The TORUS project, or Targeted Observation by Radars and UAS of Supercells, aims at understanding the relationships between severe thunderstorms and tornado formation. CREDIT: NSSL NOAA

Climate Testbed Awards

WPO’s Climate Testbed partnership with the National Center for Environmental Prediction  supports research to improve the operational products at the Climate Prediction Center. We accomplish this by supporting research projects in the collaborative Climate Test Bed, which are intended to demonstrate the potential for scientific advances from the external research community to improve operational climate…

The TORUS project, or Targeted Observation by Radars and UAS of Supercells, aims at understanding the relationships between severe thunderstorms and tornado formation. CREDIT: NSSL NOAA

Fire Weather & Air Quality FY 22 Awards

WPO funds work to advance our understanding of Air Quality and Fire Weather to improve forecasts and warnings for the public. The projects selected in this competition involve the use of machine learning, data assimilation techniques, physics, and post-processing of data to address gaps in the models such as the UFS, create a coupled fire-atmosphere…

Man writing

Weather Ready Quick Response Research

To advance NOAA’s social science data needs, WPO’s Social Science Program partnered with the National Hazard Center—with support from the National Science Foundation, and in collaboration with the National Weather Service and National Severe Storms Laboratory— to develop the Weather Ready Quick Response Research Initiative to support social science event-based data collection and publication. This…

Woman with umbrella crossing the street

There’s a Chance of What? Assessing Numeracy Skills of Forecasters, Partners, and Publics

This project examined how end -users, such as forecasters, emergency managers, and the American public interpret and comprehend probabilistic tropical cyclone information. Using a concept known as numeracy, or one’s ability to use and understand numerical information, this study, in combination with past research, suggests that probability information helps people make decisions in the face…

Phased Array Radar Inside Dome.

Phased Array Radar

Over the past 20 years NOAA/OAR, industry, and academia have made significant advancements on Phased Array Radar (PAR) research, development, and technology for weather surveillance and other applications. Because of these advancements, PAR is a leading contender in the solution for replacing the legacy NEXRAD system.

American Geophysical Union Headquarters

WPO @ AGU (Virtually & In-person)

Town Hall Title: The Weather Enterprise: Transitioning Weather Research Into Operations to Save Lives, Reduce Property Damage, and Enhance the National Economy Date: Wednesday, December 15, 2021 Time: 18:15 – 19:15 CST The NOAA Weather Program Office (WPO) will provide an overview of the office, our coordination with internal NOAA line offices and external partners (including the broadcast…

man looking at his phone while sitting outside

Wait, that forecast changed?

This project explored how various publics consume and process changing tropical cyclone information and forecasts over time. Most research to date has focused on obtaining social science data from people 2–4 weeks after a tropical cyclone has impacted an area. This study is unique and novel in that it created a social science methodology similar…

FY2020 Annual Accomplishments Report Released

NOAA’s Weather Program Office (WPO) is delighted to present our Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Annual Accomplishments Report.  The report showcases how much we did last year to support world-class weather research and to transition new science into products and services that save lives, reduce property damage, and enhance the national economy. WPO staff came together…