Tomorrow.io NextGen offers high-resolution rain forecasts

NEW ORLEANS – Weather intelligence startup Tomorrow.io unveiled NextGen, a global-precipitation forecasting platform, Jan. 14 at the American Meteorological Society annual meeting here.

NextGen ingests data from Boston-based Tomorrow.io satellites to provide global precipitation forecasts with a resolution of 2.5 kilometers, updated every five minutes.

With NextGen, Tomorrow.io is filling “critical radar gaps worldwide” to improve forecasting accuracy and enhance lead time for predictions of extreme weather, according to the news release.

“The results are remarkable,” Forest Cannon, Tomorrow.io senior atmospheric data scientist, said in a statement. “Our microwave sounders provide unique insights about precipitation that traditional satellites simply can’t see.”

Tomorrow.io transmits data from satellites to its network “within minutes,” according to the news release.  

“The impact is transformative, turning what might have been a forecasted non-event into a scenario requiring significant operational adjustments,” Cannon added. “Importantly, these improvements persist for over an hour after each satellite pass, and with our full constellation deployed by 2025, revisit times will ensure even greater consistency.”

Tomorrow.io operates a constellation of six satellites: two Ka-band radar satellites launched in 2023 and four satellites with microwave sounders launched in 2024. Additional satellites are scheduled to launch in 2025.

The Defense Department has awarded Tomorrow.io contracts with a value of more than $20 million. And the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is assessing Tomorrow.io weather data under a $2.3 million contract announced in October.

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