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You missed the biggest player in numerical weather forecasting -- the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Everyone agrees their models a

by shoyer 12y ago

You missed the biggest player in numerical weather forecasting -- the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Everyone agrees their models are the world's best. Regrettably, the American models are pretty far behind: http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-us-slips-to-fourth-place-in-global.html http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-us-slips-to-fourth... The ECMWF forecasts are indeed quite expensive, but all the major players in weather forecasting, including The Weather Channel and the National Weather Service, buy them.

Theodores 12y ago
Very interesting! It has been a while since I worked in weather and as far as I was concerned there was the U.S. 'free' data and the British 'paid for' data. ECMWF does ring a bell though, I think we did have selected access to some of their forecast products but it has been a while. The centre is very much based in the UK, more specifically Reading, which is the place where anyone with a meteorology degree studies. I think that a history of weather forecasting would be quite fascinating as it is tied in to the growth of the British Empire, the needs of Britain 'ruling the waves', the development of the telegraph, the development of aviation and, of course, satellites and supercomputing. For many decades meteorology has been in complete denial about climate change, this too would make an interesting chapter to the story.
- angry_octet 12y ago
  I say old chap, I'm afraid you are being rather anglo-centric and what not. I have it on good authority they have weather in the heathen lands to the Far East. Why the Japanese built an 'Earth Simulator' with 10TB of RAM back in the last century. And apparently the Indians launch their own weather satellites into space. Gosh.
dfc 12y ago
Do you know where/if I can I find that data/chart on the NWS site? The author says NWS deserves credit for not holding anything back but for some reason I can not find that data on the NWS web sites.
- shoyer 12y ago
  I'm not sure... you should ask on Cliff's blog! The NWS/NOAA websites are rather ad-hoc and disorganized.

by shoyer 12y ago

Theodores 12y ago

Very interesting! It has been a while since I worked in weather and as far as I was concerned there was the U.S. 'free' data and the British 'paid for' data. ECMWF does ring a bell though, I think we did have selected access to some of their forecast products but it has been a while. The centre is very much based in the UK, more specifically Reading, which is the place where anyone with a meteorology degree studies. I think that a history of weather forecasting would be quite fascinating as it is tied in to the growth of the British Empire, the needs of Britain 'ruling the waves', the development of the telegraph, the development of aviation and, of course, satellites and supercomputing. For many decades meteorology has been in complete denial about climate change, this too would make an interesting chapter to the story.

angry_octet 12y ago
I say old chap, I'm afraid you are being rather anglo-centric and what not. I have it on good authority they have weather in the heathen lands to the Far East. Why the Japanese built an 'Earth Simulator' with 10TB of RAM back in the last century. And apparently the Indians launch their own weather satellites into space. Gosh.

dfc 12y ago

Do you know where/if I can I find that data/chart on the NWS site? The author says NWS deserves credit for not holding anything back but for some reason I can not find that data on the NWS web sites.

shoyer 12y ago
I'm not sure... you should ask on Cliff's blog! The NWS/NOAA websites are rather ad-hoc and disorganized.