Press release from Weather Tools, Inc.
Weather Tools, Inc. (Weather Tools) an innovative weather forecasting company based in Chico, CA, has entered a strategic partnership agreement with Baron Weather, Inc. (Baron Weather). This collaboration brings to market the California Annual Precipitation (CAP) report, a revolutionary forecasting tool specifically designed to predict California’s water year (October 1 – September 30) precipitation.
Headquartered in Huntsville, AL, Baron Weather is an international leader in advanced weather intelligence solutions. Baron will offer the Weather Tools CAP report within its current product line. CAP is a water year precipitation forecast for the state of California that is released during the first week of November. Known for its susceptibility to both drought and flood, California lacks an accurate water year precipitation forecast. As climate variability continues to pose challenges, this joint effort is a significant step towards improved water year precipitation forecasts for the state.
“We are excited to join forces with Weather Tools in order to provide customers with the California Annual Precipitation report that brings our clients a new level of accuracy and confidence with respect to the prediction of water year precipitation in California,” said Bob Dreisewerd, President & CEO of Baron Weather. “Having access to precise precipitation forecasts is more crucial than ever for the state’s water resource management, agriculture, disaster preparedness and overall economic vitality due to the precipitation extremes that have become commonplace due to increasing climate variability.”
The partnership between Weather Tools and Baron Weather addresses a critical gap in forecasting and exemplifies their mutual commitment to empowering decision-makers with accurate and reliable weather information.
Rob Doornbos, Founder and CEO of Weather Tools, added, “Our partnership with Baron Weather gives us the opportunity to share this important tool with more industries and bring predictability to the formerly unpredictable. Our shared customer base will now be able to access actionable and accurate water year precipitation information that will help them to make critical decisions for life, property and livelihood.”
For the past seven years, the CAP report has accurately forecasted total California water year precipitation with a mean absolute error of less than five percent. Our predictive tool is different from other precipitation forecasts in that it indicates both whether the precipitation received will be above or below normal as well as providing a definitive range of expected precipitation amounts, which gives customers almost a full year of lead time to plan and make decisions. An additional differentiator is that CAP is issued once and is not adjusted throughout the year due to the unique methodology that underpins our technique. For example, our 2022-23 water year forecast issued on November 10, 2022 called for 20-40 percent above normal precipitation for the state. The actual precipitation through September 2023 is within this forecasted range.
Rob Hartman, Former Hydrologist-in-Charge, CA-NV River Forecast Center, has also weighed in on the CAP report saying, “Reliable predictions of California’s Central Valley water year precipitation, made in the fall, have massive sector-specific and societal benefits. Significant research investments in seasonal and sub-seasonal prediction are being made elsewhere with only limited expectations for actionable skill. The 7-year track record of the CAP predictions by Weather Tools is unexpected, remarkable and clearly worth paying close attention to.”
For more information about Weather Tools, Inc. visit www.weathertools.org.
