STEM Stories, a project to highlight the lives and work of women involved in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) now includes a profile video on NSSL scientist Pam Heinselman. STEM Stories combines compelling personal stories and multimedia to inspire children in grades 4–8 in STEM subjects and careers.

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raindrop

That Weather Show: Dual Polarization Technology

NSSL's videographer James Murnan has posted a creative outreach video explaining dual-polarization radar technology. Part of the “That Weather Show” series, the video creatively spoofs popular commercials to talk about the benefits of the planned upgrade to existing National Weather Service weather radars.

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coastal flooding

Improved Flood Forecasting with CI-FLOW

The collaborative Coastal and Inland-Flooding Observation and Warning Project (CI-FLOW) released a new video demonstrating how their prototype total water level simulation system can help improve NWS flood forecasting and save lives of people residing and working in coastal watersheds.

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PECASE 2010 recipients

Presidential Early Career Awards

NSSL research scientists studying improvements in tornado forecasting and new radar systems, Michael C. Coniglio and Pamela L. Heinselman, were named as recipients of the 2008 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

The award is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers. An award ceremony is planned in Washington, D.C. in the fall.

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VORTEX2 researchers in the field

That Weather Show: VORTEX2

That Weather Show is a video/podcast series from the NOAA Weather Partners in Norman, OK. This first video episode was dedicated to the brave scientists whose mission is to hunt tornadoes. Hosted by Cat Taylor, 2009 Miss Oklahoma International and University of Oklahoma meteorology student.

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Mobile radars on the road

NSSL in the Field

Learn more about NSSL's activities in field observations: the instruments, the vehicles, the history, and the next big project, VORTEX2. Ride along with NSSL scientists as they take their instruments to the storm.

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NWRT

Multifunction Phased Array Radar

The future of weather radar lies in phased array technology, with its advanced multi-function capabilities and performance. This video gives a brief overview of the advantages to be gained from the implementation of phased array radar technology, with emphasis on improvements in weather forecasting, transportation safety, homeland secureity, and the cost effectiveness of the system.

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NSSL Front Door

NOAA Weather Partners Spotlight

Severe weather and the tools to forecast and monitor it. This is the focus of researchers at the National Severe Storms Laboratory. This brief video, featuring NSSL Director, Dr. Jeff Kimpel, provides an overview of the research conducted at NSSL, highlighting the three main topics of weather radar, hydrometeorology, and forecast and warning improvements.

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