As of noon CDT today (1700 UTC 8/12/09), the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), a division of NOAA, declared operational two new massive supercomputers that will spit out weather model data used by forecasters throughout the world. Model data, a mainstay for all meteorologists in determining what the weather will be like over their forecast area, provides information of the expected state of the atmosphere from a few hours in the future to as far as several days, or even weeks, in advance. The new supercomputers are named Stratus and Cirrus, after two of the four main cloud types (cumulus and nimbus being the others). The computers have been thoroughly tested and benchmarked to ensure that there is no significant difference in the model output from the previous computers, but will provide the horsepower required to accomodate advances in weather prediction technology over the coming years.
June 2026 Climate Report for Memphis, TN
Temperatures were very near average during the month of June, but precipitation was very heavy in some areas, resulting in…
They're actually getting better and better each time changes are made to the model parameters, which is at least a few times a year. These supercomputers will allow NOAA scientists to continue to make advancements over the coming years in that regard.
Thanks for your comment!
–Erik, MemphisWeather.net
Faster is cool but…. when do we get more ACCURATE??? 🙂