Definition
A federal research laboratory operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), based in Norman, Oklahoma, that studies severe weather phenomena such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail, damaging winds, lightning, and flash floods. NSSL develops the science and technology used to detect, understand, and forecast hazardous weather, and its work feeds directly into the radar systems, warning tools, and forecasting products used by the National Weather Service.
Plain English
A government research center in Norman, Oklahoma, that studies severe storms and helps build the tools used to detect and warn pilots and the public about them.
Context Anchor
You may see NSSL in FAA acronym lists, aviation weather material, or references to severe storm research and radar development.
Why Pilots Care
Many of the storm detection tools and forecast products pilots rely on -- including improvements to weather radar and severe weather warnings -- come out of research done at NSSL.
Intuition Check
NSSL is not an airport, control tower, or flight service office. It is a research laboratory focused on severe weather.
Example Sentence 1
The improved tornado detection method used by today's weather radars was developed in part at NSSL.
Example Sentence 2
NSSL data helps refine the severe weather products used in flight planning.