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Flash flooding is the deadliest hazard associated with severe thunderstorms and are one of the hardest to predict. NSSL is hard at work developing new tools and technologies to equip forecasters to issue better, faster warnings and keep you safe.
Researchers from NSSL’s LIFT project captured a complete LiDAR data set on near-ground winds for a strong tornado in SE Nebraska.
On Thursday, April 23, 2026, a violent tornado tore through Enid, Okla. As the storm dissipated and the skies cleared, NSSL jumped into action.
NSSL’s LIFT project seeks to better understand the structure of tornadoes and other severe weather hazards and how they form by gathering vital, yet difficult-to-obtain observations in close proximity to tornadoes and extreme hail.
NSSL’s three cutting-edge mobile weather radars will allow NOAA researchers to deploy research-grade technology to the front lines of tornadoes, wildfires, hail storms, flash flooding and severe wind events, significantly expanding critical insight into hazardous weather threats in real time.
Uncrewed Aerial Systems are opening new avenues for researchers to study tornadoes and gather data while staying safe.
NSSL is testing a radar-based technique that spots areas of cold, dense air inside thunderstorms — a key signal for potential downbursts. These bursts of strong, damaging wind can happen fast, especially during summer storms in the Southeast and Southern Plains.
On May 18, 2025 a tornado touched down near the town of Arnett, Oklahoma. Researchers with the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) were in place to intercept the storm and capture stunning data of the EF3-rated tornado from beginning to end.
New high-speed camera captures hail in free fall to improve public safety
A new paper on data collection during Hurricane Ian discusses the deployment of and data collected by a suite of instruments during the landfall of the Category 5 hurricane in Florida in 2022.
