Google gives the forecast a closer look.

Google has introduced WeatherNext 3, a forecasting model that uses live satellite observations and updates every hour. The September 3 announcement puts the emphasis on local detail, rather than another impressive-looking global map.

The company says temperature and moisture forecasts now reach a five-kilometre grid. Other variables use coarser grids, so that figure should not be read as the resolution of every forecast. Google says the system is integrated across Search, Gemini, Maps and Cloud.

A forecast with a job to do

Google also describes forecasts aimed at wind and solar generation, including wind at turbine height and the sunlight reaching the ground. Those are useful things to estimate when the electricity supply depends on the weather cooperating.

Keep the uncertainty

These are the developer’s claims, not our own weather trial. Our view: the test is whether a more detailed forecast improves a real decision. A beautifully precise mistake is still a mistake. Your umbrella has not received its redundancy notice.