Summary:
- A 5-day weather forecast today is as reliable as a 2-day forecast was 20 years ago.
- The most accurate weather forecasts are made by advanced computers, with analysis and interpretation added by meteorologists.
- Once a forecast is made, it is broadcast by satellites to more than 1,000 sites around the world.
- Numerical weather prediction calculates what will happen over time at various altitudes for a grid of evenly spaced locations.
- Using the results calculated by the model, the program projects weather further into the future.