Forecast Quality

General Remarks

Our main concern is to offer to our customers the highest possible forecast quality that can be achieved by application of some of the most advanced forecast technologies. In contrast to many other weather pages you find on the web, our forecasts are subject to permanent extensive quality controls, whose results are used for the continuous improvement of our predictions.

Our verification studies are based on observations of "official" meteorological stations (SYNOP) and of local station networks of avalanche control services and open-pit mining companies. So far the comparison between MetGIS forecasts and observations has been including the following regions:

• Alps (Austria): several studies since winter 2007/08
• Pyrenees (Spain): several studies since winter 2008/09
• Southern Andes (Chile): several studies since 2009
• Himalaya (Bhutan): study with data from 2010/2011
• Caucasus (Russia): study with data from Elbrus region (2009)

The results of the studies above proved the excellent quality of MetGIS forecasts, only possible thanks to the long-lasting intense development process, involving a number of international academic partners.

However, no meteorological forecast, no matter if produced by meteorologists or by automated prediction systems, can be perfect. This is due to the limited density of world-wide weather observation networks, to limitations in computer power (even the fastest supercomputers are not fast enough...) and to other factors.

To get an estimate of the degree of accuracy of MetGIS forecasts, see our sections about the verification of:

temperature forecasts,

precipitation forecasts,

snowfall forecasts.