May 22, 2024 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked proofread by University of Skövde Will it rain tomorrow or will it be sunny? Better data and more computing power have made weather forecasts more accurate. But doesn't it seem like, despite promises of a sunny summer, we'll still have to make contingency plans for indoor activities? Why is it so difficult to predict the weather? We've asked Nikolaos Kourentzes, a forecasting researcher at the University of Skövde.
With increased computing power and good data, weather forecasts have improved. But they are not infallible. Nikolaos Kourentzes is a professor of informatics at the University of Skövde and an expert in forecasting.
He has helped the International Monetary Fund develop forecasting tools for setting interest rates and has also worked with climate models and simpler statistical models of weather for applications in renewable energy. He believes we need to consider what we expect from forecasts. Short-term forecasts are usually based on large simulation models of weather.
These can show how different parts of weather systems interact and affect each other. However, this information is usually distilled down to just a few key pieces of information for us weather amateurs, such as temperature and precipitation. Forecasts may accurately show various weather data .