Britain to build supercomputer for reliable weather forecasts

A new 97-mln-pound (157 million U.S. dollars) supercomputer will be built in Britain to predict disruptive weather events more effectively, the Met Office has announced on Tuesday.

The weather's volatility has long been a popular British conversation topic. The High Performance Computer (HPC), 13 times more powerful than the current system used by the Met Office, will enable forecast updates every hour and the ability to provide very high detail weather information for precise geographical areas, according to authorities.

It will help Britain to predict disruptive weather events such as flooding, strong winds, fog and heavy snowfall more effectively. Scientists will also explore the benefits of adapting the resolution to improve winter forecasts out to months ahead, and assessing the specific regional impacts of climate change such as floods, droughts and heat waves.

The supercomputer will be able to perform more than 16,000 trillion calculations per second, and at 140 tonnes, will weigh the equivalent of 11 double decker buses. The first phase of it will be operational in September 2015 and the system will reach full capacity in 2017.

"We are very excited about this new investment in UK science." Met Office Chief Executive Rob Varley said: "It will lead to a step change in weather forecasting and climate prediction."

He added that: "The new supercomputer, together with improved observations, science and modeling, will deliver better forecasts and advice to support British business, the public and government. It will help to make the country more resilient to high impact weather and other environmental risks."