Become a member

Get the best offers and updates relating to Liberty Case News.

― Advertisement ―

spot_img

How Accurate Are Weather Forecasts? Predicting Mother Nature 

How accurate are weather forecasts? Your local news might have given you several wrong predictions, so you wonder about the accuracy of weather forecasts. Weather forecasting is an old tradition that started from superstition and went into science.

As the human race advanced, we created technologies that allowed us to look at various natural patterns and predict the weather. 

Sometimes, These predictions come to pass, while they don’t pan out. So, how accurate can a weather forecast be? Let’s find out;

How Accurate Are Weather Forecasts?

The accuracy of a weather forecast depends on how long into the future the prediction is since it affects the variables. 

You can get about 95% accuracy from a 3-day forecast and 80% from a 7-day forecast. Forecasts for 10 days or more are more inaccurate, with a 50% chance of happening as the variables increase.

How Weather Forecasts Are Made

Environmental satellites provide Some information needed to make a weather forecast. NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, operates three types of environmental satellites that monitor Earth’s weather:

1. Geostationary satellites

NOAA’s Geostationary Environmental Operational Satellite-R (GOES-R) series satellites orbit about 22,000 miles above Earth and give a snapshot of the current weather. The term “geostationary” refers to satellites that orbit at an identical speed as the Earth. 

This implies they can take photographs in near-continuous succession over a similar area. They can provide the latest updates regarding severe weather because they concentrate on a single location. 

This data assists forecasters in determining how quickly a storm, like a hurricane, is building and moving.

2. Polar-orbiting satellites

NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) satellites orbit about 500 miles above Earth. They circle our planet 14 times per day, from pole to pole. 

Because they orbit as the Earth rotates beneath them, these satellites can observe every area of the planet twice daily. 

Polar-orbiting satellites can provide high-resolution monitoring of Earth’s atmosphere, clouds, and oceans. 

Polar-orbiting satellites can help meteorologists estimate long-term forecasts up to 7 days in advance by monitoring global weather patterns.

Polar-orbiting satellites gather critical data for models that anticipate severe weather days in advance, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and blizzards. 

They also require the data they collect to analyze environmental dangers, including droughts, forest fires, deteriorating air quality, and dangerous coastal waters.

3. Deep space satellite 

Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR), created by NOAA, circles one million miles above Earth. 

It provides cosmic weather alerts and forecasts and daily monitoring of the quantity of energy from the sun absorbed by Earth. 

DSCOVR also collects data on ozone and aerosols in the Earth’s atmosphere. These variables are crucial in forecasting air quality. Polar-orbiting satellites give the most helpful information for long-term weather forecasting. 

These satellites utilize devices to monitor the energy radiated by the Earth and atmosphere, known as radiation. This information is fed into weather models, which results in more accurate weather predictions. 

Other devices can also map sea surface temperature, critical in long-term weather forecasting. The satellite takes these precise measurements twice a day all around the world. 

This data stream allows weather forecasters to anticipate the weather up to seven days in advance. These measures can also forecast seasonal weather patterns like El Niño and La Niña.

What Are The Causes For Inaccuracies In Weather Forecasting?

Weather apps and even the news sometimes get their forecast completely wrong. Weather is a tricky part of Mother Nature, so several factors might throw off predictions. Here are some of the most common causes of forecast inaccuracies; 

Meteorologists use two different tools that operate differently

While various models endeavor to forecast the weather, most meteorologists rely on the American and European models.

The European model, according to most experts, is more accurate. This model correctly predicted the direction and severity of “The Storm of the Century,” a significant weather event over the east coast of the United States in March 1993. 

Officials could prepare and declare a state of emergency by precisely anticipating the storm five days in advance. 

Nine years later, the European model accurately anticipated Hurricane Sandy’s unusual westward route seven days before it landed, whereas the American model incorrectly forecasted Sandy’s eastern path.

The European model is considered superior to the American model for various reasons. The European model is run on a more powerful supercomputer, thus, it has more processing power to execute the prediction algorithm. 

