Places to visit
Tornado and weather museums
If you love weather, these are the pilgrimage sites. From the National Weather Museum in Norman to small regional gems.
The premier destination
National Weather Museum and Science Center
Norman, OK. Housed near NSSL. Best comprehensive weather museum.
Address
1200 W Boyd, Norman OK 73019.
Highlights
Fujita's original F5 damage assessments. VORTEX field campaign exhibits.
Visitors
Family-friendly. All ages.
Regional weather museums
Wichita KS Cosmosphere
Weather galleries + space history.
Amarillo TX Palo Duro
Regional weather history focus.
Tuscaloosa AL (2011 tornado memorials)
Multiple sites.
Joplin MO tornado memorial
Joplin Historical Society + downtown memorial.
Moore OK memorial
Post-2013 dedications.
Xenia OH tornado memorial
1974 outbreak.
Tri-State Tornado memorial
Murphysboro IL.
Andover KS memorial
1991 F5.
Presidential and historical museums with weather
Truman Library
Includes weather during his presidency.
Franklin Institute Philadelphia
Ben Franklin lightning experiments.
Smithsonian National Museum
General American history including weather.
Library of Congress
Weather-related documents.
Chase-adjacent destinations
National Severe Storms Laboratory
Norman OK. Not a museum but public research center.
SPC Storm Prediction Center
Norman OK. Public tours available.
NCAR Boulder CO
Public tours. Weather balloon launches.
Any local NWS office
Many offer public tours.
National Weather Center Norman
Multi-institution facility.
Historical event sites
Greensburg KS
Rebuilt town after 2007 EF5.
Joplin MO
Rebuilt after 2011 EF5.
Moore OK
Multiple rebuilds. Plaza Towers memorial.
Xenia OH
1974 outbreak site.
Waco TX
1953 F5 site.
Tuscaloosa AL
2011 EF4 path visible.
Mayfield KY
2021 event site.
Rolling Fork MS
2023 event.
Chase driving destinations
Norman OK
Chase HQ of the world.
Amarillo TX
Chase corridor central.
Woodward OK
Chase base.
Wichita KS
Chase base.
Salina KS
Chase base.
Sioux Falls SD
Northern chase base.
Grand Island NE
Chase base.
Denver CO
Chase base for High Plains.
International
European Severe Storms Laboratory
Various European locations.
Australian Bureau of Meteorology
Melbourne. Public education.
Japan Meteorological Agency
Tokyo. Museum.
Beijing Meteorological Museum
China.
German Weather Service
Offenbach. Some public elements.
The smaller gems
Alabama Weather Blog HQ
James Spann associated.
Weather Channel HQ Atlanta
Not a museum but historical.
Local high school science departments
Sometimes have weather instruments.
University meteorology departments
Norman, Wisconsin, Penn State collections.
AMS conferences
Meeting exhibits.
Weather in general museums
American Museum of Natural History
Weather exhibits within earth sciences.
Field Museum Chicago
Weather galleries.
California Academy of Sciences
Climate + weather.
Smithsonian air/space
Aviation weather.
Local science museums
Weather often featured.
Book stops on chase trips
Full Circle Bookstore Oklahoma City
Weather + regional focus.
Barbara's Books Chicago
Storm literature.
Powell's Books Portland
PNW weather section.
University bookstores
Meteorology textbooks.
Used bookstores
Historic weather books.
Weather-adjacent monuments
Galveston 1900 Hurricane memorial
Coastal Texas.
New Orleans Katrina memorials
Multiple.
Homestead FL Andrew memorial
Post-1992.
Puerto Rico Maria memorials
Post-2017.
San Francisco 1906 fire/earthquake
Not weather but disaster.
Chicago Fire memorial
Not weather but historic.
For family trips
- National Weather Museum Norman is family-perfect.
- Cosmosphere Wichita is family-friendly.
- Local science museum sections.
- NWS office tours often welcoming to kids.
- Ballpark tornado sirens (some cities have them nearby).
- Weather balloon launches when scheduled.
- Storm chaser events open to public.
For serious chasers
- Visit NSSL Norman.
- Attend ChaserCon.
- Tour SPC Norman.
- Visit historic outbreak sites.
- Read plaques and memorials.
- Meet local NWS forecasters.
- Talk to community post-event when respectful.
- Understand ground truth of tornadoes you've only seen on radar.
Planning a tornado history road trip
- Start Norman OK.
- North to Wichita KS.
- West through Woodward OK.
- South to Amarillo TX.
- East through Wichita Falls TX.
- Return through OKC / Moore.
- 7-10 day loop.
- Best in April-May for chase potential.