Google DeepMind researchers say their new AI weather model, WeatherNext, can predict hurricanes days earlier than some current forecasting systems. According to reports, the model is designed to improve both forecast timing and performance by estimating a storm’s track and intensity. NDTV reports that the approach can provide forecasters with up to an additional day of warning, which could help improve disaster preparedness. Wired adds that WeatherNext can make those predictions using lower-resolution weather data. The outlet also reports that DeepMind plans to open-source the model, which would allow other researchers to evaluate and build on it. Wired further notes that the research team does not yet have a complete explanation for how the model produces its results, indicating that the underlying methods are still being studied. Overall, the sources describe a hurricane-prediction system that targets earlier and potentially more accurate forecasts, while acknowledging that scientific understanding of the model’s inner workings is still developing.