Menu:

 
MESO News:


Your Weather:

Check for watches, warnings, mesoscale discussions, and convective outlooks nationwide with our weather feed from the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. Or enter your city and state or zip code below to get your current conditions and forecast.

 


About MESO:

MESO (Multi-community Environmental Storm Observatory) is an organization that assists the community-at-large with severe weather awareness and preparedness through education, research, and direct involvement.

A small group of weather enthusiasts founded MESO in 1998. What began as a group hoping to witness the great shows of Mother Nature has evolved into one of the highest regarded severe weather organizations in America with a much more important goal: Reduce the number of lives lost due to hazardous weather.

MESO is comprised of professionals in atmospheric science research, education, emergency management, computers and technology, media and public relations, and other fields that provide a dynamic and diverse group of volunteers.

Programs include:

1. Community education:
MESO provides a government-approved in-school presentation on disaster preparedness. Students are provided brochures with various "What to do if..." scenarios to take home. A modified presentation is provided to civic organizations, churches, businesses, and other organizations. Any proceeds from these presentations (beyond the costs we incur doing the presentation) are sent to disaster relief organizations such as the American Red Cross. We value audience input and review the program annually to make modifications to address our audience's concerns and to incorporate what we have learned in our research throughout the year.

2. Annual research mission:
MESO conducts an annual research mission in the Central Plains during the peak of severe weather season.

The purpose of this mission is to research and develop new technologies in severe weather warning and preparedness. We open spots for individuals interested in weather forecasting, weather observation, and meteorology so they can incorporate what they learn into their warning systems at home. We also train new MESO members on our field-tested techniques and safety guidelines so they may lead field excursions of their own, thereby increasing the number of viable research teams to take advantage of the these experiential learning experiences.

3. Media department:
Our Media Department has worked with print, television, and film media documenting the work of MESO. Because of the vigilant effort of our Media Director we have had extensive coverage on all field outings. Media guests have come from USA Today, Ryboprod of France, New Zealand Television (NZTV), The History Channel, Discovery Channel and more. Recent projects have included working with the Discovery Channel on a production of Raging Planet and consulting The History Channel on a documentary about the May 4, 2007 tornado in Greensburg, KS.

4. Website:
Our website (www.mcwar.org) has won numerous awards from organizations such as Discover Magazine and the National Science Teacher's Association (NSTA). We have produced many articles that are available as free downloads on the site.

We are seeking sponsors to assist us in providing these valuable services to the public. We need money to pay for printing, research, travel, equipment, supplies, and vehicle maintenance. We could also use donations of computers, radios, and other electronic equipment useful in severe weather research. MESO is a 501(c) not-for-profit charitable organization.

There is no greater need than saving lives, and we need your assistance so we can continue doing so. You can find out more about helping us here.