Microsoft has introduced its groundbreaking AI system, Aurora, which promises to revolutionize weather prediction by delivering faster and more accurate forecasts of extreme weather events such as typhoons, hurricanes, and sandstorms. The announcement, accompanied by a research paper published in Nature, highlights Aurora’s ability to outperform traditional forecasting models.
Trained on over a million hours of diverse weather data from satellites, radar, and ground stations, Aurora has demonstrated its prowess by predicting Typhoon Doksuri’s landfall in the Philippines four days ahead—beating several expert forecasts. It also accurately forecasted a major sandstorm in Iraq and outperformed the US National Hurricane Center in tracking tropical cyclones during the 2022–2023 season.
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What sets Aurora apart is its efficiency. Unlike conventional systems that take hours, Aurora generates forecasts in seconds. Microsoft has made the model’s code and weights publicly available, encouraging researchers and developers to explore its potential further. A customised version is also set to be integrated into the MSN Weather app for real-time updates.
Experts believe this innovation could be a major step forward for meteorology and climate science, offering new tools to better predict and respond to extreme weather events globally.
