AccuWeather

Ashburn, VA

30°F
Use Current Location
Recent Locations
30° F
No Results Found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Ashburn, VA Weather
Now Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality

Around the Globe

Coronavirus Tracker

right arrow

Winter Center

right arrow

Hurricane Tracker

right arrow

Radar & Maps

right arrow

Severe Weather

right arrow

Video

right arrow

News

right arrow

Podcasts

right arrow
Chevron left
Chevron right
About

Press

Careers FAQ Contact Us

News

Latest Independent Study Reconfirms Superior Accuracy of AccuWeather Forecasts

By Staff, AccuWeather

Published Jan. 6, 2020 12:13 PM EST

Copied

Independent analysis of 25 million weather forecasts by the ‘JD Power of weather prediction’ over an 18-month period shows forecasts are the most accurate among top weather providers in all categories tested.

AccuWeather Global Weather Center, January 6, 2020 — In the latest statistical comprehensive comparison of forecast accuracy, global weather and digital media leader AccuWeather was once again overwhelmingly confirmed as the world’s most accurate source of weather forecasts over all other weather providers in the three parameters verified in the study -- high-and low-temperature and wind speed.

The results were reported by independent industry tracker ForecastWatch, which Forbes magazine dubbed “the JD Power of weather prediction,” and demonstrated again why AccuWeather forecasts are the most trusted to provide actionable insights to help people and business better cope with the impact of weather.

This comprehensive test analyzed over 25 million weather forecasts in more than 1,000 locations globally, and AccuWeather was the clear winner in high- and low-temperature forecasts, proving to have the lowest average absolute error and the greatest percentage of forecast accuracy within 3 degrees F. In the study, AccuWeather high-temperature forecasts beat the average of all other sources tested by 2.6 percent and bested the average of all other sources examined by 2.7 percent in low-temperature forecast accuracy.

The study, which covered the period of January 2018 through June 2019, also examined wind speed forecasts and concluded that AccuWeather was the provider with the highest level of accuracy. AccuWeather had the lowest absolute error of the other weather sources examined in the study, performing 7.6 percent better than the next closest provider.

In addition to AccuWeather, data was collected from five top global providers of weather forecasts, including The Weather Channel, Weather Underground, both owned by IBM, Foreca and Dark Sky. Notably, while AccuWeather, which makes its forecasts available free to the public via its popular apps and AccuWeather.com, ranked first in high- and low-temperature forecast accuracy, Dark Sky, a weather app available at a cost to users, ranked last in both categories in this ForecastWatch study. In wind speed comparisons, both The Weather Channel and Weather Underground were ranked last and were found to be 47.2 percent less accurate than AccuWeather in wind speed accuracy.

The full study can be found here.

“While no one can prevent threatening or disruptive weather from occurring, the right weather forecasting and warning source can help people and businesses cope with it better so they can make the very best weather-related decisions,” said Dr. Joel N. Myers, AccuWeather Founder and CEO,  “The latest ForecastWatch report proves what AccuWeather has been demonstrating to its loyal users and customers for more than five decades – the reliability and consistency of AccuWeather forecasts save lives and help people protect their families and property better than other sources.”

Myers further emphasized that while the margin of AccuWeather’s superiority in weather forecasting is highly significant and meaningful, the true value and advantage of the company’s forecasts is even greater than these statistics demonstrate. 

“As other studies have shown, our leadership in accuracy is the foundation on which all our innovative products and services are built. In addition, AccuWeather forecasts are much more localized to individual addresses when compared to the more general forecasts other sources provide. And, AccuWeather also provides more detailed forecasts both in location and time, such as our patented MinuteCast® and hour-by-hour forecasts. AccuWeather’s forecasts also extend farther into the future than any other source, with 90-day forecasts available for all locations on the planet,” he said.

These added benefits, explained Myers, coupled with AccuWeather’s greater emphasis on how forecasts impact peoples’ lives and activities, make AccuWeather’s forecasts uniquely valuable when compared with those from other sources.

Myers said AccuWeather's Superior Accuracy is powered by exclusive patented technology, the largest collection of forecast models and data, leading-ed predictive AI and machine learning, and the best IP and procedures developed and refined over the company's 57-year history, combined with the most talented and experienced group of meteorological forecasters anywhere.

