Extreme weather seems to be in the news a lot lately.  Weather events like stronger tropical cyclones, record rainfalls, extended droughts, heat waves, wildfires and smoke are all breaking records more frequently, impacting the lives of millions.

In fact, the past 8 years are the warmest ever recorded – as far back as 1850 – and 2023 was the warmest year in NOAA’s 174 year record. This leaves more people wondering, “How are climate changes affecting me and my local weather?“  Weather from Microsoft Start recently launched a new feature to help people find answers to questions like these.

The new Weather Trends page is a powerful feature which draws on up to 70 years of global weather history. It can help users learn how their recent weather compares with the past by year, month, or even by day. Historical averages and detailed records show how many rainy, snowy, cloudy, or sunny days there typically are this month, and visualization tools such as innovative new pie charts make it easier to understand and compare the data.  
               

The true value of the new Weather Trends page is that all of this powerful information is tuned for actual locations, not lumped into a regional or national weather story that may have limited relevance.

In addition to the Weather Trends page, Microsoft is now testing its new Climate Insights Engine. This engine smartly leverages the Earth’s climate history and Microsoft’s AI intelligence to identify and notify users of impactful weather trends at their specific location. 

According to an independent study commissioned by Microsoft,* Weather from Microsoft Start has already been recognized for its world leading forecast accuracy, offering critical weather information to millions of daily users. It’s deeply integrated into Windows 10 & 11, powering the weather alerts you may have seen on your taskbar. It’s also integrated into Edge, Bing, and available on the Bing and Microsoft Start mobile apps.

With the launch of the new Weather Trends page and the soon to be launched Climate Insights Engine as additions to the most accurate weather forecast in the world,* Microsoft is using AI to empower people with the weather information they need to stay safe.



*ForecastWatch, Analysis of One-to Five-Day-Out Global Temperature, Wind Speed, Precipitation and Opacity Forecasts, Jan-Jun 2022 (msn.com).