Meteoblue

Meteoblue is a Swiss meteorological service and weather-data company based in Basel. Its roots lie in meteorological research conducted at the University of Basel after the 1986 Sandoz chemical disaster near Basel. During that industrial fire, authorities needed dependable information about wind direction and the possible movement of toxic gases. Forecast information from meteorological services in Switzerland, France, and Germany was not sufficiently consistent for the immediate local situation, encouraging researchers at the university to develop more detailed regional weather modelling capabilities. The resulting work was associated with the university's Institute for Meteorology, Climatology and Remote Sensing. Weather predictions were initially made available through the university's website. Although the service did not originally have a dedicated data centre and therefore was not continuously available, it attracted users beyond the academic community, including farmers, mountaineers, paragliders, and astronomers. The service was subsequently commercialised, and Meteoblue was established as a spin-off company in 2006. Meteoblue developed a business focused particularly on customers in agriculture and renewable energy, including solar and wind-power applications. Its service combines output from numerous numerical weather-prediction models with proprietary processing and artificial-intelligence techniques. The company has described a system that uses more than 40 weather models, allowing it to compare and synthesize forecasts rather than rely on a single model. Its model portfolio has included Non-Hydrostatic Mesoscale Model and NOAA Environmental Modeling System implementations, together with other forecast sources and derived data products. A notable feature of the service has been the graphical forecast synopsis known as a meteogram. Meteoblue became known for offering this type of visual forecast for any user-selected location worldwide. It also provides high-resolution regional modelling over areas such as Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, with grid resolutions that vary by region. The service is available publicly through its website, where advertising supports part of the consumer offering, while commercial and professional users can access weather information and related services for operational planning and analysis. Meteoblue's products serve both general weather-information users and organizations that need weather data integrated into decisions or software. Relevant applications include agricultural planning, solar and wind-energy assessment, aviation and outdoor activities, environmental analysis, and other location-specific operational use cases. The company is therefore positioned between a public-facing digital weather service and a specialist provider of model-based meteorological information. In 2020, Meteoblue supplied weather conditions for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 through a partnership with Asobo Studio. The integration brought Meteoblue's forecast and atmospheric data into a mass-market flight simulation environment. In 2024, Windy, another international weather-information platform, acquired a majority stake in Meteoblue. This transaction changed the company's ownership structure while leaving Meteoblue as a distinct meteorological service brand.

Meteoblue's history is connected to a public-safety problem that emerged during the Sandoz chemical disaster near Basel in 1986. A fire at the chemical company released poisonous and noxious substances, and emergency services needed reliable information about the direction and development of winds. Because Basel lies close to the borders of Switzerland, France, and Germany, information from the three national meteorological services did not provide a sufficiently unified picture of the immediate local weather situation. Researchers at the University of Basel responded by working toward more precise local meteorological modelling. This work became associated with the university's Institute for Meteorology, Climatology and Remote Sensing. The institute made forecasts available through the university's website. At first, the service lacked a dedicated data centre, so its predictions were not continuously accessible. Nevertheless, it developed a wider following among people whose activities depended on local weather conditions, including farmers, alpinists, paragliders, and astronomers. The project thus evolved from a research and regional-information initiative into a publicly useful weather service. The service was later transferred into private operation, and Meteoblue was founded as a university spin-off in 2006. Its early commercial focus included agriculture, solar energy, and wind power. These sectors require forecasts that are more location-specific and operationally useful than a simple general-purpose daily weather report. Meteoblue built its proposition around combining several numerical weather-prediction systems and presenting the resulting information in a form that users could interpret or integrate into planning. One of the brand's distinctive developments was the graphical weather synopsis, or meteogram. Meteoblue was described as the first weather service to offer a graphical forecast for any arbitrarily selected location on Earth in this format. Its broader forecasting system draws on more than 40 weather models and uses proprietary artificial-intelligence processing to generate forecasts. Model sources have included Non-Hydrostatic Mesoscale Models developed by NOAA and the NOAA Environmental Modeling System. The company has also provided regional forecasts at relatively fine grid scales, including approximately three-kilometre modelling over a large part of Europe and approximately ten-kilometre modelling over sub-Saharan Africa. The service has operated on two related levels. Its public website offers weather forecasts and visualizations supported in part by advertising, while the company also supplies data and specialist information for commercial and professional applications. This dual model allows Meteoblue to maintain a broad consumer audience while serving sectors such as farming, renewable energy, outdoor activities, and other operations affected by weather. A significant later application came in 2020, when Asobo partnered with Meteoblue for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. Meteoblue's weather conditions helped make the simulator's environment responsive to real-world or forecast-based atmospheric conditions, bringing its data technology to a large entertainment and simulation audience. In 2024, Windy acquired a majority stake in Meteoblue. The transaction linked Meteoblue with Windy, a widely used weather-information platform, and marked the latest ownership development identified in the available reference material. Meteoblue continues to be represented as an active weather service brand rather than being described as discontinued or fully absorbed.

