Weather and climate

Wind speed and direction only.

Temperature, air pressure, and humidity.

Cloud coverage and precipitation.

Satellite imagery and radar reflectivity.

To measure the exact amount of precipitation in a given area.

To track the movement of commercial aircraft.

To emit energy bursts and interpret atmospheric content like water and air.

To provide long-term climate trend data.

Forecasts became more accurate due to reduced air pollution.

Forecasts became less accurate due to a decrease in weather balloon launches.

Forecasts became less accurate due to the loss of meteorological data from reduced air travel.

Forecasts remained unchanged as ground-based systems compensated for air data.

Automated Surface Observation Systems (ASOS).

Doppler weather radars.

Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay System (AMDAR).

Cooperative Observer Program (COOP).

To directly measure ocean currents.

To act as communication relays for remote weather buoys.

To provide high-resolution imagery of the entire globe.

To launch weather balloons from offshore locations.

Global Forecast System (GFS)

North American Mesoscale (NAM) model

High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)

Yes

No

Launched new geostationary satellites.

Acquired two of the largest supercomputers in the US.

Expanded its network of weather buoys globally.

Developed a new type of weather balloon.

To reduce the computational time required for forecasts.

To provide a single, definitive weather prediction.

To give forecasters an idea of the degree of uncertainty for a given prediction.

To visualize weather patterns in real-time.

Dodge City, Kansas WFO

Grand Junction, Colorado WFO

Fairbanks, Alaska WFO

Miami, Florida WFO