Numerical Weather Prediction

Numerical weather prediction refers to using computer models to predict weather. Because air conforms to the physical properties of fluids, and because scientists have developed mathematical equations to describe the physical properties of fluids, these equations can be used in combination to create a mathematical model of the atmosphere and how it behaves. When data on properties of air such as temperature, pressure, humidity, speed, and other measures are plugged into an atmospheric computer model, scientists can predict how the atmosphere will behave, or, in other words, predict the weather. This approach requires huge computational power. But this type of weather prediction offers significant advances in forecast accuracy because it is based on real and measured data and how the properties of the atmosphere interact.