ForecastWatch – Best Places Report – United States

For Weather Professionals and United States Industry Stakeholders, identifying reliable operational benchmarks for short-term predictability is critical for risk management and strategic planning. The ForecastWatch: Best Places to Live or Work in the United States report provides a definitive analysis of weather forecast accuracy and persistence across 793 U.S. locations, offering a data-backed ranking of where weather conditions are most—and least—predictable.

• Ranks 793 U.S. locations by their short-term predictability using a rigorous combination of professional forecast accuracy and persistence metrics for high temperature, low temperature, and precipitation.

• Measures the “Value of the Meteorologist” by quantifying the variance between skillful meteorological forecasts and simple persistence models, identifying regions where professional expertise is most impactful.

• Isolates key geographic performance drivers, detailing how proximity to moderating bodies of water, tropical air masses, and continental boundaries directly affects the reliability of daily weather predictions.