A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
ALGORITHMS – Algorithms
are a set of automated computer programs that are the foundation of severe
weather analysis, forecasts, and warnings. NSSL works on many algorithms on
different platforms, like WDSS-II.
ASSIMILATION – Learn
how scientists at NSSL
are examining data assimilation techniques and evaluating whether incorporating
new data and non-standard data improves the forecast.
BALLOON
LAUNCH – See
science-in-action videos as NSSL researchers in the field launch free-flying
instrumented balloons to measure the electirc field in thunderstorms.
BAMEX – The
Bow Echo and MCV EXperiment studied damaging winds from thunderstorms that
pose a significant hazard to life and property.
BASIN
DELINEATION – NSSL
took part in creating a national flash-flood-scale basin dataset to support
the NWS Flash Flood Monitoring and Prediction (FFMP) system.
BILLY
AND MARIA – This series of coloring books was designed for children
who want to learn more about the weather, including thunderstorms, winter
weather, and tornado safety.
CASA – Find
out how NSSL is participating in CASA, a project that will revolutionize
the way we detect, monitor and predict atmospheric phenomena by creating a
distributed collaborative adaptive sensor network that samples the atmosphere
where and when end user needs are greatest.
CI-FLOW – NSSL
is a main player in the CI-FLOW demonstration program that will facilitate
the evaluation and testing of new methods to produce accurate
and timely identification of coastal, estuary and inland floods, flash floods
and their impacts on the coastal ecosystem.
DEBRIS
FLOW – NSSL is working with other agencies to develop
and test a debris flow warning system in California. Check on their progress
during the winter of 2006-2007.
DOPPLER
RADAR – Read how NSSL recognized
the potential of Doppler radar to improve detection and warning of severe weather
and how NSSL built the first real-time displays of Doppler velocity data.
EXPERIMENTAL WARNING
PROGRAM (EWP) – This program was established
at NSSL to improve the nation’s hazardous weather warning services. Learn
about current activities.
FIRST
TORNADO FORECAST – Learn how two
U.S. Air Force personnel correctly predicted that atmospheric conditions were
ripe for tornadoes near central Oklahoma in 1948. This forecast was instrumental
in advancing the nation’s commitment to protecting the American public
and military resources from the dangers caused by natural hazards.
FORECASTING
WEATHER – Explore how NSSL works to improve forecast services
for hazardous and severe weather events within the National Weather Service.
GLIMPSES
OF NSSL’S HISTORY –
Read stories written in celebration of NSSL’s 40th Anniversary including
the history of weather radar development, how the Twister movie put NSSL on
the map, and more.
GOLD
MEDAL – Laboratories can win
awards too! NSSL was honored with the Department of Commerce Gold Medal for
its contribution to the NEXRAD program.
HAZARDOUS
WEATHER TESTBED – Shorter-timescale
forecasting challenges are the focus of the Hazardous Weather Testbed at
NSSL, which provides the framework for development and implementation of
new technologies that will have practical benefits.
HISTORY
OF WEATHER RADAR – Discover how radar technology designed to detect
and locate hostile aircraft and missiles in WWII would serve as the basis for
today’s advanced weather radar systems.
HYDROMETEOROLOGY – See
how improving debris flow and flash flood warnings are the target of NSSL’s
hydrometeorology team.
IHOP – Not
just pancakes! NSSL hosted the International H20 Project, one of the largest-ever
field experiments in North American history. Part of the goal was to learn
what types of data are needed to make forecasts of thunderstorms and rainfall
amounts more specific.
IMPACTS
AND EVALUATION – NSSL recognizes the importance of understanding
how weather impacts the public and how forecasts can provide benefits.
JPOLE – Users
of real-time data collected during the Joint Polarization Experiment (JPOLE)
operational demonstration helped test the engineering design and data quality
of the polarimetric KOUN WSR-88D radar. Results from JPOLE lead directly
to plans for a future upgrade of the national WSR-88D system.
KOUN – See
radar images transmitted by NSSL's research polarimetric
WSR-88D radar using WDSS-II. The KOUN radar can transmit horizontal and vertical
pulses simultaneously.
