Met Office’s ‘new supercomputer’ could help avoid flight delays
A “major” upgrade to the Met Office’s forecast system is in the pipeline to reduce flight delays and support winter preparations, the forecaster has announced.
Advanced technology provides clearer, more accurate cloud and fog forecasts essential for managing airline schedules.
Winter temperature forecasts are now more realistic and the Met Office says this will help with energy grid management, sandblasting roads and de-icing aircraft.
More importantly, global severe weather warnings can now be issued earlier, with forecasts extended from seven days to 10 days.
This represents “the most significant scientific breakthrough in more than three years,” according to the forecaster.
Science Minister Lord Vallance said in a statement: “The Met Office’s new supercomputer has enabled more accurate forecasting of cloud and fog, two particularly difficult areas for forecasting.
“Advances in weather science benefit us all, from making more flights on time to keeping roads gravel when necessary to preparing earlier for storms that put lives at risk and damage homes and businesses.”
Simon Vosper, the Met Office’s director of science, told a press conference: “We’ve made a number of improvements; the first and most current issue now is rainfall in the UK, so the quality of our rainfall forecasts has improved very significantly.
“We get much more realistic precipitation intensities from the modeling system.”
It comes after forecasters announced it had rained every day in south-west England and south Wales so far this year, with 50% more rainfall than usual in January.
Mr Vosper added: “The representation of cloud in the modeling system has improved and in particular the height of cloud cover, whether it is low cloud, high cloud, very low cloud, which of course is mist or mist.
“This higher accuracy is particularly beneficial for aviation.
“When you’re trying to manage busy airports, organize flight routes and operate busy airports like Heathrow, low cloud and fog can be a real problem, so having more accurate forecasts is very, very useful.”
This is the first upgrade to the Met Office’s Microsoft-supplied supercomputer, which was introduced in May.
The Met Office said: “The upgrade marks a major step forward in the UK’s weather and climate science capacity, delivering tangible improvements that will make forecasts easier to interpret.”
He said of improved cloud and fog guidance: “This advancement will be vital for industries such as aviation, where precise weather information is critical to manage flight schedules, avoid delays and ensure safe takeoffs and landings, especially in low cloud bases, fog and mist.”
