2020 Operational Forecasting for Winter Weather Maintenance

Most of us regularly check the weather forecasts available to us from mainstream public media weather sources. These forecasts help consumers and businesses in daily planning, like what to wear, when to travel or what weather-related gear to bring outside. While it’s useful information, it’s not operational forecasting which can make a significant difference for transportation management.

Simply put, operational forecasting is the practice of creating and sharing relevant forecast information for operations that are impacted by weather. Examples of weather-critical operations include many related to transportation, like the safe take-off and landing of airplanes, safe operations for emergency services personnel, and getting people to the places where they work and play. It also could be any supply chain activity related to transportation of product, whether by land or sea.

To learn more about the benefits of operation forecasting, watch our recent webinar on this topic. In it, you will find many more details about the differences between media forecasting and operational forecasting as well as information on recent advancements in pavement forecast modeling and insights into decision support for both winter and non-winter maintenance. Unlike the five minutes of weather we watch on our nightly newscasts, or read on our mobile apps, an operational forecast is critical to getting the precise weather data needed to make critical operations decisions.