On Monday, March 22, 2021, the National Weather Service upgraded its forecast model, with an eye on predicting extreme weather events better and faster.
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)The National Weather Service has turbocharged its lagging forecast model to better predict extreme weather events such as hurricanes, blizzards and downpours, as well as day-to-day weather.
By including much higher layers of the atmosphere, increased factoring of ocean waves and other improvements, the weather service’s update to its Global Forecast System is trying to catch up with a European weather model that many experts consider superior.
“This is for the general day-to-day forecasting and for the extreme events, and you’ve got to get both right,” said National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini.
Ad“Extreme weather events are becoming stronger and happening more often in a changing climate,” said Bernadette Woods Placky, chief meteorologist at Climate Central’s Climate Matters program, who wasn’t part of the upgrade.