national weather center

Stopped in to meet friends for lunch. It was diner food a little above price with less taste than you would expect. Not impressed. If you happen to be there and are pretty hungry for American diner food its okay.

I've been wanting to take the tour of the NWC for so long and finally had the chance to come to Norman. We had a wonderful tour guide. Her name was Nicole and she is a grad student at OU in Music (opera) but has a passion for weather so she also studied Meteorology. She knows her stuff!The tour starts with an introduction about the kinds of activities that go on and who are the different groups that are part of the center. We then went to the vehicle bay where they outfit and care for the different research vehicles they use for studying severe weather. She showed us some retired experimental devices that prior researchers had sent into supercells to study kinds of precipitation in the middle of thunderstorms. They were full of holes after being pummeled by hail and lightning. We continued outside to see some of the mobile vehicles, such as former ambulances converted into mobile doppler radar units and mobile communication trailers. There were a couple of minivans dimpled with huge divots courtesy of grapefruit-sized hail. We then went to the top of the building for a nice view of the surrounding vicinity which was designed to have unobstructed views to the southwest, the direction of most of the severe weather that hits the Oklahoma City region. Being one of the tallest buildings in the area, she told us that thunderstorms and lightning could be seen from as far away as Dallas. The Severe Weather Prediction command post was a large room behind glass where several desks are staffed 24/7, even with adjustable ambient lighting over individual workstations to accommodate different shift workers. Multiple flat TV screens displaying various satellite weather maps made it look something like an airport control tower. As a bonus, our tour guide showed us the top floor housing the UO Meteorology program. It was a very enjoyable couple of hours.

We were really looking forward to our tour of the National Weather Center during our vacation and we were not disappointed! Our tour guide was great giving us all the details about the building and the organizations that reside in it. Since it is located on the OU campus, there were also several fun stories related to the meteorology students. The tour is free but you must reserve your spot in advance so plan ahead. We also ate in the Flying Cow Cafe for lunch which has a good variety of selections.

The National Weather Center building is architecturally beautiful and high tech. Our tour guide, a doctoral student in meteorology, was knowledgeable, friendly, and a good communicator. We saw a truck-mounted Doppler radar, the weather observation deck, and the forecasting center. If you're interested in the study and prediction of weather, the tour is a treat.My one unfulfilled wish would be for more to captivate younger kids. Although my elementary-school-aged daughters love watching The Weather Channel, they found this tour a little on the dull side. If the university added a few things here and there to draw in the meteorologists of the future, this would be a near perfect attraction.

This was interesting but I was a little disappointed in one thing. Our grandson is a "weather nut" and our tour was for him. The tour was mainly for prospective students and the focus seemed to be on college life. Not too interesting for a 10 year old.

Multiple image screen, globe. Radar arrays, weather trucks. Really a weather geek paradise! After all, it IS the NWS!

Be here to check out all the activities related to weather tracking. If you are lucky you can spot some of the tornado tracking cars around.

Make your way to the top observation level for a view of the countryside. There is not much in the way of "education" there - no exhibits, etc.

The National Weather Center has several excellent entities located in the complex along with some of the brightest scientific minds. The National Weather Service office in Norman, the Storm Prediction Center, and the Oklahoma Mesonet are a few of several different agencies. Students of the University of Oklahoma also take classes here. Tours are regularly offered for the general public and school groups. Food is offered in the Flying Cow Cafe and there are several fun items for children in the building including the 'Globe' and a few on-hands exhibits. Tours need to usually be scheduled in advance since it is a government building. You won't be able to simply walk in under most circumstances.

my friends work there, so I went there for a visit with my husband. Really a cool place and we take a lot of photo there. I hope they can help us to predict the tornado and avoid the lose of life and home

The hour to hour and a half tour provides excellent insight to the amazing cooperation of governmental, academic and private enterprise companies that have come together at one location to provide the US with as advanced weather prediction as possible. They explain not only their mission but also how being in close proximity with all of the different elements provides as close a working and learning relationship as could ever be hoped for. As mentioned by others, you must reserve space in advance.

What an impressive place! Go to http://www.nwc.ou.edu/ to plan you trip. It is worth the time to take the tour if you can. Very impressive weather research and prediction center! As said in another review, they require advance reservations and are offered Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 1 pm.The ground floor is open at other times and is quite nice to visit. There is usually some sort of show there which is nice. 4000 books in their library. A super resource for study of meteorology and climate.

A relatively new center. Good location easy access to and from Interstate 35. Very close to the OU campus, hotels, and restaurants.

This is an awesome facility that most people do not know that you can tour. Public tours are most Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays at 1pm. They do require a reservation. The tour lasts ~1 hour and you virtually get to see all the "behind the scenes" things. You know we've all heard the "beep beep beep" warnings that come across the TV screens in the middle of a favorite show, right? Well, those forecasts originate here! What a wonderful facility and awesome staff that help our wonderful nation! A MUST SEE!

Went to the National Weather Center the same afternoon as the Sam Noble Museum as they are very close. Highly recommend it.