1. 2024Windy takes a majority stake

   Windy acquired a majority interest in Meteoblue, establishing a new controlling ownership relationship.

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2. 2020Weather partnership for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

   Asobo partnered with Meteoblue to provide weather conditions for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.

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3. 2006Meteoblue founded as a university spin-off

   The weather service transitioned into a privately run company focused especially on agricultural and solar- and wind-energy customers.

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4. 1986Sandoz disaster highlights the need for localized weather modelling

   The chemical disaster near Basel exposed the difficulty of obtaining consistent, sufficiently local wind information during an emergency and helped motivate meteorological research at the University of Basel.

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A research-rooted, multi-model weather service that combines high-resolution numerical forecasting, proprietary artificial-intelligence processing, and accessible graphical presentation for consumers and professional users.

• Graphical weather forecasts and meteogramsWeather forecasting

  Meteoblue presents forecast information through graphical synopses known as meteograms. These visualizations organize weather variables over time for a selected location, helping users interpret forecast evolution more easily than through text alone. The service became particularly associated with making this type of location-specific graphical forecast available for arbitrary places around the world.

• Multi-model weather forecastingMeteorological data

  The forecasting platform combines output from more than 40 weather models and applies proprietary artificial-intelligence processing to produce forecast information. The approach is intended to use the strengths of multiple numerical prediction systems rather than depend on one model. Referenced model families include Non-Hydrostatic Mesoscale Models and the NOAA Environmental Modeling System.

• High-resolution regional forecastsWeather forecasting

  Meteoblue provides regional weather prediction at comparatively fine spatial resolutions. Reference material describes modelling over a broad European area at approximately three-kilometre grid spacing and over sub-Saharan Africa at approximately ten-kilometre spacing. Such regional detail supports location-sensitive interpretation for users whose activities depend on local weather.

• Agriculture and renewable-energy weather dataProfessional weather services2006

  The company was established to serve customers particularly in agriculture and solar and wind power. Weather forecasts and derived meteorological information can support field planning, renewable-energy assessment, maintenance scheduling, and other operational decisions. The available reference material does not specify individual product names or pricing for these professional offerings.

• 2020Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 weather partnership

  Global · Video games and simulation

  Asobo partnered with Meteoblue to generate and deliver weather conditions for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. The collaboration placed Meteoblue's forecasting and atmospheric-data capabilities inside a globally distributed flight-simulation product.

  Outcome. Meteoblue became a named weather-data partner for the 2020 simulator, extending the brand beyond conventional forecast websites and professional meteorological users.

  Source

• 2024Windy majority investmentM&A

  Meteoblue had operated as an independent meteorological service serving public and professional users.

  What changed. Windy acquired a majority stake in Meteoblue.

  Aftermath. Meteoblue entered a majority-owned relationship with Windy while continuing to be identified as a separate weather-service brand. Transaction value and other financial terms were not provided.

  Source
• 2020Weather-data integration with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020Product launch

  The flight simulator required atmospheric and weather conditions that could support a more realistic global simulation experience.

  What changed. Through a partnership with Asobo, Meteoblue supplied weather conditions for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.

  Aftermath. The partnership exposed Meteoblue's meteorological technology to a large international audience of simulation users.

  Source
• 2006Commercialisation as a university spin-offStrategy

  The meteorological service had developed from University of Basel research and had attracted users in agriculture, outdoor activities, and other weather-sensitive fields.

  What changed. Meteoblue was established as a privately run spin-off, with an initial emphasis on agriculture and solar- and wind-energy customers.

  Aftermath. The move created a commercial weather-service brand while the university's meteorological research institute continued linking to Meteoblue forecasts.

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• 2024Windy acquired a majority stake in Meteoblue

  Windy acquired a majority interest in Meteoblue, creating an ownership link between two prominent digital weather-information services while retaining Meteoblue as a separate brand.

  M&A
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• 2020Meteoblue weather data integrated into Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

  Asobo partnered with Meteoblue to generate and deliver weather conditions for users of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, extending the company's meteorological data into a major consumer simulation platform.

  CampaignProduct launch
  Source

1. Meteoblue
2. Meteoblue official website