LIGHTNING
EDUCATION – NSSL
scientists are passionate about helping the public understand the dangers of
lightning.
LIGHTNING
FAQ’S – Does lightning strike from the sky down, or the
ground up? Can lightning strike the same place twice? Do you know the answers?
Find out on NSSL’s Lightning FAQ page.
LIGHTNING
RESEARCH – Learn about the different ways NSSL is striving to understand
the dangerous phenomenon of lightning.
MAP – The
Mesoscale Alpine Project was one of the largest weather field research projects
in Europe involved NSSL scientists. They studied how wind flowing over the
mountains affects precipitation and flooding.
MOBILE
BALLOONING LABORATORIES – NSSL developed them to give scientists
the ability to launch weather balloons at any time at any location. These
and other mobile observing systems are especially
useful to collect data on how thunderstorms produce lightning.
MULTI-FUNCTION
PHASED ARRAY RADAR (MPAR)- Find out how NSSL is involved in an ambitious
plan to transistion from a number of radar systems, used for aircraft surveillance
and weather observations, to a single, multi-function, phased array radar.
NAME – The
North American Monsoon Experiment focused on storms in Mexico and the U.S.
desert southwest to search for clues that would lead to better predictions
of summer rainfall in the U.S.
NATIONAL
RADAR MOSAIC – NSSL’s hydrometeorology
research scientists seamlessly pieced together all 130 NWS and Department
of Defense radars across the U.S. See how NSSL is working to use this valuable
information to improve precipitation forecasts.
NATIONAL
WEATHER RADAR TESTBED – Find out more about the NWRT, the official
facility where phased array technology will be tested and evaluated.
NEXRAD – Learn
how early Doppler research carried out at NSSL during the 1960's and 70's
paved the way for the development of the NEXRAD radar system used by NWS
forecasters today.
NSSL BRIEFINGS – Peruse
the latest NSSL newsletter, providing federal managers, staff, and other colleagues
in the meteorological community with timely information about NSSL activities
and collaborations. Our NSSL Briefings
archive contains all issues since the beginning of the publication
in 1995…before the Internet!
NSSL FAQ’s – If you have a question about severe weather, see if it is answered here! This
list represents a large portion of the correspondence NSSL receives about severe
weather, weather data and careers in meteorology.
NSSL HOT
ITEMS – Find fresh articles about the latest NSSL science.
OK-WARN – You can find info on OK-WARN, Weather Alert Remote Notification, a revolutionary
program co-developed by an NSSL scientist to notify deaf and hard-of-hearing
Oklahomans of hazardous weather via alphanumeric pagers and/or E-mail addresses.
OUTBREAK
AT HOME – What happens when tornadoes strike close to home? May 3, 1999
a deadly tornado outbreak occurred within 10 miles of NSSL. Teams were out
studying this event as it unfolded and obtained unprecedented data. Read the
different accounts posted by NSSL researchers, about the data collected and
personal photos. Don't miss the six articles in NSSL
Briefings Fall 1999 issue – which illustrate this was not only a scientific
event but a personal one as well.
OVERPASSES – Overpasses
are not adequate tornado protection. In fact, they are dangerous! Read why
and spread the news.
PACS-SONET Learn about NSSL’s work in tropical meteorology
and how one scientist has worked to improve observing systems in Central and
South America.
PHASED
ARRAY RADAR – Read about the future of weather radar – phased
array technology. PAR has the potential to provide revolutionary improvements
in National Weather Service tornado, severe storm, and flash flood warnings.
POLARIMETRIC
DOPPLER RADAR – Learn how polarimetric radars work, and what NSSL
scientists are doing to implement this technology into a planned
future upgrade for the WSR-88D radar network.
Q2 – The
next generation of QPE uses a multi-sensor
approach focused on high-resolution integration of radar, satellite, model,
and surface observations to produce very high-resolution precipitation estimates
for use in flood and flash flood watches and warnings, river forecasts and
water management decisions.
RADAR
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT – See
what NSSL scientists are doing with promising new phased array and dual-polarization
technology to continue the legacy of Doppler radar research and development
begun in the 1960's.
