Weather updates
The world has come a long way since John Coleman was doing the weather on television in the 1930s. Back then, forecasters “relied on the 16th-century thermometer, the 17th-century mercurial barometer, and the medieval weather vane,” writes historian William Manchester. The telegraph was a new invention, and the speed of transmission allowed distant reports of weather to travel much faster, allowing meteorologists to adjust their predictions.
Today’s weather forecasters are equipped with a stunning array of technology, from Doppler radar towers that detect precipitation patterns to radiosondes—meteorological sensors attached to balloons that float through the upper atmosphere, collecting data on air temperature, humidity, and wind speed and direction. Weather satellites track surface conditions from orbit and provide up-to-the-minute observations of the earth’s environment. And automated systems collect, process, and disseminate a dizzying volume of data.
The resulting predictions can help us get prepared for a storm, make decisions that benefit society, and even save lives. For example, studies have shown that longer lead times on snow and ice forecasts reduce traffic accidents, while turbulence warnings allow airlines to inform their customers of potentially severe conditions so they can choose to fly elsewhere.
But while meteorologists have made amazing strides in making their forecasts more accurate, it wasn’t always clear when these improvements had a real impact on people’s lives. This was the question posed by research presented at a recent workshop at Stanford University. The answer is a resounding yes, a fact underscored by one simple statistic: every day that we have more accurate predictions of dangerous temperatures, hundreds of lives can be saved in high-income countries.