The unexpected way COVID-19 is screwing up weather reports
Weather radar stations, like this one in South Dakota, capture data on local storms and events. But planes and satellites can provide more regional projections by capturing atmospheric metrics. (Eric Kurth, NOAA/NWS/ER/WFO/Sacramento/)This story originally published on Flying.The drop in airline operations across the US and around the world has had an impact on weather reporting, particular with the input flight crews make to the World Meteorological Organization’s Global Observing System, part of the World Weather Watch program. The WMO provides part of the architecture through which 193 member countries can build weather forecasts as well as monitor atmospheric and climate conditions.According to a press release from the WMO, “some parts of the observing system are already affected. Most notably the significant decrease in air traffic has had a clear impact. In-flight measurements of ambient temperature and wind speed and direction are a very important source of information for both weather...