NOAA Targets Cloud-Based Weather Computing by 2027

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is moving key weather-forecasting capabilities from physical infrastructure to cloud platforms as it seeks more flexibility for increasingly complex models and broader access to forecast data. The effort includes high-performance computing, weather-data storage and National Weather Service applications. NOAA operates two physical supercomputers for the Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputing System (WCOSS), which generates models used across the agency and shared with the public. Each system runs at 14.5 petaflops and is generally serviceable for about five years, but officials say the infrastructure is approaching its limits as modeling needs evolve.

The modernization has direct implications for vendors with cloud engineering, high-performance computing, data management and migration expertise. NOAA is evaluating how cloud platforms support its weather models and determining how to configure the environment. It aims to make a “full-scale system” available by the end of 2026, with go-live planned by the end of 2027. Google Cloud is the primary provider for the WCOSS modernization, according to the source. That identifies an incumbent platform relationship, but the available information does not describe the contract’s value, scope allocation, contract vehicle or any open competition.

A central operational driver is the movement of large volumes of model data to NOAA’s 122 local weather forecast offices. David Michaud, director of National Centers for Environmental Prediction Central Operations, said that transferring information from the supercomputers may require NOAA to reduce data size. Three-dimensional models contain variables covering Earth’s surface and atmospheric layers; some variables or layers may be omitted to support distribution under existing constraints. NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs underscored the consequences of data loss: “Trapped data is actually probably not my biggest problem. It's actually data that we've deleted and will never get back.” Cloud capacity and data architecture could help the agency retain and make more information available, although the source does not specify technical requirements or performance targets.

The cloud transition extends beyond WCOSS. NOAA also plans a separate migration of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS), with work planned for early 2028. This should be tracked as a distinct modernization stream rather than assumed to be part of the WCOSS effort. NOAA’s stated objectives include improving model flexibility, access to weather data, continuity across forecast offices and support for AI-based forecasting. For industry, those objectives suggest relevant capabilities in scalable compute, storage, data movement, cloud operations and AI-ready data services. They are market signals, not evidence of a forthcoming solicitation; suppliers should monitor agency announcements and distinguish confirmed program schedules from requirements that have not been disclosed.

• NOAA is moving high-performance computing, weather-data storage and National Weather Service forecasting applications from on-premises systems to cloud platforms.
• Google Cloud is the primary provider for the WCOSS modernization; no contract value, vehicle or procurement details are reported.
• NOAA targets a full-scale WCOSS system by the end of 2026 and operational go-live by the end of 2027.
• WCOSS currently relies on two physical supercomputers, each operating at 14.5 petaflops and generally serviceable for about five years.
• NOAA’s 122 local weather forecast offices are a major consideration in data distribution; current constraints can require reducing model data or omitting variables and atmospheric layers.
• NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs identified permanent data deletion—not simply data being inaccessible—as a key concern: “Trapped data is actually probably not my biggest problem. It's actually data that we've deleted and will never get back.”
• A separate AWIPS cloud migration is planned for early 2028; vendors should track it independently from WCOSS.
• Potential capability areas include cloud engineering, high-performance computing, migration, weather-data management, AI-ready data services and operational support, but no open solicitation or bid deadline is identified.