Japan to Introduce New Supercomputer for Weather Forecasts

May 16, 2018

Tokyo- The Japan Meteorological Agency said Wednesday it will start using a new supercomputer on June 5 to make more detailed weather forecasts.

The agency plans to introduce in stages the functions of the new supercomputer, such as giving longer rainfall predictions and extending the forecast period on the strength of typhoons.

The Cray XC50, the agency's 10th supercomputer, will offer 10 times more computing power for weather forecasts than the current model.

Its development costs, including five-year operating expenses, will total some 10 billion yen.

From late June, rainfall predictions will be available for the next 15 hours, longer than for the next six hours at present.

This means that heavy rainfall in the small hours, for example, can be predicted by early evening the previous day, so residents can be advised to evacuate before dark.

With the new supercomputer, the agency will also be able to make forecasts for maximum wind speed and atmospheric pressure levels for typhoons for the coming five days, compared with the current three days.

Furthermore, the agency will be able to give temperature predictions with specific forecast figures for two weeks ahead.

In April-September 2019, the agency will introduce the Meso-scale Ensemble Prediction System, which combines 21 patterns of forecasts, with the aim of giving early predictions for localized heavy rain and storms.