In 2006, Weather Research Center opened The nation’s first Weather Museum.  In order to celebrate this event, the center established the Weather Hero Award.  The first year the awards was given to Dr. John C. Freeman, Dr. Neil Frank and Dr. Abelardo Saavedra.   In 2007, Fr. Patrick O’Braden, Bill King and Shell Oil Company were honored and in 2008, Mayor Bill White, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read were honored.  The 2009 honorees were Doug Devoy,  The Second Grade Teachers at Kinkaid School and Dr. Steve Lyons.

The Weather Hero Award is given to those individuals or groups who have demonstrated heroic qualities in the following fields:  education of others in the fields of science or math; volunteer efforts in the meteorological community; helping others during a weather crisis.