Google DeepMind Ships WeatherNext 3: Hourly 5km Global Forecasts, 60% Better Rain Accuracy

Google DeepMind and Google Research launched WeatherNext 3 on Sept 3, an AI weather model producing hourly forecasts at up to 5km resolution — five times sharper than WeatherNext 2's 25km/6-hour grid. The team says the model has 2.4x more parameters, ingests raw satellite data hourly to skip the standard six-hour NWP lag, and delivers up to 60% more accurate rain predictions a day out. Google is folding it into Search, Maps, Gemini and Earth Engine, and exposing forecasts for wind, cloud cover and solar radiation to help grid operators plan renewable output.