The National Weather Center in Norman is throwing open its doors again on Nov. 7 for the 2026 National Weather Festival, a free, family-friendly event running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that typically pulls in more than 4,000 visitors eager to see storm-chasing trucks, drone demonstrations and weather balloons launched into the Oklahoma sky.
News 9 has invited viewers to join its weather team and storm trackers at this year's festival, according to News 9. Mason Dunn is also expected to attend, per the station's announcement. The festival will be held at the National Weather Center, located at 120 David L. Boren Boulevard in Norman, and admission is free.
Festival-goers can expect the Bob Mills SkyNews 9 helicopter on display alongside storm-chasing trucks, hands-on activities for kids, weather demonstrations and food trucks, all facts confirmed in the station's own event rundown. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., giving families a tight but packed window to explore the grounds before it wraps up.
What's New for the 20th Anniversary
The University of Oklahoma frames this year's gathering as a milestone, describing the festival as celebrating 20 years at the National Weather Center, according to ou.edu. The university calls it a fun and free event with educational activities for all ages, and notes attractions including helicopters, emergency vehicles, hourly weather balloon launches and drone demonstrations. This year also marks the festival's inaugural photo competition, the university says.
Hands-on kids' activities and food trucks round out the lineup, according to a separate listing from visitnorman.com, which describes the festival as an annual fall tradition in which the University of Oklahoma's National Weather Center opens its doors to the public. That pattern has held for two decades, drawing crowds who come back year after year for the mix of science and spectacle.
Bag Policy and Payment Rules to Know
Attendees should plan ahead: the event falls under the University of Oklahoma's Clear Bag Policy, per ou.edu, and any merchandise purchases on-site are card-only. Those are the only logistical details confirmed so far, so visitors hoping for parking or accessibility specifics will need to watch for further updates closer to the date.
Last year's festival offered a preview of what Saturday's crowd might encounter. A 2025 report from kfor.com described hourly weather balloon launches, local TV meteorologists, children's activities, emergency response vehicles and weather-themed superheroes drawing crowds to the same campus. The outlet also noted that its Interceptor 4 storm-chasing vehicle was a popular attraction with festival visitors.
Who's Actually Running the Show
Exactly who hosts the festival depends on which source you check. The University of Oklahoma's own page states that the festival is hosted by the National Weather Center, while a report from z94.com describes Norman's National Weather Service as hosting a festival of their own. Neither account has been reconciled, so both descriptions remain on the record.
Whatever the organizational chart looks like behind the scenes, the draw for most families is the hands-on science. Beyond this year's lineup, government descriptions of the broader event have historically included tours, children's activities, a storm chaser car show, displays by local businesses and weather-related seminars, according to nssl.noaa.gov. A much earlier NSSL account from October 2012 even described about 50 storm-chasing vehicles competing across four divisions — Storm Spotter, Student/Researcher, Professional and TV Chaser — a sign of how far the event's storm-chaser showcase has grown over the years.
For now, the key details are locked in: free admission, a four-hour window on Nov. 7, and a 20th-anniversary showcase of balloons, drones and emergency vehicles at the National Weather Center in Norman.
