The Weather Museum

When the country’s first national museum dedicated to weather opened its doors on April 22, 2006, they did so with strong support from one of its founding sponsors, Simonton Windows^®. To protect the museum from severe weather, Simonton donated more than five dozen hurricane-resistant Simonton StormBreaker Plus^® vinyl windows to replace the older existing windows in the facility, which is located in the historic Houston Museum District. 

A project of the Weather Research Center, the Texas-based education and research organization, the new John C. Freeman Weather Museum is a facility where people of all ages can come to learn about the weather, its history and public safety. “Understanding the science behind weather formation and the ways in which storms develop is crucial to all of us so that lives and property can be protected,” according to Jill Hasling, CCM, executive director of the Weather Research Center. “Simonton has expressed support for the museum over the past several years during our design and development stages. They generously offered to partner with us by supplying the impact-resistant windows that will protect the building from severe weather and make the structure more energy efficient. This donation adds to the safety and security of The Weather Museum while illustrating the importance of hurricane-resistant products to our visitors.”

Founded in 1987, the non-profit Weather Research Center manages a worldwide forecasting operation and provides groundbreaking research to scientists around the globe. Meteorologists work on severe weather advisories, marine forecasts, long-range outlooks, environmental studies and forensic meteorology services. “Weather Research Center is one of only three organizations that make predictions for upcoming hurricane seasons,” says Mark Savan, president of Simonton Windows. “The work they do is exceptionally important, especially considering the severe hurricane cycle we’re currently experiencing."

Installation of the Simonton StormBreaker Plus^® windows at The Weather Museum was funded by Norandex/Reynolds. The distributor of Simonton products secured Joe Hightower and the Hightower Company of Seabrook, Texas, to install the window units. The Weather Museum is located at 5104 Caroline in Houston, Texas, within the Houston Museum District. Operating hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. For more information, call 713-529-3076 or visit www.wxresearch.org.