Weather forecasts could soon see a sharp increase in accuracy after the UK’s weather service, the Met Office, announced it will spend £1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) to acquire the world’s most powerful climate supercomputer.
The Met said the computer will create a “digital twin” of our atmosphere with data like wind speeds, air temperatures and pressures, and more. It will create forecasts down to an area just 1,000 meters (.62 miles) across compared to 10 km (6.2 miles) currently. Around large airports, accuracy will focus down to just 300m, or about 1,000 feet.
Once in service, it will not only generate better forecasts (including rainfall predictions), but help emergency workers deploy mobile flood barriers, balance the energy grid and more. According to the Met Office, the supercomputer could make the difference in you knowing whether your flight will be canceled or your street flooded.
