Shropshire Star

Could the new 5G phone network allow super accurate weather forecasts?

The roll out of the 5G phone network in 2020 could do wonders for ultra-detailed weather forecasting.

Published
A woman waits with her umbrella behind a tram station window during heavy rain in Erfurt, Germany, Thursday, June 29, 2017.

Weather forecasters could soon gain the ability to predict the likelihood of rain on a street-by-street basis, thanks to data collected from mobile phone signals.

By 2020, the rollout of an ultra-fast 5G mobile phone network across the UK may enable meteorologists to interpret interference caused by rainfall to predict the likelihood of showers with super geographic accuracy.

A runner passes palm trees on the promenade at Southend, Essex, as heavy rain and high winds hit much of the UK during the May Bank holiday.
Forecasters will be able to get accurate readouts of rain in real time using the 5G network (Nick Ansell/PA)

Met Office spokesman, Grahame Madge, said: “We originally got involved in this because there was a requirement to look at the effectiveness of the 5G network and to look at the effectiveness that was required to improve that network.

“By collecting that data and then turning it on its head, we are able to get the data coming back out of the Met Office system to produce accurate reports of local weather systems in real time.”

A mobile phone mast in Basingstoke, Hampshire, as Chancellor Philip Hammond said that the investment of £1 billion in high-speed fibre broadband across the country and 5G mobile data trials will help create a
A mobile phone mast in Basingstoke, Hampshire (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Not knowing whether or not to take your brolly for a stroll may soon be a thing of the past.

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