The Coastal Weather Research Center, a self-supporting operation of the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of South Alabama, began operation on January 1, 1988. Located in the Mitchell Center on the main campus, the Weather Center consists of a meteorological laboratory, information center, and archive.

  The Weather Center's information service is a unique operation for a university. Utilizing the latest in radar and satellite data, the Weather Center provides forecasts, warnings, and special weather information to businesses, industries and municipal governments in Alabama, Mississippi, and northwest Florida. Participants pay an annual fee based on the type of service.

  Weather information is disseminated by direct telephone, computer, and facsimile. The Weather Center's computer network operates 24 hours a day providing an array of forecasts, warnings, special statements, and climatological data through direct modem access or the World Wide Web. Forecasts and discussions are transmitted on weekdays to many industries by facsimile. The Weather Center's "Stormcheck" service began on August 1, 1989.

  The Coastal Weather Research Center also supports the meteorology academic program at the University of South Alabama. The Center has become a focal point of the program by allowing students to utilize map products and data systems while receiving training in industrial meteorology. Through the efforts of the Weather Center and its staff, meteorology students are being prepared to work for private weather forecasting companies across the nation.