Our close partnership with the National Weather Service allows us to fund projects that improve knowledge about tropical cyclones, severe storms, extreme precipitation, air pollution, and social science—and to integrate weather, water, and climate forecasting and mitigation.
We Fund Research to Improve Your Weather Forecast
We work closely with federal agencies and entities, state and local governments, academia, and the private sector to develop and transition weather research.
OUR MISSION
Cultivating, funding, and transitioning collaborative weather research that results in accurate and actionable weather information for all.
OUR VISION
Innovative Science Powering a Weather-Ready Nation
Core Values
Integrity
We adhere to the highest scientific, personal, and professional standards.
Innovation
We welcome a wide range of experiences, knowledge, and ideas to drive open-science solutions.
Teamwork
We value collaborative approaches and transparent communications across WPO and with our partners.
Social Stewardship
We ensure everything we do is geared towards benefiting society.
Results-Driven
We achieve high-quality research outcomes to measurably advance the NOAA mission.
Services
Investment Management
- WPO evaluates investments and funds internal and external weather-related projects that benefit the American public.
- We partner and collaborate with academia, operational entities such as NWS, and other labs, agencies and stakeholders to build strategies and programs to address weather related research needs.
- We work across NOAA and the community to transition promising weather research to operations and applications.
Project Coordination and Evaluation
- WPO provides project management support for large weather-related acquisitions in OAR and coordinates project reporting and evaluation for several weather-related supplemental appropriations across NOAA.
- We are growing our research and program evaluation functions that will allow WPO and NOAA to maximize investments in weather research. This service will enable WPO to track, analyze, and communicate the outputs and outcomes of its funded research.
Workforce, Communications, and Partnerships
- WPO invests in employees through training, development, internship and fellowship programs.
- We actively pursues strategic partnerships to advance weather science and to develop the next-generation weather research workforce across the enterprise. We partner with professional societies, industry, and academic institutions, including those that represent underserved communities.
- We communicate the value and impact of weather research to protect life and property and enhance the nation’s economy.
Organizational Chart
Management and Administration
Carmen Davila, Division Chief
The Management and Administration Division manages and oversees budget formulation and execution, human resources, organizational, and administrative functions for the office. The Division manages and oversees property, contracts and grants as well as coordinates all funding competitions in partnership with FPOs across WPO, advises WPO on innovative funding opportunities, communicates funding opportunities to the weather research community, and tracks budgetary execution of awards.
Science, Technology, and Society
The Science, Technology, and Society Division represents an interdisciplinary set of WPO programs, including the Social Science Program, Testbed Program, and Joint Technology Transfer Initiative. Together, this Division ensures that research and development projects are useful, usable, and utilized through codevelopment and transitioning research into operations, applications, and knowledge.
Earth System Research and Modeling
John Ten Hoeve, Acting Division Chief
The Earth System Research and Modeling Division supports innovative research and model development to increase knowledge of the Earth system and improve weather prediction. It covers time scales ranging from mesoscale/synoptic through subseasonal and seasonal with intiatives in extreme weather patterns including fire weather, atmospheric rivers, and drought. The division works with external partners and internally-funded projects to improve NOAA’s Unified Forecast System (UFS) and its predictive skill. We harness the power of open science to enhance the UFS infrastructure and advance earth system prediction capabilities through the Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC) with a partnership of the Weather Enterprise (government, industry, and academia).
Operations and Research Support
Wayne MacKenzie, Division Chief
The Observations and Research Support Division advances observations-related weather research and provides support functions for evaluating the WPO portfolio and management of major programs and projects. Programs in this division include Phased Array Radar (PAR), Observations Sea Grant Conversion, Research Transitions, Disaster Relief Supplemental Act (DRSA), and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).