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How Do We Create Weather Forecasts? And What Kind of Technology Do Meteorologists Use to Help Predict the Weather?
Satellites
and radar are remote sensing tools that are vital because it allows
meteorologists to see what the atmosphere is doing from a distance. They
also need to know what the atmosphere is doing at all levels, which is
why they send up weather balloons that track different meteorological
variables as they rise, including temperature, wind, and moisture.
Finally, they use computer models to input all these data and simulate
future weather.
Also, ground based weather stations are used to
monitor local and remote locations. In the oceans, buoys are often
equipped with weather monitoring devices that transmit their data
frequently to on shore weather services, usually government controlled
agencies like the National Weather Service in the USA. With the buoy
system in US waters, for example, storms approaching can be tracked in
their North to !
South progression on the West Coast and South to North or Nor-Easters
on the East Coast. Measurements like rain rate, barometric pressure,
wind speed and direction, temperature and humidity from approaching
storms can be graphed and charted from the buoys and paint of picture of
intensifying or diminishing effects as the storms approach. This is
only an example and certainly ground based systems can be used in the
same manner.
Ground based units range wildly in cost, accuracy
and reliability. Starting at under $100.00, a home temperature station
or home forecast station can be fun for beginners and non-serious
hobbyists. For the more serious observers, an accurate and reliable yet
affordable station is an American made unit by Davis Instruments with 2
models in the $395-$595USD price range. More expensive stations are
available that offer higher resolutions and sometimes greater accuracy,
but these are generally used by industrial, government, or safety
applica!
tions. They range in price from about $1,000-$8,000USD. For ai!
rports a
nd helipads, weather stations with cloud ceiling, visibility, and wind
shear warnings can easily exceed $100,000USD, complete with redundant
back up systems.
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