What is a weather forecast?
A weather forecast is our best estimate of what the atmosphere is likely to do, up to 7 days ahead. The forecasts let you know what weather to expect.
They are based on millions of observations (recorded weather) from Australia and around the world. The observations feed into computer weather models, which use complex equations to calculate possible weather.
Meteorologists use this information to produce forecasts. When the forecasts indicate hazardous weather, we issue warnings to help communities prepare.
We update forecasts regularly based on the latest observations, computer modelling, and meteorologists' expertise.
In this section, explore:
- what information meteorologists use to forecast weather
- why we are regularly updating forecasts
- how to understand rain forecasts
- how weather models work
- when forecasts are most accurate.
Meteorologists apply their knowledge and experience to produce the forecast
Service level specification for public weather services
This document describes the products and services we provide for everyday weather information.