Katestone Environmental has developed a site specific weather forecasting system that can be tailored to the particular needs of a client or industry. The system is standalone software architecture capable of forecasting key atmospheric variables and conditions on an hourly basis. The system is initialised from the same Global forecast models used to predict daily weather patterns and extreme events such as cyclones. Katestone Environmental has the unique capability of utilising these Global models to run high resolution nested weather and pollution forecasts for specific locations and delivering the analysis of key information for specific circumstances such as:

• Emission dispersion and prediction of ground level concentrations outside site boundaries or at key sensitive receptors
• Weather alerts for specific meteorological criteria (e.g. strong winds for dust management from stockpiles)
• Disaster planning
• Hazard management
• Heat stress forecasting

“Katestone Environmental can provide high resolution site specific forecasts out to 2-4 days and lower resolution predictions out to 14 days.”

The meteorological component of the system is the next generation of three-dimensional mesoscale prognostic models utilised by national meteorological services, military, governments and universities worldwide.

Katestone Environmental can couple these advanced numerical weather prediction (NWP) models to a variety of air dispersion models (particularly CALPUFF) that have been validated and configured for a specific source configuration and emission characteristics.

Katestone Environmental can provide high resolution site specific forecasts of meteorological conditions out to 2-4 days and lower resolution predictions out to 14 days.

The forecasting system can provide a site specific forecast that accounts for terrain and land-use at a 1 kilometre grid resolution or finer if required. Hourly forecasts of the following parameters can be made:

• Wind speed
• Wind direction
• Temperature
• Rainfall
• Evaporation
• Humidity
• Emissions – based NPI reporting methodologies
• Dust - if coupled with a dispersion model

Site specific dust generation index could be developed from monitoring data, modelling results, emissions and site experience of conditions that lead to complaints

Other parameters are also available if required.

The forecasts can be delivered on a secure website.