The National Weather Museum and Science Center in Norman, Oklahoma, the only US museum dedicated to weather artifacts, said late last month that it is at risk of closing.
The nonprofit, launched in the early 2000s, has relied completely on donations, grants, and partnerships for funding, and receives no federal funding. But recently, the Cleveland County Economic Development Coalition (CCEDC) said that it would halt funding to the museum due to a contract dispute with the Norman City Council. The CCEDC, and its predecessor, the Norman Economic Development Coalition, have long been major funders of the National Weather Museum.
The CCEDC has provided around $5,000 annually for museum operations, with the expectation that the museum would move from its current building since 2016, described by director Ross Forsyth as a “temporary home,” to a purpose-built space.
“ We curate the artifacts and these are one-of-a-kind, can’t be found anywhere (else) and we’re instrumental in sort of paving the way for the forecast we get today,” Forsyth told local news outlet the Norman Transcript. “Then we combine that with the new technology… and then we’re a 501(C)(3) nonprofit for education.”
The museum primarily works to teach the science and technology developments of weather events and weather monitoring, and has in its collection an early Doppler Radar, a T-28 aircraft, 1950s plane designed to fly through storms, and a damaged vehicle from a major tornado in May 2023.
The museum is currently raising money on its website to keep the museum open. It has so far raised around $11,000 of the $13,200 it needs to stay open through the spring.
“ We’re the only weather museum in the country … and we’ve got such a unique offering,” Forsyth said. “Norman is the weather capital of the country, if not the world. We thought we’d get more support.”
