A BUREAU of Meteorology (BOM) investment into upgrading its computer systems will help operations during times of high demand such as severe weather events and bolster its forecasting capacity.
The BOM's investment into high performance computing (HPC), designed to provide greater resilience to digital and data services, saw it award a three-year tendered contract to information technology giant Hewlett Packard for $49.3 million.
As part of the investment there will be better functionality when BOM shares data with other government agencies and critically create additional research capacity, which may create more accurate weather modelling.
Another big boost will be in the additional operational support during peak periods of dangerous weather.
It marks an evolution in the computing capabilities at BOM which began when the agency invested in a supercomputer system in 2016.
It is believed the new system will substantially improve BOM's computing capabilities.
The forecaster is expected to be busy over coming months, flagging the strong likelihood of above average rainfall, especially on the east coast, over coming months due to climate drivers in both the Pacific and Indian Oceans.