Satellites: The Secret Weapon of Modern Weather Forecasting

Clay Malott |
New Satellite to Improve Climate and Weather Forecasts | Climate Central
Credit: NASA

Satellite observations are a vital component of modern weather forecasting. By providing a bird’s eye view of the atmosphere, satellites give forecasters a much better understanding of the large-scale weather patterns that impact our daily lives. One of the most important applications of satellite data is in the development of numerical weather prediction models. These models are used to forecast everything from the path of a hurricane to the amount of snowfall at a ski resort.

The accuracy of a numerical weather model is directly related to the quality of the data that is used to initialize the model. This is where satellite observations come in. Satellites can provide a wealth of information about the atmosphere, including temperature, humidity, and wind speed. This data is fed into weather models, which use it to simulate the atmosphere and predict the future state of the weather. The better the data that is used to initialize a model, the more accurate the model will be. This is why satellite observations are so important. They provide a wealth of high-quality data that can be used to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts.

Prof. Zhaoxia Pu's Research Group
Observations -> forecasts. Credit: utah.edu

In the past, most numerical weather models were initialized using data from ground-based weather stations. This data was often of poor quality, especially in remote areas. This made it difficult to produce accurate forecasts, especially for regions like the mountains where weather can vary greatly from one location to another. Satellites have changed all of that. By providing detailed observations of the atmosphere from space, they have dramatically improved the accuracy of numerical weather models. This has had a particularly big impact on the accuracy of snowfall forecasts at ski resorts. Now, with the help of satellite data, forecasters can produce much more accurate snowfall forecasts. This is vital for ski resorts, as even a small error in the forecast can have a big impact on their business.

The use of satellite data in numerical weather prediction - Saunders - 2021  - Weather - Wiley Online Library
There are tons of weather satellites! Credit: RMetS

Satellite observations have also helped to improve the accuracy of long-range weather forecasts by providing better initial conditions. By providing detailed data about the atmosphere, they have allowed forecasters to better understand the large-scale weather patterns that impact our daily lives. This has led to significant improvements in the accuracy of long-range forecasts, which is vital for planning everything from ski vacations to agricultural production.

In short, satellite observations are a vital tool for modern weather forecasting. By providing detailed data about the atmosphere, they have helped to improve the accuracy of numerical weather models and long-range forecasts. This has had a big impact on the ski industry, whose businesses rely on accurate snowfall predictions to plan their operations and whose customers rely on accurate snowfall predictions to plan the trip of a lifetime.


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