Expired News - Back to the Future II's precision weather? We're very close - The Weather Network
Your weather when it really mattersTM

Country

Please choose your default site

Americas

Asia - Pacific

Europe

News
On October 21, 2015, do we have the up-to-the-second weather forecasts that were promised in Back to the Future 2? Not yet, but here at The Weather Network, we're pretty close.
OUT OF THIS WORLD | Earth, Space And The Stuff In Between - a daily journey through weather, space and science with meteorologist/science writer Scott Sutherland

Back to the Future II's precision weather? We're very close


Scott Sutherland
Meteorologist/Science Writer

Wednesday, October 21, 2015, 1:12 PM - On October 21, 2015, do we have the up-to-the-second weather forecasts that were promised in Back to the Future II? Not yet, but here at The Weather Network, we're pretty close.

When Doc Brown flew Marty and Jennifer from 1985 to 2015 in his flying Delorean time machine, they arrived on Wednesday, October 21... exactly the same as today.

After landing in downtown Hill Valley, California in the pouring rain, Doc said to wait only 5 more seconds before they could get out of the car without worrying about getting wet.


Precision weather forecasting in Robert Zemeckis' 2015. Credit: Universal Pictures

"Right on the tick. Amazing. Absolutely amazing," Doc remarks when the Sun shines through the retreating clouds right on schedule. "Too bad the post office isn't as efficient as the weather service."

So, here, in the real world, on Wednesday, October 21, 2015, do we have that kind of weather forecasting ability? Can we forecast rain to start or stop with up-to-the-second accuracy?

While we may not get it down to the second, but we're getting pretty close. How? With our Precip Start Stop feature.

Watch Below: Meteorologists Mark Robinson and Elena Lappo discuss how Precip Start Stop works, when it's at its best and when it's at its worst.

Will we ever get to up-to-the-second accuracy in weather forecasting? 

With this feature on our website and apps, we're already working with a 10 minute margin for error. With the introduction of faster supercomputers, and the promise and potential from quantum computing, we may not need to wait much longer for the kind of accuracy that Robert Zemeckis envisioned for our future.

Source: Universal Pictures

Default saved
Close

Search Location

Close

Sign In

Please sign in to use this feature.