IT'S AMAZING THAT IT'S HERE. It’s even more amazing that scores of Oklahomans are unaware of its presence and therefore fail to be in awe of its scope and capabilities. The National Weather Center in Norman is an impressive, 250,000-square-foot facility that anchors the rapidly expanding University of Oklahoma Research Campus.
Many confuse the National Weather Center (NWC) with the National Weather Service (NWS). To spare you any embarrassment at your next tornado watch party, here’s the skinny on the differences: The National Weather Center is a collection of federal, state and university meteorology groups located in one building in Norman, Oklahoma. The National Weather Service is an agency of the Federal Government within the Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is responsible for providing observations, forecasts and warnings of meteorological and hydrological events in the interest of national safety and economy. There are about 122 NWS offices throughout the nation that focus on their local conditions. The NWS also includes the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, which is located inside the NWC.
Excerpted from this month’s print edition of Slice magazine. To read the full article, click here to read our digital edition.
