Nowcasting (meteorology)

[1][2] This forecast is an extrapolation in time of known weather parameters, including those obtained by means of remote sensing, using techniques that take into account a possible evolution of the air mass.

[4] Other examples are AutoNowcaster which has been developed by UCAR to predict short term motion and evolution of thunderstorms,[5] 3D nowcasting an experimental technology by the RIKEN Advanced Institute for Computational Science[6] and private firms like Tomorrow.io (formerly ClimaCell) using its proprietary HyperCast software for nowcasting precipitation type and intensity at 300-500 m geospatial resolution[7] Data extrapolation, including development or dissipation, can be used to find the likely location of a moving weather system.

[3] Nowcasting is recognized as having enormous value in desertic areas such a in sub-Saharan Africa, where rapidly changing weather conditions can have a dramatic impact on populations and economic activity, which can be mitigated by early warning.

During the nineteenth century, the first modern meteorologists were using extrapolation methods for predicting the movement of low pressure systems and anticyclones on surface maps.

They are first identified by matching precipitation raw data to a set of preprogrammed characteristics into the system, including signs of organization in the horizontal and continuity in the vertical.

[9] Once the thunderstorm cell is identified, speed, distance covered, direction, and Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) are all tracked and recorded to be utilized later.