SALLJEX – The
South American Low Level Jet Experiment was a field experiment carried out
in western-central South America during the 2002-2003 rainy season to understand
how the south American low-level jet contributes to tropical weather during
the summer over Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina.
SEVERE
STORM RESEARCH – NSSL’s successful
history as the only federal government laboratory focused on severe and hazardous
weather is celebrated on this list of Major Accomplishments.
SEVERE WEATHER
PRIMER – Do you have questions about tornadoes, thunderstorms,
lightning, floods, winter weather and hail? NSSL’s Severe Weather Primer
takes a close look at each of these weather phenomena and what NSSL is doing
to contribute.
SEVERE WEATHER
SAFETY – What you need to know
NOW! Be informed and check these web pages that provide basic quick decision-making
information about flash flood, lightning, tornado, and winter weather safety.
SMART-R – Mobile
radars can be driven near storms to provide scientists with valuable data that
supports their research, and NSSL has two! The Shared Mobile Atmospheric and
Teaching Radars (SMART-R’s)
have been used to study land-falling hurricanes, tornadic thunderstorms,
squall lines, dust storms and heavy rain events. See photos of the SMART-R
and other mobile observing systems used by scientists to study the weather.
STORM
CHASING – Is it a career or can I ride
along? NO! Find out why not.
TELEX – NSSL
learned more about lightning and other electrical properties of thunderstorms
through the Thunderstorm Electrification and Lightning Experiment. Especially
important in the project is the OK-LMA, a network of ten stations in central
Oklahoma that continuously mapped the structure of all types of lightning.
THUNDERSTORM
FAQ’S – Why are some clouds darker than others? Are
there winter thunderstorms? NSSL’s Thunderstorm FAQ page addresses these
curiosities.
TORNADO
FAQ’s – How fast can a tornado
go? Has every state had a tornado? Can tornadoes be stopped? Find the answers
to these questions and more that are sent in to NSSL from people around the
world.
TWISTER – Hollywood
comes to NSSL! Scientists made several positive contributions to the production
of the film, and impressed the cast and crew with the serious
tornado research carried out at NSSL. The flying cows were their idea.
UNION
CITY – The Union City tornado provided researchers their first
opportunity to see the entire life cycle of a tornado. Scientists learned
Doppler radar could "see" the signature of a developing
tornado before it occurred.
VORTEX STORYBOOK – Follow
the story of the VORTEX Project (Verification of the Origins of Tornadoes EXperiment),
a large field experiment designed to study rotation in tornadoes, from the
idea to the conclusion of the project.
WDSS-II – Discover
how researchers develop and evaluate experimental applications in an operational
setting with the Warning Decision Support System – Integrated
Information (WDSS-II) system designed by NSSL and tested at National Weather
Service Forecast Offices.
WEATHER
LESSONS – Get a
basic introduction to weather maps, weather
symbols and weather systems.
WEATHER
RADAR – Check out the latest NSSL research
in the development and testing of new radar technologies that are essential
to improving predictions and warnings of high-impact weather.
WHEN WILL SEVERE
WEATHER OCCUR AT MY HOUSE? NSSL’s
Severe Weather Climatology page includes an interactive map to find the average
risk of severe weather, or the time of year severe weather is most common
in your area.
WINTER
WEATHER HYDROMETEOR CLASSIFICATION GROUND TRUTH PROGRAM – The
public was invited to report winter precipitation observations so scientists
could compare the observations with an experimental dual-polarized Doppler
radar. It was the first project involving the public and was a huge success!
WORKING
AT NSSL – Find out who
works at NSSL and what they do.
X-BAND RADAR – NSSL
is working with the University of Oklahoma to develop and deploy a mobile dual-polarized
X-band radar.
YAK – Here's
lookin' at you, kid.
ZRNIC – Learn
about the significant scientific achievements of one of our own scientists,
Dusan Zrnic, whose outstanding contributions to meteorological Doppler radar
signal processing theory and practice became benchmarks for conceptual designs
of the national network of Doppler weather radars.