Meteorology

Weather forecasting

Meteorologists and weather presenters use several methods to predict what the weather will be like in the future.

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• Persistence method

The persistence method assumes that conditions will not change. Often summarised as "Tomorrow equals today". This method works best over long periods of time.

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• Trends method

The trends method involves determining the speed and direction of fronts, high and low pressure centers, and areas of clouds and precipitation.

Related Topics:
Fronts - Precipitation

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• Climatology method

The climatology method involves using historical weather data collected over long periods of time (years) to predict conditions on a given date.

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• Analog method

A complex method that involves finding an "analog" or very similar weather conditions from historical data.

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• Numerical forecasting method

The numerical weather prediction or NWP method uses computers to take into account a large number of variables and creates of computer model of the atmosphere. This is the most successful and widely used method.

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