UNDER THE WEATHER

They measure and test and crunch massive volumes of data. They build new field tech and use bleeding edge solutions to create a revolution in weather forecasting. They are the Cloud Warriors.

- WRITTEN BY: ANNE-FRANCES HUTCHINSON

Accurately predict a hurricane's path six days before landfall.

Watch lightning bursts in broad daylight. Capture a single hailstone on camera as it falls from above. These wonders come to us courtesy of weather forecasters, those relentlessly curious souls peering deeper into weather's mysteries to save lives, property, and the nation's economy.

From RADAR, LI-DAR, and weather balloons to artificial intelligence and machine learning, both legacy and novel technology makes it possible to see further into the future and predict weather events with incredible precision. Drones, new satellite technology, and the Internet of Things generate data to keep meteorologists chasing answers to the puzzle we've yet to solve: if we can accurately predict extreme weather, why can't we save people from the peril it brings?

That's the ultimate question Thomas E. Weber pursues in his new book, Cloud Warriors: Deadly Storms, Climate Chaos—and the Pioneers Creating a Revolution in Weather Forecasting (St. Martin's Press). His answer appears early in the book:

"In 2023 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tallied a record of 28 separate weather disasters in which costs exceeded $1 billion. ... In a war you need intelligence to win; in our battle with the atmosphere, a good forecast provides that intelligence. It turns out that we can do something right now to save lives, reduce inequality, and safeguard the economy: predict the weather better."

Cloud Warriors follows Weber as he chases storms with experts from NOAA, sees a weather satellite being prepared to go to space, learns about microclimates in agriculture, and gets an inside view of the companies that make and use weather forecasting technology. He's a veteran writer, editor, and newsroom executive with a lifelong interest in how science and technology shape society.