Met Office to build £97m supercomputer

[Methuselah]

The more the merrier, I say...I'd imagine that those who claim to 'reach the parts that other forecasters can't reach' will be apoplectic!

[Hocus Pocus]

In the modern world of meteorology and climate then I think we will all agree that computer power is essential.

 

As to your second observation, yes you have a point. Not that many years ago the METO had weather centers littered around the country. (come in John all is forgiven) and there is no question that forecasters with years of experience and local knowledge were a distinct advantage. For example Plymouth Weather Center was ideal for my neck of the woods. But they were hugely expensive to operate and when commercial companies, operating from a tin shack in saffron Walden, started to spread their wings and the government demanded more for their money the METO couldn't compete.

 

This was part of the cycle of moving from one age to another. We used to have eight manned radiosonde stations but they cost £2m a year to run. Now we have two.

 

EDIT

I hadn't read John's post when I wrote this. Suffice it to say I totally agree.

Yes no arguments from me on this knocker and my main gripe was from two points, one being old school but realising the need for progress nonetheless and secondly it doesn't seem all that long ago when the last super computer was unveiled, though I'm getting on a bit and maybe it's my memory playing tricks on me.

[Jax]

Yes no arguments from me on this knocker and my main gripe was from two points, one being old school but realising the need for progress nonetheless and secondly it doesn't seem all that long ago when the last super computer was unveiled, though I'm getting on a bit and maybe it's my memory playing tricks on me.

IIRC the last upgrade was to add extra data such as the newer SSW, this current upgrade makes the output at a higher res more often.

[Hocus Pocus]

Thanks Jax.

[knocker]

A recent tweet from Ryan Maue.

 

NOAA leadership has fumbled ball on weather forecasting computer upgrades. ECMWF & MetOffice are a decade ahead

[Paul]

The Met O does two things at once, provides the MOD data for anywhere in the world which is largely the main omputer costs and then the forecasts for all the commercial systems, for which it must show a profit, then lastly, the media, for which it is paid, perhaps rightly, peanuts, be that data for Net Wx or the BBC.

 

 

You must be rich John if you think they're charging peanuts for data & for media contracts!!

[Cloud 10]

I look forward to the new "super" UKMO model.

[Captain Shortwave]

Great news, the Metoffice will continue to be at the forefront of meteorological science. The cost is a drop in the ocean as budget goes for the UK government and the benifits will be quickly rewarded through extra business and cost savings. Great investment if you ask me.

[MurcieBoy]

News of this today caught my eye.

I remember when I posted up my forecasts on here a few years back, my pc cost me just a few hundred quid!

My 2p's worth to today's news would be:

- this should be great for short term forecasting, but to forecast long term accurately (ie: months and years ahead), one really needs to step back and understand what are the true underlying causes of our weather

- To have sensors around the planet, linked to super computers tracking and modelling weather movement is not "true forecasting"

- To truly forecast is to predict something before the "embryo", so to speak, has formed; ie: to accurately predict months and years ahead. As long as we think this cannot be done, we shall not avail ourselves to the opportunity of learning how it could be done.....

[johnholmes]

You must be rich John if you think they're charging peanuts for data & for media contracts!!

 

I suspect that what you pay for their radar images is quite a lot by your/our Net Wx standards but is 'peanuts' to them Paul. 

[biggreyface]

At least we're going to get some kind of payback from the government who have been taking climate change taxes of us since the 80s 97million its a start. Me personally anything that helps weather forecasting is good

[stewfox]

£97 million !!! You can build a hospital for that. What a colossal waste of taxpayers' money

 

If it can help from a IMBY prospective and increase the chance of me knowing I will get snow by just 10% they can have my £1.62

[carinthian]

I know back in the early 70s , it was exciting in the forecasting office waiting to receive the new super computer numerical weather predictions for the 3 day and 6 day charts. I have to say they opened a whole new horizon to the forecasters views.

40 years later, have results beyond 6 days really improved to the extent they have with-in the shorter time span? Personally, I do not think so. However, ever since its pioneer, Dr Mason, the director of the Met Office in my time, who opened the new Richardson Wing at Bracknell to a whole exciting world of numerical model forecasting, the UKMO has remained at the front edge of this advanced forecasting technology.

 C

[Methuselah]

Hate to say it, but CFS v2 will still be a better model to forecast better.

Really? That'll be a 2000% improvement on the, IMO, next to useless v1, then?  

[laserguy]

Ninety seven million, ninety seven billion - whatever. Makes no odds, we'll still never get the forecast thunderstorm.