The Oklahoma Weather Lab and the Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program: How This One of a Kind Partnership is Pioneering Public-Aimed Mid-Range Forecasts

In the fall of 2016 the Oklahoma Weather Lab (OWL) was approached by the Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program (SCIPP) with the idea of creating a weekly briefing focusing on mid-range forecasting for the southern region of the United States. OWL is a student run organization with the goal of integrating upperclassmen and underclassmen into short range forecasting shifts where upperclassmen aid in teaching underclassmen forecasting skills that the school’s curriculum is lacking. SCIPP focuses on climate hazards and extremes in the south-central U.S. to increase the region’s level of preparedness. The partnership between OWL and SCIPP is unique to the University of Oklahoma. We have started producing these video briefings on Tuesday evenings, which have made that shift unique within the setup of OWL. The weekly climate briefings are geared towards the public but also provide insight into possible upcoming hazards to decrease vulnerability as SCIPP includes these videos in materials sent to their stakeholders. We are also now beginning to make a video series that go in-depth on one specific topic. These videos allow us to discuss what a Climate Prediction Center seasonal outlook, for example, means in much greater detail than can be done in the three- to five-minute weekly climate briefing. The goals for the future will be to expand the overall scope of the briefings outside the south-central U.S. outward, eventually encompassing the CONUS, and to provide beneficial weather and climate information to people across the country.