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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
David Hambling

Nasa meteorologists trialling model to produce ultra local, short-term forecasts

The rocket launches in the sky, viewed from across the water
The Artemis II crewed lunar mission lifts off in good weather from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on 1 April 2026. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

Meteorologists are working on ever longer-range predictions, but they have not neglected ultra local, ultra short-term forecasts for specific purposes.

This month, meteorologists at Nasa’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia announced trials with a high-resolution weather model called US1k developed by Meteomatics. The developers claim that this model has a resolution nine times finer that other solutions, allowing planners to get a clear zoomed-in view of the launch conditions. It predicts weather on a 1km grid in 15-minute increments. The MetX interface is designed to convey crucial information clearly in stressful situations.

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