How can drones improve weather forecasting?

Since drones can fly independently and can be developed for maximum wind resistance, we can measure various parameters at different altitudes which is impossible to get from the conventional method.

The Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) is the part of the atmosphere closest to Earth. It is a layer of air that extends from the ground up to nearly 10,000 feet (3 km). The PBL is where almost all human activity occurs. Currently, the vast majority of weather observations are collected at ground level. There is a huge data gap between where we live and where impactful weather systems form. Drones outfitted with weather sensors, like the CopterSonde for example, allow for targeted observations in locations where impactful weather is likely to form or is already occurring. This information is vital to meteorologists to accurately predict the timing and intensity of a weather event.

Sensitivity to strong winds and turbulence may be a significant barrier to exploiting drones for monitoring development of severe weather.

Since drones use either private networks or 4G and 5G to transmit data, it is possible to carry any operation from anywhere in the world. Through this technique, Data sharing is very easy when it comes to getting weather or environmental data.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is currently holding an Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Demonstration Campaign globally (March - September, 2024). Researchers and manufacturers are participating by performing numerous flights throughout the campaign. The weather data collected from each aircraft will be uploaded shortly after each flight to a cloud-based processing service that will distribute the data in a WMO-approved format used for numerical weather prediction. Once the campaign is over, forecasts will be analyzed and will hopefully demonstrate that real-time weather observations from drones have a positive impact producing more accurate weather forecasts.

Seeding is one of the methods to change the behavior of clouds, and has the potential to generate rainfall in small areas in a city, but seeding needs a high amount of cloud seeding which certainly needs many drones.

Many universities are embracing drone technology as a way to encourage involvement of students outside of the classroom. Actively participating in educational activities, like experiments or field work, is an highly effective method of learning.