By Brent Bosker

CWB offers farmers a new weather service

Jan 24, 2011 | 11:39 AM

Predicting the weather is risky business, but farmers say if you can get it right there are huge benefits to their operations.

The Canadian Wheat Board believes they are closer to delivering this to farmers through its improved online WeatherFarm service.

It uses state-of-the-art technology to enhance the accuracy of local weather forecasts. It works by fine tuning the forecast using actual observations from weather stations on the ground.

The process is called “nudging” and the model is already used by the U.S. National Weather Service and the U.S. military, said CWB weather network manager and agro-meteorologist Guy Ash.

“For example if the forecast said the barometric pressure and wind was one thing and was … wrong, the actual data from that weather station would adjust the forecast model.”

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The new system will improve short term forecast by reducing the rate of error by 50 per cent for 12 hours, Ash said.

“So this will help with everything that farmers are concerned with. Spring flooding forecasts, storm related watches or monitoring things like winds speeds and direction for spray application.”

WeatherFarm is an online weather information center designed exclusively for prairie farmers by the CWB.

It uses 800 stations and another 200 government sites to draw data from.

bbosker@panow.com