Supercomputer to predict weather across Kazakhstan

Photo: Shutterstock, photo editor: Serikzhan Kovlanbayev

A new weather forecasting system powered by Kazakhstan’s supercomputer has been launched in the country. Central Asia’s most powerful machine, located in the Supercomputer Center at al-Farabi Kazakh National University, is now performing calculations, Kazhydromet, the state enterprise responsible for monitoring and forecasting weather and climate in the country, reported.

The enterprise has started using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model to predict weather across the entire country. The model operates at a spatial resolution of two kilometers.

The project became implementable after the supercomputer was commissioned in Kazakhstan. The cooperation between the weather forecasting enterprise and the university administration was launched at the initiative of Kazakhstan’s Minister of Ecology.

Now, the WRF model is automatically launched daily on the machine, generating forecasts for air temperature, precipitation and wind parameters, and creating meteograms for the entire country.

The calculations are performed automatically without manual intervention. Specialists analyze the data to improve the quality and accuracy of the forecasts.

The project aims to strengthen Kazakhstan’s hydrometeorological safety and improve the early warning system for dangerous natural phenomena, allowing for prompt and more accurate identification of areas expecting heavy rain, strong winds or other risks. This is important not only for residents, but also for government agencies, emergency services and businesses.

Apart from weather forecasting, the supercomputer is also planned to be used to tackle inflation, analyze price data, and monitor commodity flows across the country in real time.