Second, it has a more mathematical system for dealing with the initial atmospheric circumstances. 

The European model was built in an institute whose exclusive concentration is medium-range weather prediction, therefore, its predictions are more accurate.

Meanwhile, the medium-range American model is part of a group that includes several other models, including some short-term prediction systems that can run as much as every hour; the American model isn’t as firmly focused as its European equivalent.

When the predictions of the American and European models differ, forecasters are frequently forced to pick only one. 

If the forecasters make the wrong choice, the forecast will be incorrect. This might lead to calamity if the area is unprepared for a significant meteorological event.

The Atmosphere Is Chaotic, Random, and unpredictable.

Meteorology, weather, and climate prediction are great examples of a “chaotic system” that is subject to its beginning conditions but obeys mathematical laws despite its external appearance.

Edward Lorenz discovered the concept of chaotic systems in the late 1950s and early 1960s with a study that mimicked the weather using a dozen differential equations. 

On one occasion, he began the program in the middle rather than at the beginning, and he stored the data in three decimals rather than the usual six. While Lorenz predicted a close approximation to his results, the outcome was substantially different.

The scientist stated in his 1962 publication “Deterministic Nonperiodic Flow” (considered the beginning of chaos theory) that a tiny change in the starting conditions might radically influence the long-term behavior of a meteorological system. 

He referred to this phenomenon as “the butterfly effect.” Lorenz concluded that precise weather prediction is impossible based on his findings. 

Of course, supercomputers and other technical developments have transformed that impossibility into a possibility in the years after his study. Despite this, his theory is still evident in most predictions, especially those for long-term forecasts. 

The station’s location affects its data and accuracy 

Forecasters collect data from weather stations to assist them in making forecasts. However, the position of the stations can impact the accuracy of the data.

These stations are more common in and around cities than in less densely populated areas. As a result, less data is typically accessible for rural and marine locations compared to more metropolitan ones. 

Furthermore, because there are fewer weather stations in these locations, and those that exist are generally dispersed, it might be difficult for them to record good data for a vast area. 

The data affects how a computer works out the prediction, so inaccurate or insufficient data will lead to a wrong prediction.

An increase in time reduces the accuracy. 

Short-term forecast accuracy decreases dramatically when attempting to anticipate the weather for extended periods. Forecasts for 10 days and longer often have only about 50% accuracy.

The computer systems that create forecasts lack future data, forcing them to rely on assumptions and estimations to make predictions. 

Because the environment continually changes, these estimations become less credible as one projects further into the future.

However, studies have shown that, at least for short-term forecasts, they are usually correct. A five-day forecast is approximately 90% accurate, while a seven-day forecast is about 80% accurate.

This is why most news networks give the forecast for a day or two, as they have more reliable predictions in the short term. 

This creates a problem where people don’t get enough time to evacuate in immense disasters since long-term forecasts are not trusted. 

Understanding Chaos And Weather 

Chaos theory was developed as a result of a weather forecast experiment. Edward Lorenz attempted to create a model for precise weather forecasting in 1961. For him to forecast weather, he supplied values reflecting various atmospheric variables into a computer.

He discovered something entirely by chance throughout this experiment. An error of less than one part in a thousand in beginning conditions resulted in forecasts that appeared to be unrelated.

Chaos theory describes systems that are extremely sensitive to beginning conditions. Because weather is a chaotic system, it is unpredictable.

When two chaotic systems with similar initial conditions are compared, the “almost” minuscule deviation evolves into massive variations in the system’s state within a relatively short period. 

Two forecasts that appeared to be fairly similar could quickly transform into very distinct weather circumstances.

Conclusion

You have a better understanding of all the systems if you were wondering, “How accurate are weather forecasts?” Many remarkable technologies work together to predict weather patterns but are not always correct since nature is chaotic.

Many constantly changing conditions and presets for weather could drastically change a forecast’s outcome. New forecasting systems use advanced supercomputer systems to run intense calculations and figure out what the weather will be like, but it’s nature.