The independent analysis by ForecastWatch, the world’s premier weather forecast monitoring and assessment service, provides additional clear, concrete evidence that AccuWeather's forecasts are superior to all other sources and, as a result, brings the most significant benefits to people and businesses who rely on AccuWeather’s forecasts to make decisions and to stay safe and out of harm’s way and for more effective planning, when weather is a factor.

View Full Report Here.

The study’s results are significant because the greater the measure of accuracy for weather forecasts and warnings, the better decisions people and businesses can make to plan around hazardous weather conditions and severe weather events, and as a result, the more lives are saved, the more property is protected, and the more losses are reduced.

In addition to helping people remain safe and prepared, AccuWeather’s weather forecasts and warnings also help thousands of businesses.

Said AccuWeather Vice President of Business Solutions Jonathan Porter, “The impact of weather cannot be overstated, and the value of the most accurate weather forecasts and the proper assessment of their impact in advance allows companies to keep customers and employees safe, minimize losses and liability, save costs, improve efficiency and significantly outperform their competitors with uniquely valuable insights.”

Some recent examples of AccuWeather’s dedication to forecasting and communicating with Superior Accuracy include:

December 2019 -- A series of out-of-season tornadoes caused widespread damage, injuries and fatalities in the Deep South. In addition to passing on official government warnings through its free apps and accuweather.com site, AccuWeather provided an average of 33.8 minutes of advanced warning for clients in the impacted Mississippi area. A refinery client in Sandersville was notified that a tornado was 2 miles away, enabling it to safely shelter employees, and another client in Wallerville was notified that a tornado 6 miles away would not impact its facility, saving it costly shutdown time.

November 2019 –When a potent storm was moving through the southwest, storm potential outlooks issued solely by AccuWeather correctly predicted the flooding rainfall across Arizona and Southern California.  Only forecasts issued by AccuWeather two days prior to the flooding rainfall contained timely, accurate and impact-driven details about the impending hazardous weather in Phoenix. Forecasts issued by other sources did not contain the same level of detail and accuracy.

October 2019 -- An early October snow blanketed Manitoba, Canada and caught many off-guard. A railroad client was prepared thanks to a detailed AccuWeather forecast that called for an unusually early snowstorm several days in advance. AccuWeather was the only source outlining the potential for significant snow, enabling the client to make preparations based on the storm’s estimated time of arrival as well as the amount of snow expected, ensuring the safety of those on the line while minimizing impact to operations.

In business to help keep people safe, AccuWeather has also developed many scientific breakthroughs and life-saving innovations, such as its exclusive AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes, a six-point scale, including a rating of less than one, to better communicate the impacts of hurricanes and tropical storms.  Unlike the widely used Saffir-Simpson scale, which only uses wind speed, the RealImpact Scale incorporates a variety of factors to communicate the threat of a hurricane, such as flooding rain, storm surge and total damage and economic loss in addition to wind speed. Introduced in January 2019, AccuWeather’s new scale was utilized this past hurricane season, for example, warning Bahamians that Hurricane Dorian would be a RealImpact of 5, so they would understand the imminent danger and act accordingly to remain safe and secure property.

About AccuWeather, Inc. and AccuWeather.com — AccuWeather, recognized and documented as the most accurate source of weather forecasts and warnings in the world, has saved tens of thousands of lives, prevented hundreds of thousands of injuries and tens of billions of dollars in property damage. With global headquarters in State College, PA and other offices around the world, AccuWeather serves more than 1.5 billion people daily to help them plan their lives and get more out of their day through digital media properties, such as AccuWeather.com and mobile, as well as radio, television, newspapers, and the 24/7 AccuWeather Network channel. Additionally, AccuWeather produces and distributes news, weather content, and video for more than 180,000 third-party websites. Among AccuWeather’s many innovative and award-winning features available free to the public are MinuteCast® Minute by Minute™ forecasts with Superior Accuracy™. Furthermore, AccuWeather serves more than half of Fortune 500 companies and thousands of businesses globally. Dr. Joel N. Myers, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, established AccuWeather in 1962 and is considered the “father of modern commercial meteorology.” Dr. Myers, a leading creative thinker and visionary, has been named “the most accurate man in weather” by The New York Times and one of the top entrepreneurs in American history by Entrepreneur’s Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs.

