Flooded road

New partnership between NSF and NOAA to help people respond appropriately to dangerous weather systems

OWAQ News

In an effort to minimize the loss of life in future events, a new partnership between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) aims to provide the necessary tools to ensure people respond appropriately to dangerous weather systems. A key part of this work involves understanding how people behave when hazards approach, so emergency services can improve the content and distribution of storm warnings and other communications.

Earth Image from space

NOAA National Earth System Prediction Capability Executive Steering Group Signs Major Charter Update

OWAQ News

The National Earth System Prediction Capability (ESPC) Project Office, located in the OAR Office of Weather and Air Quality, recently held the National ESPC’s Executive Steering Group (ESG) meeting on 18 April, 2016.  The National ESPC’s mission is to create a suite of numerical prediction systems supporting decisions across weather and decadal time scales by…

Tornado touching down

NOAA Awards $5.7 Million to Improve Hazardous Weather Forecasts

OWAQ News

Research to focus on improved prediction of tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, snow NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan announced today $5.7 million in cooperative research agreements and grants to improve the forecasting of hazardous and extreme weather including tornadoes, hurricanes, heavy rainfall, floods and snowstorms. The funding, provided by NOAA Research, will support collaborative work between NOAA and 27…

NOAA’s Investments in Weather Models and Partnerships Paying Off

OWAQ News

As the Northeast digs out from this week’s blizzard, a new NOAA-led effort to improve the forecasting of such high impact weather events is reaching an important early benchmark. One of the first major improvements – upgrading the resolution of three global forecast models — has already shown its effectiveness. One of these models, the newly upgraded Global Forecast System (GFS) model, provided one of the most precise forecasts of the track, intensity, precipitation, and distribution of the Nor’easter.

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OWAQ Funded Researchers Present Findings at AGU and AMS Conferences

OWAQ News

The Office of Weather and Air Quality (OWAQ) supports research conducted by NOAA scientists and partners that focuses on high-impact weather and air quality events including: hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, heavy precipitation, air pollution, and the social science behind how the public processes weather forecast information and products.  OWAQ uses its hallmark US Weather Research Program (USWRP) to fund research for the purposes of improving the understanding of high-impact weather events, sharpening the capabilities of numerical weather and air quality forecast models, bettering the understanding of atmospheric processes associated with high-impact weather and air quality events, and enhancing forecasting and analysis techniques for more accurate forecasts.  The ultimate goal is to transition this valuable research into NOAA operations to help save lives and reduce property damage.