The future of weather forecasting [Communications Met Office Supercomputer]

TALKING ABOUT the weather is easily the most common conversational gambit among British people, if only because it is so reliably unreliable. However, the easy filling of awkward silences may be about to become a thing of the past if a new supercomputer brings hoped-for transformation to the Met Office???s powers of prediction. True enough, many a weather computer has foundered on the rocks of the British Isles: small islands with the Atlantic ocean on one side and the European landmass on the other, not to mention the Arctic air from the north, and tropical air from the south. Even subtle changes in wind direction can create a major change in the weather. And changes in the weather make for changes in behaviour ??? from people???s travel plans and heat budgeting to the basic inclinations of shoppers: many a chief executive has pinned poor quarterly results on inclement weather. Accurate forecasts ??? made as far in advance as possible ??? are vital to manage such changes.