AccuWeather, RealFeel, WinterCast, and MinuteCast are all registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature, AccuWeatherIQ, AccuWeather RealImpact, AccuWeather RI, AccuWeather MinuteCast, AccuWeather Network, Minute by Minute and Superior Accuracy are all trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All other trademarks, product names and logos are the property of their respective owners.

The AccuWeather app for Android phone and tablet users is free at the Google Play store. The AccuWeather iOS app is free at apps.apple.com. Visit accuweather.com for additional information.

Report a Typo

Latest Press Releases

Weather News

New AccuWeather App Grabs Top Honors for WMO International W...

Dec. 17, 2020
Weather News

AccuWeather TV Network Announces Partnership with REELZ for ...

Dec. 16, 2020
Press Releases

Charter to Add 24/7 AccuWeather TV Network to Spectrum Video...

Dec. 10, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather Sponsors Climate Change Machine Learning Researc...

Oct. 22, 2020
Press Releases

Weather Photographer of the Year 2020 Winners Announced

Oct. 18, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather Elevates Oliver Knowlton to Chief Strategy Offic...

Oct. 8, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather/ABC On-Air Forecasts Proven Most Accurate in New...

Oct. 6, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather TV Network Now Available on fuboTV

Oct. 5, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather VP Trish Mikita Added to Cynopsis Top Women in M...

Sep. 22, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather Appoints Former EY Exec Shannon O'Neill as Chief...

Sep. 1, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather.com Launches First-of-its-Kind AccuWeather Local...

Jul. 24, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather Launches Redesigned App with Enhanced Features a...

Jul. 20, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather Summer Camp is in Session

Jul. 16, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather Debuts Rebranded Enterprise Offerings as AccuWea...

Jun. 29, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather Announces Partnership with Mocha Global to Power

Jun. 17, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather and the Royal Meteorological Society Celebrate M...

Jun. 17, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Joins Reddit Ask Me Anything fo...

Jun. 16, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather Announces Launch of StoryTeller+™ to Provide Pow...

Jun. 11, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather.com Introduces AccuWeather Indoor Humidity

May 21, 2020
Weather News

AccuWeather Named Official Weather Partner of Military Makeo...

May 15, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather.com Adds Air Quality Insights to Weather Forecas...

May 6, 2020
Weather News

AccuWeather Launches Virtual AccuWeather School Science Lear...

Apr. 28, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather Expands Free Weather Warnings Offer to Hospitals...

Apr. 7, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather Announces Launch of Coronavirus COVID-19 Tracker...

Mar. 24, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather Offers Coronavirus Test Centers and Hospitals Fr...

Mar. 21, 2020
Press Releases

Longtime Director Conrad C. Lautenbacher Retires from AccuWe...

Mar. 19, 2020
Weather News

AccuWeather Congratulates University of Kansas HackKU winnin...

Mar. 18, 2020
Weather News

AccuWeather Appoints Michelle Harmon-Madsen as Chief Marketi...

Mar. 3, 2020
Weather News

AccuWeather, Cricket West Indies announce exclusive partners...

Feb. 20, 2020
Weather News

AccuWeather Announces Paul Lentz as Senior Vice President of...

Feb. 13, 2020
Weather News

New Year Rings in New, Expanded Collaboration for AccuWeathe...

Feb. 12, 2020
Weather News

IAB Board of Directors Appoints AccuWeather Chief Business O...

Feb. 10, 2020
Weather News

AccuWeather Network wins big at Cynopsis Media Best of the B...

Feb. 7, 2020
Weather News

AccuWeather, Flexibits partnership brings innovation, readin...

Jan. 29, 2020
Weather News

Latest Study of 120 Million Forecasts Proves AccuWeather For...

Jan. 14, 2020
Weather News

AccuWeather, Plume Labs partnership to put users of popular,...

Jan. 13, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather Celebrates a History of Science, Innovation with...

Jan. 10, 2020
Weather News

Latest Independent Study Reconfirms Superior Accuracy of Acc...

Jan. 6, 2020
Press Releases

Award-Winning Exec Sarah Katt Elevated to General Manager of...

Jan. 2, 2020
Press Releases

AccuWeather Champions Women’s Sports with National Women’s H...

Dec. 19, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather Names Respected Global Media Exec Michael Monhei...

Dec. 19, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather Appoints Three Dynamic Industry Leaders to its B...

Nov. 19, 2019
Press Releases

Accomplished Attorney Jennifer Chung is Named AccuWeather Ge...

