Weather Services at Sport Events

Every outdoor event is weather-critical. The Olympics, the FIFA World Cup, the Superbowl, the Champions League, Masters Golf, Formula1 or Indianapolis. Basically, the success of every event from mega-sized down to a local junior league tournament depends on the weather. Disappointments may differ in scale and value, but not in intensity. Luckily every challenge has a solution - more information below.

 

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Weather Services at Sport Events (pdf, 2.3MB, low resolution)
Serviço Metereológico para Eventos Desportivos (pdf, 2.3MB, low resolution)

    Challenge
     

     Challenge

     

    Rain, wind, thunderstorm, snow, ice, fog, extreme temperatures. Risking accidents and injury, general safety, travel, logistics, schedules, comfort and enjoyment. Endangering revenues, reputations, event prestige, sponsorships and advertising deals. And for many, the future.


    Extreme temperature
    Extreme heat may cause serious problems with certain sport events. Heat stress generated by high temperature can be dangerous for athletes and it should be prevented.  Preliminary information about heat conditions is essential for competitors and teams when preparing for events with long-running exertion.


    Strong winds
    Strong winds are especially problematic at sailing competitions. In the worst case events must be postponed in order to assure the safety of the competitors. Real-time wind measurements around the sailing venue are an absolute must to ensure that the competition can be carried out successfully and safely.


    Heavy rain
    Intensive rain is a problem not only to athletes, but also to spectators. Athletes must be aware of predicted rain conditions in order to choose the optimal gear for the event. Equally, spectators require information about possible rain periods so that they can prepare themselves.


    Thunderstorms
    Thunderstorms pose a major risk not only for events, but also to local transportation and logistics. Lightning and associated strong winds are extremely dangerous and must be well predicted beforehand. This is especially important with operations requiring aviation and during open field competitions. Also, equipment failure and disruptions in broadcasting are possible.

    See how we can help you solve the challenges in the "Solution" section.

    Solution
     

     Solution

     
    Sometimes successful events don't need much and can be ensured by bringing along an umbrella and an extra pullover. But you need the information.
     
    Forecasts for Success
    Organizers and authorities increasingly recognize the strategic need for weather information. They demand more accurate local forecasts as well as richer real-time information of the prevailing conditions around the venues.
     

    The key-element in creating accurate weather forecasts is real-time weather observations.

     
    Knowing the prevailing conditions of temperature, wind, precipitation, humidity, atmospheric pressure etc. is an absolute must in order to produce weather forecasts. Without this information it is not possible to provide needed weather services to the users.
     
    Strategic Business
    These demands put more pressure on local weather organizations, but they also open new opportunities for growing and critically valuable service businesses.
     

    What is needed is capability – establishing multifaceted high-resolution observation networks collecting weather data to study local weather conditions, usually 2 to 3 years before the event.

     
    This enables creation of forecast models with acceptable accuracy and also helps to choose the best locations and configure them optimally.
     
    Vaisala Solutions and Information
    Vaisala works closely together with many weather organizations in the world. Providing measurement equipment and full solutions for forecasting, now-casting and real-time information for over 120 countries from pole to pole. Weather radar, radio sounding, wind, lightning, moisture, visibility and surface measurement systems as well as information systems with workstations and displays.
     
    Based on over 70 years of experience, we offer knowledge: everything from world-leading sensors to integrated solutions to real-time data as a service – depending on what the best choice for your organization's strategy is.
     
    For more information, find your local sales contact or send us email directly to sales@vaisala.com.

    Related products
     

     Related products

     

    ​Below you can see some examples of products and how they help in measuring the weather. All of the mentioned products can be seen in the image.

    • Automatic weather station for measuring local weather conditions (e.g. wind) and for local weather forecasting
    • Automatic sounding station for measuring atmospheric data for weather forecasting models
    • Weather radar for measuring precipitation and for forecasting movement of storm cells to provide early warnings
    • Airport weather observation systems to support aviation
    • Wind profiler to provide wind data from higher atmosphere to support aviation and also to support event planning
    • Lightning detection sensors to provide information about intensity and location of lightning strikes
    • Road weather sensor to provide information about road weather conditions
    • Traveler information system for alerting motorists to dangerous road conditions ahead

    Weather measurement in outdoor events with Vaisala products