NOAA & Google AI: Better Hurricane Forecasts

NOAA and Google Team Up to Enhance Hurricane Forecasting with Artificial Intelligence

A groundbreaking collaboration between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Hurricane Center (NHC) and Google LLC promises to revolutionize hurricane forecasting through the integration of cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) models. This partnership aims to bolster NOAA’s core mission: saving lives, minimizing property damage, and strengthening the nation’s economy by delivering the most accurate and timely forecasts of hurricanes and other dangerous tropical weather systems.

The NHC serves as the primary authority for issuing watches, warnings, forecasts, and detailed analyses concerning hazardous tropical weather, including hurricanes. Currently, the center relies on a diverse range of data and complex numerical models to develop these critical forecasts. Recognizing Google’s position as a global leader in AI weather model development, this collaboration will accelerate the evaluation and implementation of new technologies.

“The pace of weather modeling innovation is increasing and Google is a stellar partner in AI weather model development,” stated a senior official at the NHC. “This collaboration between NOAA and Google will ensure that NOAA’s National Hurricane Center is able to quickly evaluate new tropical cyclone forecasting technology as it arises.”

The initiative is formalized through a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA), facilitated by NOAA’s Technology Partnerships Office (TPO). This agreement will unite scientists and developers from the NHC’s Technology and Science Branch and Hurricane Specialist Unit with experts from Google DeepMind and Google Research.

“We are honored to collaborate with NOAA, bringing the power of AI models to the U.S. National Weather Service agency,” said a research scientist at Google DeepMind. “We look forward to working together on the agency’s smooth integration of AI models into NHC operations to enhance their track and intensity forecasts.”

Under the terms of the CRADA, Google’s AI for weather team will provide the NHC with near-real-time AI-driven tropical cyclone forecasts. These forecasts will be used for rigorous evaluations, ongoing improvements, and eventual integration into NOAA’s existing technical infrastructure. Google will also establish and maintain Weather Lab, a dedicated visualization platform for analyzing the outputs of these AI models.

NOAA will reciprocate by conducting routine assessments of Google’s new and updated models, and both organizations will jointly disseminate the progress and findings of their collaboration to the broader public and scientific community. This partnership will empower NHC forecasters with advanced tools, enabling them to more effectively communicate hazard risks to the public and relevant partners, ultimately facilitating life-saving actions.

The NHC remains committed to being America’s trusted source of information during tropical weather events, and this collaboration underscores that dedication. NOAA routinely engages in partnerships with private sector companies through CRADAs to foster research and development that benefits both parties and advances NOAA’s overarching mission. This CRADA represents one component of a larger, agency-wide effort to harness the potential of AI-based forecast models.

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