Internet Helps Weather Get More Local

by ARA Content

(ARA) - As with politics, all weather is local. Even over a single metro area, weather can be drastically different. One person's thunderstorm is another's sunny day.

Historically, weather forecasting technology has simply not been precise enough to differentiate its forecasts between local areas. It's only been able to predict the weather over broad swathes of territory encompassing hundreds of square miles.

That's all changing, thanks to advanced computer power and the advent of the Internet.

The increase in computing power over the past decade, coupled with a decline in the cost for this power, has greatly improved weather forecasters' abilities. Complex forecasting models that would've taken a day to process in years past can now be done in hours. This speed-up in computing power has made possible forecasts that are not only more precise, but more personalized.

The Internet has also contributed mightily to this local focus. Instead of relying on a TV forecast that must be tailored to an entire viewing area, today's Web users can visit several sites where they can receive a forecast tailored to their own neighborhood.

Weather.com, the Internet arm of The Weather Channel, has pioneered a phenomenon called "ZIP-code forecasts," in which users enter a ZIP code to receive a more precise forecast. Each month, more than 14 million unique users to weather.com are treated to forecasts loosely based on their ZIP code.

Yet a new company, Digital Cyclone, Inc., is challenging sites such as weather.com with neighborhood-level forecasts that promise to be even more precise than a ZIP-code forecast.

The company's first service is called My-Cast (www.my-cast.com) and here's how it works.

When they register, My-Cast users tell My-Cast exactly where they'd like the weather forecasted, down to their neighborhood. Often users will ask for forecasts for their home, workplace, favorite golf course, kids' school, local park and any other number of places. My-Cast will then deliver unique forecasts for each area that are updated every three hours.

Its precision is striking. Golfers can figure out which golf course near them offers the best chance for a full round of golf unimpeded by rain. Soccer families will have a better idea of which child's game might be rained out. Commuters might even be able to select the best route to take to work on a snowy day.

How is My-Cast so precise? First, in most major-metro areas, My-Cast forecast models calculate the predicted weather at data points only four miles apart, as opposed to the 20-mile grid used by the National Weather Service, which is the foundation for forecasts from weather.com and most other consumer weather forecasts. In addition, My-Cast updates its forecast eight times a day, compared to four times a day from the National Weather Service. Finally, My-Cast models use data from many different sources, including satellites, surface observations and soon, NEXRAD Doppler radar.

All this adds up to weather forecasts that will permanently change the way we receive weather information. There is no reason to continue to be satisfied with regional forecasts that don't tell you what you really want to know. While no weather forecasts are perfect -- Mother Nature still does have a few tricks up her sleeve -- the advent of Internet weather means consumers have a better chance of getting the information they need to plan their outdoor lives.

About The Author
This article courtesy of ARA Content, http://www.aracontent.com
e-mail: info@aracontent.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information, contact Shelley Thompson, Digital Cyclone, Inc., 5125 County Road 101, Suite 300, Minnetonka, MN 55345, or shelleyt@digitalcyclone.com.

Back to all Travel Articles