VORTEX Satellite

VORTEX-USA Awards

WPO works in coordination with the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) in Norman, Oklahoma to award projects that ​​explore and refine novel predictors of tornadoes, and to improve the communication of tornado forecasts and risk to tornadoes in the U.S. This year competition award total* for the 4 selected projects equals $1.36 M in grants.…

Taken from the Hazardous Weather Testbed at the National Weather Center in Norman, OK. Photo Credit: NOAA NSSL

Weather Testbed Awards

Testbeds are unique collaborative spaces that allow researchers and forecasters to work together to improve weather prediction systems. They accomplish this by working alongside each other to integrate new observing systems into models, test and streamline data assimilation methods, test weather model improvements, and strategize new developments. The Weather Program Office funds research projects and…

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

Joint Technology Transfer Initiative Awards

The Joint Technology Transfer Initiative (JTTI), works closely with the National Weather Service to accelerate the transition of matured weather research to NWS operations to improve forecasting for the benefit of the American public. This year’s competition focused on improving model development in collaboration with the UFS community to improve forecasts, finding innovative methodologies to…

person with umbrella traverses busy city with lights at night

Subseasonal to Seasonal Awards

The Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 calls for NOAA to improve its Subseasonal to Seasonal (S2S) capabilities, and defines subseasonal to seasonal as the range between two weeks and two years. Additionally, the FY22 Appropriation mandated an increased emphasis on improvements to hydrologic prediction for the Western states. To meet these needs,…