nowcast

Immediate weather prediction

A nowcast is a weather forecast for the immediate present or very near future—typically the next few hours.

Unlike traditional forecasts that predict days ahead, nowcasts focus on what's happening right now and what will happen in the next 0-6 hours: The nowcast shows rain arriving within the hour.

The term has spread beyond meteorology to economics and other fields where real-time data enables immediate-term predictions.

realtime

weather

Atmospheric state outdoors

radarRadio-wave object detection
precipitationAtmospheric water deposit
satelliteOrbiting celestial body

doppler · live · streaming · instantaneous · up-to-the-minute · current · immediate · observation · monitoring · tracking

prediction

short-term

Of limited duration

projectionSomething that extends outward
estimationApproximate value judgment
outlookAttitude toward the future

prognosis · anticipation · extrapolation · modeling · simulation · accuracy · probability · scenario · assessment · calculation

meteorology

precipitation

Atmospheric water deposit

radarRadio-wave object detection
satelliteOrbiting celestial body
atmosphereGaseous layer around planets

clouds · humidity · temperature · doppler · wind · visibility · fronts · pressure · thunderstorm · lightning

Opposites

temporal orientation of prediction/analysis

nowcasthindcast

Model past conditions

forecast · backcast · long-range forecast · extended forecast · seasonal forecast

temporal specificity/range

nowcastseasonal forecast

Predicted conditions for months ahead

five-day forecast

Family

nowcasting

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