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National Weather Center

Coordinates: 35°10′53″N 97°26′25″W / 35.18139°N 97.44028°W / 35.18139; -97.44028
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
National Weather Center
The National Weather Center building in 2006
National Weather Center is located in Oklahoma
National Weather Center
The National Weather Center's location in Oklahoma
General information
StatusCompleted
Address120 David L. Boren Boulevard
Town or cityNorman, Oklahoma
CountryUnited States
Coordinates35°10′53″N 97°26′25″W / 35.18139°N 97.44028°W / 35.18139; -97.44028
Current tenantsNOAA
University of Oklahoma
State of Oklahoma
and others
GroundbreakingNovember 2002
Construction startedAugust 2003
OpenedSummer 2006
CostUS$500 million
ClientNOAA
University of Oklahoma
Technical details
Floor count5
Floor area250,000 sq ft (23,000 m2)
Lifts/elevators3
Grounds22 acres
Design and construction
Architecture firmBeck – LAN/Daly
Main contractorOscar J. Boldt Company
Website
nwc.ou.edu
References
[1]

The National Weather Center (NWC), on the campus of the University of Oklahoma, is a confederation of federal, state, and academic organizations that work together to better understand events that take place in Earth's atmosphere over a wide range of time and space scales.[1] The NWC partners give equal attention to applying that understanding to the development of improved observation, analysis, assimilation, display, and prediction systems. The National Weather Center also has expertise in local and regional climate, numerical modeling, hydrology, and weather radar. Members of the NWC work with a wide range of federal, state, and local government agencies to help reduce loss of life and property to hazardous weather, ensure wise use of water resources, and enhance agricultural production. They also work with private sector partners to develop new applications of weather and regional climate information that provide competitive advantage in the marketplace.

National Weather Center Partners

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The National Weather Center building houses many organizations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Oklahoma and several other organizations outside the NOAA or OU.[2]

  • School of Meteorology (SoM)
  • Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability (GEOG)
  • Environmental Verification and Analysis Center/Oklahoma Wind Power Initiative (EVAC/OWPI)
  • College of Engineering (CoE)
  • School of Computer Science (CS)
  • School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)
  • Information Technology
  • Integrated Robust Assured Data Services (IRADS)
  • Oklahoma Climatological Survey (OCS)
  • Oklahoma Mesonet
  • Oklahoma Water Survey (OKWS)
  • Other (public and private)
  • Office of Weather Programs and Projects (OWPP)
  • Oklahoma NASA Space Grant Consortium (OSGC)
  • Sasaki Applied Meteorology Research Institute
  • South Central Climate Science Center (SCCSC)
  • United States Department of the Interior Climate Science Centers (South Central Region)

2015 security incident

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On the afternoon of April 23, 2015, a car rammed through the gates that protect the loading dock on the building's east side. It drove toward the building before it burst into flames approximately halfway between the gates and the building. Firefighters and a bomb squad were called to the scene. Responders extinguished the fire with no damage done to the building.[3] Despite a rescue attempt, the driver, Allen Rouse, was found dead on the scene. Rouse, suffering from schizophrenia and paranoia, had killed himself.[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "About". National Weather Center. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  2. ^ "National Weather Center Partners". National Weather Center. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  3. ^ Bergum, Kate; Gorton, Andrew. "OUPD investigating car fire at National Weather Center". The Oklahoma Daily. The Oklahoma Daily. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  4. ^ Potter, Tim. "Wichita man burned himself to death; lawsuit blames Comcare and psychiatrist". kansas.com. The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
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