NORMAN, OKLA. – Earlier today, the NOAA National Hurricane Center upgraded the storm gaining momentum off the United States Gulf Coast from a tropical storm to a hurricane, with sustained winds of more than 74 miles per hour. A research team led by Michael Biggerstaff, professor of meteorology in the College of Atmospheric and Geographic […]
Downbursts—an area of strong winds in a thunderstorm—can damage trees and buildings, disrupt air travel, and cause loss of life. Decades of work by scientists has revealed a lot of information about downbursts including certain features seen on radar, known as precursor signatures, that can help forecasters anticipate when a downburst might develop. However, downbursts […]
One year ago, a severe thunderstorm with extreme winds — called a derecho — tore through the Midwest United States. The event brought extensive damage — snapping power poles and damaging an estimated 37.7 million acres of farmland. NOAA estimates indicate this is the costliest thunderstorm event in recorded history for the United States, causing […]
Researchers at the NOAA National Severe Storms Lab and the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies are using Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) to study storm damage in rural areas.
NORMAN, OKLA. – The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration announced today it selected the University of Oklahoma to host NOAA’s new Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations (CISHIWRO). The selection comes with an award of up to $208 million over five years, with the potential for renewal for another five years based […]
Severe weather hazards such as hail, high wind speeds, and tornadoes, can impact essential community infrastructure. Researchers are studying the impacts of severe weather threats on a range of community assets.
Researchers and instructors took traditional National Weather Service Forecaster training to the cloud this year, virtually trekking thousands of miles.
The first week of April concluded the 2021 Warn-on-Forecast Testbed Experiment as part of the NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed. Like many scientific activities, this experiment was delayed and then moved virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Last month, millions of people across the United States were impacted by several inches to feet of snow and the coldest temperatures in decades. Thousands lost power and water, and travel was treacherous as multi-vehicle pile-ups forced interstate shutdowns.
The Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies at the University of Oklahoma was in the spotlight at the 2021 American Meteorological Association Annual Meeting, and several other annual meetings.