South African Weather Service (SAWS)

Weather Forecasting

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) utilizes High-Performance Computing (HPC) to enhance its weather forecasting and climate monitoring capabilities. HPC systems process vast amounts of atmospheric data and perform complex numerical weather predictions (NWP) at high speed, enabling more accurate and timely forecasts. These systems also support climate modeling, severe weather warnings, and disaster risk reduction by analyzing detailed simulations of weather patterns. HPC is crucial for SAWS to meet the increasing demand for precision in meteorology and climate-related decision-making.

HPC Technology Services

SAWS partners with Eclipse Holdings as its technology provider to enhance weather forecasting and climate monitoring. Eclipse commissioned, deployed, and supports the High- Performance Computing (HPC) system that powers SAWS operations. The Cray HPC system processes vast atmospheric data and runs the “Unified Model” developed by the UK Met Office to run forecasts multiple times per day. Through this collaboration, Eclipse enables SAWS to provide accurate forecasts, climate modeling, severe weather warnings, and disaster risk reduction, meeting the growing demand for precision in meteorology.