Utility Basics: Weather Data in Utility Operations

Weather has always been a disruption for utilities, and finding the best solutions for managing it factor into everything from annual planning and budgets, to day-to-day operations, and resource allocation. Today, with extreme weather events, tighter regulatory scrutiny, and higher customer expectations, utilities are looking for advanced tools and data to improve their operations. Some utilities are investing over 35% of their distribution funds to address weather-related issues, and it’s critical that they spend these funds wisely.

Weather intelligence isn’t just about better forecasting and models, or traditional seasonal planning. Today’s solutions need to go beyond forecasting and models to include real-time data for localized insights and monitoring rapidly changing conditions. From fire weather to resilience planning, real-time observation data and other weather information are increasingly serving as a foundation for safe, reliable, and efficient utility operations.

Utilizing Real-Time Weather Data

There are hundreds of networks across the U.S. monitoring surface weather. Utilities often have their own network of stations, deployed to monitor conditions such as high winds and lightning in critical areas around infrastructure or regions of high risk. While these networks are essential to a utility’s program, their operations teams are also looking at additional data sources to fill geographic gaps and get a more complete assessment of conditions. Data sources include federal networks such as the fire weather-focused RAWS (Remote Automatic Weather Stations) network and FAA and NWS-managed AWOS and ASOS stations, state networks such as those managed by Departments of Transportation, research and university networks, and even private providers.

Accessing data from a variety of networks requires substantial investment of time and energy to identify available assets and develop/manage the data feeds. The sources have different access methods and data formats, which are prone to change, and the data may have undergone varying levels of quality control. Data platforms offer an alternative and bring many of these networks together in one place, with services for data access in a uniform data format and consistent quality control checks. Because access to diverse datasets provides crucial verification and fills observational gaps, particularly during severe weather events, utilities are investing in weather data solutions for better situational awareness and integration into their operations. 

No single network covers every location. That’s why aggregation platforms are becoming critical—they curate, quality-control, and standardize diverse inputs into a single access point. Instead of managing dozens of individual feeds, utilities can pull from thousands of vetted observation points and environmental variables in one place, then apply that information directly into operational systems.

Beyond operational efficiency, aggregation creates value for both users and data providers. Utilities that share their own station data into an aggregation service expand the reach of their observations, making them available not only for their own operations, but also for other entities like the National Weather Service, emergency managers, and researchers who depend on situational awareness during critical events. In this way, becoming a data provider turns a private network into a public asset with broader impact.

For entities that don’t operate their own networks, aggregation platforms also offer access to real-time data for hyperlocal monitoring, as well as an ever-growing archive of observations, making it easier to incorporate verified, historical datasets into planning, modeling, and risk assessments. In short, aggregation increases the “utility” of each individual observation while simultaneously strengthening the overall network.

How Are Utilities Using Observations?

Real-time weather data usage varies across utilities — while some have been using it for years, others are just beginning to add it to their operations. Here are a few ways that utilities are using real-time information: 

Fire Weather and Risk Assessment

In regions prone to wildfire, utilities rely on real-time wind and humidity data to guide public safety power shutoff (PSPS) decisions and crew deployment. In addition to monitoring current conditions, analysis tools are also becoming more common. By comparing live observations against historical baselines, such as the 95th or 99th percentile of past wind gusts, utilities can quickly determine whether conditions are extreme enough to warrant action. This kind of context transforms raw numbers into meaningful operational thresholds, improving defensibility when explaining decisions to regulators and the public.

Utility Meteorologists and Daily Operations

Many utilities now employ in-house meteorologists who integrate multiple data sources, such as forecasts, models, and real-time observations, into daily decision-making. These experts aren’t just tracking storms; they are monitoring potential impacts, identifying areas where high winds, heavy rain, or heat will impact infrastructure, and feeding localized data into forecasting models. Weather data is becoming part of the daily routine for utility operations, guiding everything from crew safety to demand management.

Weather Data as a Decision-Making Tool

The true value of weather information emerges when it’s integrated into existing utility operations. Weather data becomes exponentially more powerful when paired with:

• Outage Management Systems (OMS) for real-time response.
  
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to visualize risks spatially.
  
• Predictive Maintenance Tools that anticipate failures under weather stress.
  
• Emergency Planning Dashboards that guide decisions under pressure.

Using forecasts, models, real-time weather data, and analysis tools doesn’t always mean that a utility will be able to prevent an outage or storm damage. However, when this information is combined with operational expertise, it empowers utilities to take proactive steps that reduce risk and cost.

Consider the difference between reacting to a downed line after a storm, versus staging crews ahead of time based on observed wind speeds. Or implementing targeted vegetation management informed by soil moisture and precipitation data, rather than relying on static cycles.

In each scenario, the weather insights and localized, real-time observations help utilities move from reactive response to proactive risk management. The payoff in this scenario is faster restoration, safer crews, and greater transparency with regulators and customers.

From Disruption to Operational Advantage

For utilities, weather has always been a disruptive force. What’s changing is how data allows that disruption to be managed. By combining forecasts, model outputs, real-time observations, and historical context, utilities have a more diverse set of tools to enhance decision-making.

The aggregation of data also makes each of these tools stronger—expanding the reach of individual networks, pulling together diverse data streams into a unified resource, and ensuring that both providers and end-users maximize the value of every observation.

Weather data is becoming a foundational input that strengthens operations across planning, maintenance, and emergency response. As the industry continues to face weather extremes, aging infrastructure, and rising expectations, utilities that integrate weather intelligence into their workflows will be better positioned to respond with agility and confidence.

In the end, every line, pole, and transformer operates in a real-world environment. The more accurately that environment is measured and understood, the more effectively utilities can operate—turning weather data into a critical operational advantage.