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For studying rough weather, the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma is at the center of the action.

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Inside, researchers are working on what’s called the Hazardous Weather Testbed.

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Participants work with the latest computer models and cutting edge forecasting techniques.

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It’s about bringing practitioners, or operational forecasters together with researchers and computer modelers

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a very broad community in bringing them all together to focus on

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the next generation of weather prediction."

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Typical work days start after noon.

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It’s taken all morning for the Sun to heat the atmosphere.

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Warm air rises, and rising air mixes it up.

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That churning air is what provokes severe weather…and that’s what these experts are studying.

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They’re also getting ready for the future.

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A brand new NOAA weather satellite is on the horizon.

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Once launched it will take its place in space and offer a wealth of major new capabilities.

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“GOES-R is going to be unbelievably helpful.

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Whether it be lightning data or clouds, we’re going to have so many more different channels

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in terms of visible or infrared that will help us in terms of forecasting and figuring out where that severe weather is going to happen.”

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GOES-R may be the latest in a long line satellites, but its new capabilities will be more than just a tune-up.

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“So it’s going to be like putting on glasses compared to what we have today.

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So this is going to be a great improvement compared to what we have now.”

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Rough weather used to be a great unknown, something always over the horizon and capable of arrival without warning.

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But times are changing,

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and with hands-on training like that of the Hazardous Weather Testbed,

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and new technology like GOES-R,

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forecasters will continue to develop into one of the only disciplines that can actually foretell the future.