Nov. 11, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather Releases Annual Trick-or-Treat Forecast

Oct. 29, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather Introduces ‘Solis’ Custom Typeface

Oct. 18, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather Announces Updates to Award-Winning App

Oct. 3, 2019
Press Releases

Launch of AccuWeatherIQ brings weather targeting to industry...

Sep. 5, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather Announces Appointment of Scott Mackaro as Vice P...

Aug. 21, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather Continues Rapid Expansion with Relocation of Glo...

Jul. 8, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather Network® "Great American Road Trip" Content Seri...

Jul. 3, 2019
Press Releases

Steven R. Smith Named President of AccuWeather

Jun. 14, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather Launches App for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch wi...

Sep. 13, 2016
Press Releases

New AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature Guide Will Enhance Out...

Jun. 7, 2019
Press Releases

Pocono Raceway Stays on Track with Unique Real-time Weather ...

Jun. 7, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather Earns TAG Certified Against Fraud Seal for Prote...

Jun. 3, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather Appoints Mark Ebel to Lead AccuWeather Enterpris...

Oct. 4, 2016
Press Releases

AccuWeather Marks 75th Anniversary of D-Day with Content Ser...

May 30, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather Founder Announced as 2016 Penn State Homecoming ...

Sep. 15, 2016
Press Releases

AccuWeather Launches Exclusive Crowdsourced Weather Feature ...

Oct. 11, 2016
Press Releases

After Year of Explosive Video Growth, AccuWeather Partners w...

Apr. 19, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather Partners with Local ABC Stations in Support of 2...

Mar. 14, 2019
Press Releases

With More Severe Weather Ahead this Week, AccuWeather Warns ...

Mar. 8, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather Correctly Predicts 2018 Holiday Sales Would See ...

Feb. 25, 2019
Press Releases

Eric Danetz, AccuWeather's Global Chief Revenue Officer, Nam...

Feb. 8, 2019
Press Releases

World's Most Trusted Weather Brand AccuWeather Receives Tabb...

Feb. 7, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather Promotes John Dokes to Chief Content Officer & P...

Feb. 6, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather Issues Statement of Apology to National Weather ...

Jan. 17, 2019
Press Releases

AccuWeather's New RealImpact(TM) Scale for Hurricanes will R...

Jan. 9, 2019
Show More Show Less Chevron down

Severe flooding prompts state of emergency in Kentucky

Towns from Tennessee to West Virginia were hit hard by heavy rain over the weekend, with some of the worst flooding reported in Kentucky. And more rain is in the forecast for the Southeast.

Read More
Chevron right

Daily coronavirus briefing: Doctor joins virtual court session from operating room

The doctor confirmed he was in the middle of an operation when he showed up for a trial held on Zoom. Plus, Johnson & Johnson's CEO gave an update on when Americans will receive the first doses of his company's vaccine.

Read More
Chevron right

Meteorological spring is here. Here's what to expect

Finally, spring is here. Well, sort of. March 1 marks the first day of meteorological spring, and AccuWeather forecasters break down when the weather will start to feel like the season has transitioned.

Read More
Chevron right

Meal delivery kits to spice up your weekly dinner plans

Tired of the same-old, same-old for dinner? Here are our picks for meal kits with options for every family size and budget.

Read More
Chevron right

Why March comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb

Is March really the dividing line between Winter and Spring? Let’s see why the temperature will take a drastic change after the first day of spring.

Read More
Chevron right

AccuWeather School: Why fire won’t melt snow

If you put a flame up to a snowball, it will shrink instead of melting into a puddle of water. It’s not fake snow on the ground, but science in action!

Read More
Chevron right
World Chevron right
North America Chevron right
United States Chevron right
Virginia Chevron right
Ashburn
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs Podcast
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Shop AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Weather Blogs Winter Weather
AccuWeather Downloads Facebook Twitter AccuWeather TV
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs Podcast
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Shop AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Weather Blogs Winter Weather
AccuWeather Downloads Facebook Twitter AccuWeather TV
© 2021 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | TAG Disclosure | Do Not Sell My Data checkmark Confirmed Not Selling Your Data

We have updated our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

I Understand

Get AccuWeather alerts as they happen with our browser notifications.

Notifications Enabled

Thanks! We’ll keep you informed.

FEEDBACK