Release notes

This page documents new features, model releases, dataset updates, and deprecations across the WeatherNext platform.


August 31, 2026

WeatherNext 3 (v3.0)

  • WeatherNext 3 launched: Next-generation global weather forecasting model featuring live satellite input, 5 km multi-resolution output, and hourly updates out to 15 days (360 hours).
  • Hourly initialization: Operational model initialized every hour from live global geostationary satellite mosaics.
  • Station training & clean energy variables: Added dedicated station observation heads, solar irradiance components (SSRD, FDIR), 100m wind, and multi-source precipitation training.
  • Dataset availability: Full 64-member ensemble with 3D atmospheric levels published on Google Cloud Storage (Zarr); precomputed surface statistics published on BigQuery and Earth Engine.
  • Site redesign: Redesigned developer portal with code-first guides and interactive query recipes.

August 2026

  • WeatherNext Cyclones in Nature: Published tropical cyclone forecasting research in Nature. Code and weights for WeatherNext 2-mini open-sourced on GitHub and Colab.

July 29, 2026

  • Legacy model deprecation: WeatherNext Gen (GenCast) and WeatherNext Graph (GraphCast) forecast datasets were officially deprecated. Active workflows migrated to WeatherNext 2 / 3.

October 3, 2025

Initial public release (v1.0)

  • Initial release of developer documentation and landing page.
  • WeatherNext 2 datasets available on BigQuery and Earth Engine.
  • WeatherNext 2 soft-launched on Vertex AI Model Garden.

June 2025

WeatherNext 2 (v2.0)

  • WeatherNext 2 released: Functional Generative Network (FGN) architecture delivering 64-member ensemble forecasts in a single step at 0.25° resolution with 6-hourly timesteps.
  • Platform availability: Datasets published across Google Cloud Storage, BigQuery, Earth Engine, and Vertex AI Model Garden.