I tried to look this up but found conflicting answers. What I want to know is, how does MSFS2020 actually generate clouds, precipitation, and fronts? Does it simply look up METARs and guestimate weather in between? Does it use actual radar and satellite data to inject real-time precip and cloud boundaries?

How does the live weather actually work? Thanks!

This should answer most of your questions I think. 

Just now, b757 said:

This should answer most of your questions I think. 

 

hi! thanks for your response. 

hmm, well this video is from 2 years ago. From what I've read there have been major changes and overhauls so the systems, right? Is this information outdated?

I think this is fairly still on point, though most of the time, the current sim does not feel like what is portrayed in the sim from that video. Graphics have had a pretty significant downgrade in my opinion as well as 'live weather'. Even though I know the team deems live weather as real weather, I see live weather more as it is living and not stagnant. There are aspects of live weather that is actually correct, but it seems more times than not, it is not completely accurate. There are some expected big changes by the end of the year into 2022, but as of right now, they are still using MeteoBlue for injecting weather data.

Edited September 13, 20214 yr by b757

1 minute ago, b757 said:

I think this is fairly still on point, though most of the time, the current sim does not feel like what is portrayed in the sim from that video. Graphics have had a pretty significant downgrade in my opinion as well as 'live weather'. Even though I know the team deems live weather as real weather, I see live weather more as it is living and not stagnant. There are aspects of live weather that is actually correct, but it seems more times than not, it is not completely accurate. There are some expected big changes by the end of the year into 2022, but as of right now, they are still using MeteoBlue for injecting weather data.

thanks yeah thats basically what i've experienced myself. 

but sometimes in the sim i'll see a great long line of thick clouds on half the sky and totally clear the other half, very amazing looking, and i'm wondering if that long front is generated based on actual satellite cloud imagry, or if it's just an "interpretation" on some obscure metar data. like do the cloud boundaries and rain cells reflect actual real world data or is it all just sort of randomized by the sim.

does the video explain that? lol

The video should talk about it. They interview MeteoBlue and how they basically divide the world up into blocks and that is how they build clouds and atmosphere off it. Its a good video to watch, though I wish we still had the same quality and visuals they talk about in the sim...

Video above summorizes weather engine. Weather currently is work in progress with gradual improvements via several future patches

1 hour ago, dresoccer4 said:

I tried to look this up but found conflicting answers. What I want to know is, how does MSFS2020 actually generate clouds, precipitation, and fronts? Does it simply look up METARs and guestimate weather in between? Does it use actual radar and satellite data to inject real-time precip and cloud boundaries?

How does the live weather actually work? Thanks!

Unfortunate to say, but weather is one feature of this software title that has been delayed, if you catch my drift.....  and if you read my message footer.  Currently the stated future has repeatedly been stated as "not planned" and in the most recent Development Update is not even mentioned!  In weather terms it appears to be WOXOF (look it up).

https://www.avsim.com/forums/topic/606770-september-9th-2021-development-update/

Edited September 13, 20214 yr by fppilot

The main issue I have with live weather is it does not update very often so you tend to get stuck with yesterdays weather 😄  Well that and also it tends to be a bit windy compared to the real world.

Though sometimes it is correct. I was getting frustrated with not being able to fly my Neofly NZ career as it was stupidly windy all the time in live weather,  so I checked the real world weather and there were these high wind alerts for Auckland and stories about trucks toppling over in the wind gusts.

 

Edited September 13, 20214 yr by Glenn Fitzpatrick

ASOBO / MS has the privilege of having Meteoblue data ( GRIB ) from one of their reference weather models, plus METAR, feeding their simulator.

They have been trying to do their best to incorporate this precious data source into the simulator weather, but they're having problems. With time they might get solved, and they apparently even tried to benefit from stuff like non-ISA pressure gradients / geopotential data to correctly portray what "happens" to pressure in cold vs hot days...

Having the feed of Meteoblue could actually give them lot's model data including frontal and other mesoscale systems, but integrating all of that into the sim while being already nice by the looks, is still bugged in the feels / effects / matching times...