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Deployment on May 31, 2017 Researchers near a supercell near Arnold, Kansas on May 31. (Photo by Matthew Mahalik/OU CIMMS).

How Does Weather Research Move into the Hands of Forecasters?

Every year, new weather research is funded and new discoveries are made. These discoveries, from improved weather prediction models to greater understanding of extreme weather events, change how weather forecasters interpret weather events and support public safety. But, how do these knowledge and tools move from research and development (R&D) to operational use? They move…

Image of drought against a dark blue mountainous sky

NOAA’s NESDIS Advances Global Soil Moisture Monitoring with SMOPS and UFS Land-DA

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NOAA-NESDIS) and NOAA’s Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) Weather Program Office’s Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC) have greatly advanced global soil moisture monitoring, improving weather prediction accuracy through the Soil Moisture Operational Product System (SMOPS). SMOPS is a central hub that combines…

Photo Credit: NOAA This lone thunderhead quickly blew up just at sunset after a day of monsoonal showers near Williamson Valley, Az. Thunderhead over Table Mountain. Image ID: con00020, NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) Collection Location: Arizona, Williamson valley Photographer: Jeff Stillman Credit: NOAA Weather in Focus Photo Contest 2015

Nested-EAGLE Application v1.1.0 Officially Released!

The Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC) and the NOAA Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Numerical Weather Prediction (AI4NWP) Working Group are pleased to announce the public release of the nested-Experimental AI Global and Limited-area Ensemble (nested-EAGLE) Application v1.1.0 The Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC) and the NOAA Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Numerical Weather Prediction (AI4NWP) Working Group are…

NOAA's Global Forecast System model visualized over North America.

Community Global Workflow v1.0.0 Officially Released!

The Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC), alongside NOAA National Weather Service’s Office of Model Development (OMD) and the broader Unified Forecast System (UFS) community, has achieved a major milestone: the official public release of the Community Global Workflow (GW) v1.0.0. This release marks a critical milestone as NOAA’s fulfillment of the Congressional mandate to EPIC…

UIFCW 2026: July 20 – 24, 2026, A UFS Collaboration Powered by EPIC

Unifying Innovations in Forecasting Capabilities Workshop A UFS Collaboration Powered by EPIC   Monday, July 20, 2026 – Friday, July 24, 2026 College Park, MD Join us this July at the College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in College Park, Maryland or online for the Unifying Innovations in Forecasting Capabilities Workshop 2026 (UIFCW26). This event…

Glowing blue nodes and interconnecting lines form a complex, three-dimensional digital network against a dark purple background.

A bigger, brighter SPARK: Now office-wide with new features

WPO’s Portfolio Analysis and Research Transitions (PART) Program is proud to announce the launch of SPARK 3.0—the System for Public Access to Research Knowledge—expanding the platform’s capabilities and broadening access to WPO’s research portfolio. Previously, SPARK featured only projects from WPO’s Science, Technology, and Society Division. The latest update expands coverage across the entire office,…

Satellite composite of Earth centered on the Atlantic Ocean, showing North and South America, Africa, Europe, and swirling white cloud patterns against a black background.

The power of S2S predictions

This scenario isn’t hard to imagine: It’s the middle of summer. The entire year has been unusually dry, drought conditions took over months ago, and they’ve only gotten worse. Your phone dings, and you see a notification telling you something that’s been in the back of your mind for a while. Officials are now asking…

Pacific Northwest wildfire smoke. Photo Credit: OSHA Oregon.Gov

Wildfire and wind: Improving forecasts with the UFS

Wildfires have grown increasingly destructive in recent decades, with impacts felt nationwide. Forecasters rely on fire weather metrics — such as wind speed and vapor pressure deficit (VPD), which indicates atmospheric dryness — to assess when and where conditions may intensify wildfire behavior and strain suppression capacity. WPO selected the “Subseasonal Predictability of Fire Weather…