Storms are becoming stronger and stronger. But the fightback has begun. And it’s taking place above the clouds.
Today, cutting-edge technology is helping us track the most dangerous weather like never before. Warning people about lightning, tornadoes, and hurricanes, so they can get to safety. The world’s weather is being policed by incredible flying laboratories, like the aeroplane taking off every day in the UK carrying four tonnes of science equipment.
Our weather is being observed by high-altitude drones made in Switzerland flying higher than ever before. And it’s being watched over from space by futuristic weather satellites like the new and game-changing ones from the USA, detecting and tracking hurricanes over the Atlantic to minimise the destruction they cause when they make landfall in the Caribbean and in US states like Florida.
Europe has its own secret weapon too, the most modern weather satellite ever constructed, looking out for dangerous weather including spotting wildfires early and enabling emergency services to save lives. Watched over by satellites, drones & weather planes, we’re better at forecasting weather than ever. But we are also trying to control the weather, using cloud seeding to create rainfall. It’s a controversial topic, but it’s happening all over the world. With climate change making the world’s weather even more deadly, Earth’s arsenal of weather-watching weaponry is essential in the fight to keep us safe and well.