| National Weather Center | |
| Map Type: | Oklahoma |
| Coordinates: | 35.1814°N -97.4403°W |
| Status: | Complete |
| Address: | 120 David L. Boren Boulevard |
| Location City: | Norman, Oklahoma |
| Location Country: | United States |
| Current Tenants: | NOAA University of Oklahoma State of Oklahoma and others |
| Groundbreaking Date: | November 2002 |
| Start Date: | August 2003 |
| Opened Date: | Summer 2006 |
| Cost: | US$500 million |
| Client: | NOAA University of Oklahoma |
| Floor Count: | 5 |
| Floor Area: | 250000square feet |
| Elevator Count: | 3 |
| Grounds Area: | 22 acres |
| Architecture Firm: | Beck – LAN/Daly |
| Main Contractor: | Oscar J. Boldt Company |
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.
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]
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]