Your Most Accurate Forecasts are going to be even more accurate thanks to new weather supercomputers.
One of them happens to be housed in Phoenix!
Arizona's "Cactus" and Virginia's "Dogwood" are the two supercomputers that National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officially put into operation this week.
The enhanced computing technology and increased storage capacity will allow NOAA and the National Weather Service to provide detailed forecasts while using better tools to predict clouds, storms and other weather phenomena.
The end result, according to NOAA's Environmental Modeling Center director Dr. Brian Gross, are better forecasts and warnings to support public safety.
"All of our modeling systems, all of the forecasts that we produce, are driven toward saving life and property. Every bit that we can improve the models, we can improve the forecast, we can improve the information that we deliver to the people that we're trying to help," Dr. Gross states.
Dave Michaud, the director of NOAA's Office of Central Processing, says NOAA chose Virginia and Arizona to avoid situations that may result in both supercomputers losing powers due to events such as hurricanes.
