"Super" Computer indeed!
ROFL!
IMHO, the BoM has had a steadily decreasing ability to accurately predict weather over the past 10 years.
At around 8:30pm Friday night the TAF for YMML was CAVOK. Around 10 hours later there was thick fog at Melbourne. Last night 9:30pm CAVOK. 6:00am this morning there was a PROB30 for Mist and broken at 0500'.
If the BoM cannot accurately predict weather 12 hours in advance at Australia's second busiest airport then there is a problem! This isn't new, or even that uncommon anymore.
Sadly, some of the comments from the ABC article reveal how out of touch the BoM is with reality
...and the bureau continues to provide reliable, ongoing access to high quality weather, climate, water and oceans information to its stakeholders
Debatable!
In March the Bureau's chief executive Dr Robert Vertessy told Radio National that his agency had evolved "from what was once just a straight weather service to what I would call now a more broad-based environmental intelligence agency".
I would suggest that the good Doctor revise his meds. This is pure fantasy.
It provides weather and climate forecasting, tsunami warnings, tide predictions, water resources and even space weather.
Space Weather?
But the best quote of all:
In the words of one source: "It could take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to fix."
Hundreds of millions? Really? I worked on some massive IT projects in my day. Hundreds of millions?? That means a complete replacement of the current system with more than one replacement system. At least that's what it would mean in the corporate world. In the BoM, it probably just means an upgrade and a reshuffle.
DIVOSH!