National Weather Center more than crawlers on the screen

• NWC Facts
• Educators Resource
• Science on a Sphere
• Weather in the Movies

Just off I 35 on Highway 9, along the Oklahoma Technology Corridor is the National Weather Center. In Oklahoma, most people are familiar with the weather service through the crawlers across the bottom of the TV screen indicating severe or adverse weather conditions. There is more to the National Weather Center than the crawlers on the screen.

The National Weather Center sits on a 22 acre site at the corner of Jenkins and Highway 9 in Norman, Oklahoma.

• Groundbreaking November 2002
• Building dedication September 2006
• 250,000 square feet with five stories
• Rooftop outdoor classroom
• Enclosed weather observation deck
• Houses 550 people

The building is the home to research scientists, operational meteorologist, climatologists, engineers, technicians, support staff and graduate/undergraduate students. Students work alongside professionals and professionals become role models for students. Networking occurs from the time a student steps into the building until the time they graduate.

The National Weather Center is a working classroom and it houses a unique confederation of University Of Oklahoma, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and state organizations that work together in partnership to improve understanding of events occurring in the Earth's atmosphere over a wide range of time and space scales.

The NWC provides tours, outreach education and a host of other resources for educators. Storm spotters can find a wide array of resources from learning what to look for in a storm to reporting forms.


The National Weather Center also houses some fun and unusual items. The props from the movie TWISTER are located on the ground floor of the building. Continuing with the TWISTER movie theme is the FLYING COW CAFE.