Penn State has a kick ass meteorology program…period. It utilizes the end-all-be-all of weather centers and even has the “Largest, completely student-run Campus Weather Service in the nation,” among other cool stats.

One of the best meteorology programs in the country doesn’t reach that level by tinkering around in a shanty garage with a pink flamingo rain gauge and a wind sock, so you might say that Penn State’s newly refurbished Joel N. Myers Weather Center is the Ferrari in a pack of Ford Festivas.

The center was just renamed for Myers (the founder of AccuWeather) after he made a $2 million donation to support it, as reported by The Penn Stater. This mansion of meteorology was also on display during an open house last weekend for Parents & Families weekend; if you missed your chance to glance at the masterpiece, here are some totally boss features of the center:

* Over 30 T.V. monitors that track everything from NASA satellite images of Earth to sunspot activity to webcam views from all over the world

*  T.V. studio that’s used to make tons of broadcasts including some on ESPN-U

* A ‘Green Screen’ used for on-air weather reports

* Tons of fancy equipment on the roof  of the Walker building, which houses the weather center. Equipment so fancy, in fact, The Penn Stater reported the tour actually wasn’t allowed to traipse around up there to see it…can you say ‘Legit!’

* A chalk board kept for sentimental value that charts State College’s climate back to 1887

Penn State’s meteorology program started in 1859 and in recent years has always been a front runner among the nation’s best. You could say all other programs use Penn State’s weather wizards as a barometer of success.

[Photo courtesy of flickr.com]

The original version of this post stated incorrectly that the Penn State Meteorology Program was the top-ranked program in the nation, according to US News and World Report. It has since been updated.