Weather data has become an integral part of our lives and recent weather tech innovations are changing the face of forecasting.
What’s the first thing you do when you’re planning an outing or road trip with your friends? If you’re like most people, chances are you check how the weather’s going to be during your trip. If the weather forecast doesn’t seem favorable, you decide to either cancel or postpone your trip. Whether you’re building a marketing campaign for your business or planning a holiday with your family, you rely on weather forecasts to guide your decisions. Weather tech innovations have been changing how scientists track forecast the weather.
Weather Data Image Sources
Did you know that weather forecasting technology hadn’t always been this seamless and convenient?
At its beginning, forecasting the weather mostly relied on a person’s ability to study historical data and make predictions. The only tools they had were rain gauges, barometers, thermometers, and anemometers.
Fortunately, weather tech innovations have changed and improved since then. Today, meteorologists use a combination of satellite imagery, radar, and powerful computer models to accurately predict weather conditions.
Below we’ll dive a little further into the world of weather tech innovations. We will see how they have dramatically changed weather forecasting.
The merger of AI and weather sensing tools was the game-changer. Weather prediction and alerts are now much more personalized and accurate. Here are some ways that forecasting has changed in the past few years, thanks to certain technological advances.
1. Easy Access to Weather Data
No longer do people have to watch the television or listen to the radio to find out the latest weather information. Today, smartphones have the power to become your meteorologist. Therefore, with the advent of weather forecast websites and apps, you now have access to reliable weather data at your fingertips.
All you have to do is visit a weather site or install a weather app on your phone. As a result, you have access to a wealth of data. This can include the air quality index, current temperature, precipitation levels, and more.
Additionally, you can get minute-by-minute weather updates. Furthermore, you can get accurate forecasts for the coming days, and even months.
However, the best part is that you can access all this information anytime and from anywhere. As long as you’re connected to the internet you are good to go.
Therefore, you no longer have to be dependent on the local weatherperson. No more waiting for them to appear on TV and let you know the day’s weather.
2. Hyperlocal Weather Forecasts
Modern weather platforms don’t just rely on global radar and satellite systems. Instead, they collect weather data from a wide variety of ground sources, such as:
- Cellphone Towers
- IoT Devices
- Street Cameras
- Connected Vehicles
- Drones
- Airplanes
Therefore, they convert existing structures into weather sensors. These platforms can give correct forecasts for local areas.
For instance, a construction business can check the weather at a construction site. After that, they can decide whether it’s safe for their workers to go to work in those conditions. Similarly, a fashion boutique can time its seasonal sales and promo offers. It can do this based on the weather changes in the area.
AI-enabled weather forecasting can also collect data. Furthermore, they can give actionable insights that are customized for each business. Therefore, it can ask a subscribed retail business to “keep the stores closed” if there is a possibility of a storm or weather-induced hazard. Instead of getting just a forecast, businesses can get tips based on correct and local weather data.
3. Intelligent and Actionable Insights
Today, weather technology isn’t just about predicting how the weather is going to behave in the coming weeks and months. Instead, cutting-edge weather platforms combine weather data with artificial intelligence and machine learning. This gives you an insight into how the weather is going to impact your personal and professional life.
Therefore, this means you get access to relevant and actionable insights. You get an idea of steps you can take to minimize the impact of unfavorable weather conditions. This, in turn, results in minimal business losses both in terms of revenue and manpower.
4. Increased Accuracy of Weather Technology
There is a combination of powerful supercomputers and improved weather satellites. This enables meteorologists to provide more accurate and reliable forecasts.
For instance, the GOES-16 and 17 satellites, launched in 2017 and 18, can snap extremely high-resolution images of the earth’s atmosphere.
This, therefore, gives meteorologists a heads-up on severe weather. It can do this long before it materializes into a hurricane, storm, or tornado.
In addition, the use of Doppler radar and dual-polarization helps meteorologists. It allows computer models to differentiate between various hydrometeors, such as hailstorms, raindrops, and snowflakes.
Likewise, AI-powered computer models analyze plenty of historical and current weather data. This provides hyper-accurate weather forecasts. They also minimize the need to rely on a meteorologist’s ability to manually analyze and compute this data.
5. Technology for Timely Updates
Scientists use high-resolution satellite images. In addition, they use weather surveillance radar. This means that there are no delays in finding and tracking storms.
Furthermore, warnings can be issued quickly. In addition, modern satellite systems can provide a stream of images. These are taken at 30-second intervals. They help meteorologists track storm progress.
In addition, Doppler radar lets meteorologists carefully watch how moisture is moving inside a storm.
Finally, all these advances are helping them to send timely warnings to the people and businesses affected. As a result, they minimize the impact of harsh weather.
Businesses all over lose billions of dollars because of sudden weather changes. However, some of this loss is preventable. It is, therefore, crucial to have correct weather data made available to all concerned.
Business owners must see the benefit of using weather tech innovations to prevent losses and enhance preparation.
