Woo Hoo, We're Now A More Weather Ready Nation

NOAA says a new tool is helping the United States become a more "weather-ready nation." The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency deployed it yesterday. It says in tests Rapid Refresh has delivered more accurate predictions of fast-developing weather emergencies, like heavy rains that pummeled the Midwest last summer. It updates every hour with an forecast for the next 18 hours. NOAA says that's important for pilots, as well as weather forecasters. The United States is the only country that updates computer model forecasts every hour using a mix of sensors, radars and aircraft.