Research2026-08-06
Google DeepMind published a Nature paper showing its WeatherNext model predicts a tropical cyclone's path, strength and wind field more accurately than existing systems, with three-day forecasts as good as previous two-day ones. The company released the code and model weights for WeatherNext Cyclones and WeatherNext 2 for free use. Google notes official warnings still come from national weather agencies.
What changed
Cyclone track and strength needed two separate model types, and WeatherNext's code and weights were not public.
What it unlocks
Anyone can download and run Google's cyclone and weather forecasting models, including a compact version in a free hosted notebook.
- +24 hours of lead time
- 1,000-member ensemble, up from 50
- 28x28km input resolution
- 15-day forecast in under a minute
What you need to act on it
- accelerator hardware for the full models
Sources