New £97m Met Office supercomputer to offer more accurate weather forecasts
A new supercomputer worth £97 million will allow the Met Office to offer Brits more accurate weather forecasts.
The new machine - one of the most powerful computers on Earth - will come into operation next September, and will offer 90 per cent accurate predictions for 24 hours for the first time.
According to the Metro, it will be able to offer more detailed forecasts for airports, with predictions of snow, fog and wind speed accurate to within 1,000ft.
It will also be able to help forecasters warn of extreme weather events, like flooding.
The computer, to be built in Exeter, will work 13 times faster than the current system, enabling UK forecasts models to be run every hour, rather than every three.
Met Office chief executive Rob Varley said it would deliver a "step change" in forecast accuracy. Speaking to the BBC, he said: "It will allow us to add more precision, more detail, more accuracy to our forecasts on all time scales for tomorrow, for the next day, next week, next month and even the next century."
Mr Varley added that it would also address issues about climate change, answering "the real questions people need to know".
He said: "We can tell you that the global average temperature is going to increase by 3C or 4C if we carry on as we are - but the critical question is what is that going to mean for London?
"What is it going to mean for Scotland? What is it going to mean for my back garden? At the moment the general looks that we can produce really don't answer those kinds of questions."
According to the Guardian, Mr Varley also said: "Weather forecasting helps us manage our day-to-day affairs, helps businesses run efficiently and helps government keep the people safe. The new supercomputer will mean earlier warning, more detailed forecasts."
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