AI Revolutionizes Weather Forecasting in Taiwan as Storm Bebinca Approaches

As tropical storm Bebinca nears northern Taiwan, AI-powered forecasting models are being deployed to predict its path, giving meteorologists an advanced tool for storm tracking. AI is quickly becoming an essential asset in improving weather predictions, outperforming traditional methods in many cases.

AI’s Success with Typhoon Gaemi

Earlier this year, AI tools made their debut during Typhoon Gaemi, the strongest storm to strike Taiwan in nearly a decade. AI models predicted a direct hit as early as eight days before the storm reached the island, outperforming conventional forecasts. “AI delivered stunning performances compared to conventional models,” said Chia Hsin-sing, a director at Taiwan Integrated Disaster Prevention of Technology Engineering Consulting Company Ltd.

Bebinca’s Path Tracked Using AI

Now, as Bebinca approaches, AI models are again being used to predict the storm’s movements. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster, Lin Ping-yu, emphasized how AI gives them greater confidence in predictions. “AI is like having one more useful tool to use,” Lin said.

These AI systems include Nvidia’s FourCastNet, Google’s GraphCast, and Huawei’s Pangu-Weather, all of which use deep learning to analyze meteorological data. AI forecasts for the Western Pacific have proven to be nearly 20% more accurate than traditional models, according to the CWA.

Advantages of AI in Weather Forecasting

AI-based weather prediction tools have made remarkable strides by learning from historical data and quickly calculating weather variables. In just minutes, AI can predict storm paths and provide more accurate forecasts than traditional methods. These tools helped Taiwan’s meteorologists predict Typhoon Gaemi’s unusual path, allowing them to issue early warnings for the public.

Looking forward, Taiwan aims to enhance its AI-based predictions, particularly through collaborations with tech companies like Nvidia, which is working on new AI tools to predict precise storm landfalls and provide higher resolution images inside storms.

While AI has shown its potential, experts acknowledge that more time is needed to refine the technology, particularly in predicting detailed storm impacts like wind speed and intensity.