For years, drones have promised to transform weather forecasting with their hope of being able to to get data in the lower atmosphere. Finally, we have a project involving the National Weather Service that could support what is otherwise one of meteorology’s most stubborn blind spots.
Weather intelligence firm Meteomatics announced this week that it has partnered with NOAA’s National Mesonet Program to provide operational weather drone data to the National Weather Service in a first-of-its-kind project. Through the partnership, Meteomatics’ autonomous “Meteodrones” will routinely collect atmospheric data and feed it directly into day-to-day weather forecasts and warnings used across the United States.
While NOAA and the National Weather Service have previously studied drone-based weather observations in research and evaluation settings, this marks the first time drone-collected data will be integrated into operational forecasting workflows. In practical terms, that means forecasters will now rely on drone data alongside traditional sources like weather balloons, radar and satellites when making real-world decisions about storms, fog, winter precipitation and hazardous winds.
Why lower-atmosphere data matters
Meteodrones are designed to collect vertical profiles of temperature, humidity and wind from roughly 50 feet to about 20,000 feet above ground level. This region of the atmosphere is where many of the most impactful weather events develop — and where the national observing network is comparatively sparse.
Weather balloons, also known as radiosondes, remain a backbone of atmospheric observation. But they’re typically launched only twice per day at fixed locations, and once released, they drift with the wind. Satellites, meanwhile, struggle to resolve fine-scale conditions near the ground.
Meteomatics, which makes other products including a weather balloon alternative called the Meteoglider, aim to bridge that gap with its Meteodrones.
“Meteodrones have comparable accuracy to weather balloons,” a Meteomatics spokesperson said in an interview with The Drone Girl. “While they can’t fly quite as high, they have two major advantages: they can fly more frequently, and the data is more precise because Meteodrones fly vertical profiles over their launch location, rather than drifting away with the wind like a balloon does.”
That combination — frequent, fixed-location vertical profiles — could help forecasters better predict when thunderstorms will form, whether a winter storm will bring rain, snow or ice, how smoke and poor air quality will spread, and when dangerous low-level winds will develop. Improved confidence in these forecasts can translate into more timely warnings and fewer disruptions across aviation, highways, utilities, agriculture and emergency management.
Related read: Monsoon season is set to get worse — but drones could lessen its harmful impact
A real-world operation (not a test project)
The distinction between research and operational use is significant in not just the drone world (which has seen many one-off tests) but also the weather world.
NOAA and the National Weather Service have tested using drones to collect data in the past, but primarily to assess whether it was accurate and reliable enough for forecasting. This new partnership moves beyond testing and into routine use.
“This partnership marks the first time that weather drone data will be used operationally,” Meteomatics said. “The data will now be routinely integrated into the NWS’ day-to-day forecasting and warning operations through the National Mesonet Program.”
The integration is being carried out through collaboration with KBR, the prime contractor for the National Mesonet Program, and Synoptic Data PBC, the program’s lead subcontractor. Under the NMP, KBR sources meteorological data from non-federal observing networks — more than 35,000 platforms across all 50 states — and delivers it to NOAA and the National Weather Service for forecasting, severe weather warning and climate monitoring.
“Public-private partnerships like the National Mesonet Program are essential to expand national weather observing capabilities, especially as weather events become more severe,” said Martin Fengler, CEO of Meteomatics. “Our Meteodrones were designed for exactly this purpose, strengthening forecasts with previously inaccessible data to prepare and protect nations.”
Project headquarters? Oklahoma
The initial pilot project will run from now through the end of April 2026, with routine Meteodrone flights conducted from a remotely operated “Meteobase” in Oklahoma. Meteobases allow pilots to manage drone operations at multiple sites from a remote operations center, increasing efficiency and operational flexibility.
Oklahoma was chosen give its wide range of hazardous weather, including severe thunderstorms and winter storms. That makes it an ideal location to test whether improved lower-atmosphere measurements can meaningfully improve forecasts. It’s also home to major weather research institutions, including the University of Oklahoma, and has a long history of meteorological innovation.
“Oklahoma is a leader in weather innovation,” Meteomatics said. “That makes it the perfect testbed for putting new technologies like the Meteodrone into use for the first time.”
While details such as the number of daily flights per Meteobase are still being finalized, Meteomatics confirmed that the drones will supplement — not replace — existing weather balloon launches during the pilot.
Flights themselves are fully automated from launch to landing, but FAA regulations require that a human pilot remain in the loop and monitor each operation from start to finish.
What comes next
Whether this pilot expands nationally will depend on several factors, including data accuracy and system reliability.
“Exact metrics are still being defined,” Meteomatics said, “but in general, data accuracy and high availability will be important to ensure that the technology helps to improve weather forecasting.”
For the drone industry, the move signals a broader shift toward operational acceptance of drones as part of national infrastructure — not just experimental tools.
By embedding drone data into everyday forecasting, the National Weather Service is effectively betting that drones can help close long-standing observational gaps. If successful, the Oklahoma pilot could become a model for how drones support critical public services nationwide, quietly flying into the atmosphere so the rest of us can better understand what’s coming back down.
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