Weather forecasts may soon be accurate for a month
Scientists working on the next frontier of weather forecasting are hoping that weather conditions three-to-four weeks out will soon be as readily available as seven-day forecasts.
Having this type of weather information -- called subseasonal forecasts -- in the hands of the public and emergency managers can provide the critical lead time necessary to prepare for natural hazards like heat waves.
Scientists are leading the way to close this critical gap in the weather forecast system through the SubX project.
SubX is filling the gap between the prediction of weather and the prediction of seasonal conditions, which is guided by slowly evolving ocean conditions like sea surface temperatures and soil moisture and variability in the climate system that work on time scales of weeks.
"The SubX public database makes three-four week forecasts available right now and provides researchers the data infrastructure to investigate how to make them even better in the future," said Assistant Professor Kathleen Pegion.
SubX has already shown great promise forecasting weather conditions.
Would you trust weather forecasts a month in advance?
The Bureau of Meteorology has yet to perfect its maximum seven-day forecast, let alone a month in advance.
The seven-day maximum daily temperature forecast for Brisbane is invariably adjusted several times over that short period. Even then, there can be a 1-3 degree difference in the actual maximum temperature for that day.
Climate is complex.