US Weather Prediction Center

The US Weather Prediction Center (WPC) is a part of the National Weather Service (NWS), which itself is an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The WPC's primary mission is to provide forecasts and analyses of hazardous weather conditions across the contiguous United States. It focuses on predicting heavy rainfall, snowfall, ice storms, and other weather-related threats that can impact public safety and infrastructure. The WPC is newsworthy due to recent severe weather events across the US. Specifically, a major winter storm causing widespread flight cancellations and a band of catastrophic ice from Texas to North Carolina, as well as heavy rainstorms in California leading to floods, mudslides, and fatalities, highlight the WPC's role in forecasting these dangerous conditions. The WPC's forecasts are crucial for emergency management agencies, transportation authorities, and the public to prepare for and mitigate the impacts of these events.