Climate change is increasingly locking weather patterns into extremes — prolonged periods of blistering heat, say, or ever-more-intense hurricanes. Yet because the changes appear slowly to us, our brains trick us into not noticing these extreme changes until it’s too late. SN’s Sujata Gupta brings the reality check.

😰 Lived experience > data points

This is what happens when a physical phenomenon collides with a psychological barrier. Humans do not perceive the world through data points, but through the lens of lived experience. Because shifts in climate patterns happen over decades rather than days, the incremental changes become the new background noise of our lives. We adapt to slightly weirder weather every year, which desensitizes us to the fact that the planetary thermostat is fundamentally broken.

🌡️ The forecast for forecasters

Weather disasters triggered by climate change have become exponentially more expensive than episodes in the past. When a heatwave or a polar vortex gets stuck over a region for weeks rather than days, it doesn’t just ruin a weekend, it jams power grids, reduces crop yields and triggers insurance payouts that can destabilize industries. That’s why accurate forecasting is more important than ever, and businesses across all economic sectors are investing in new solutions.

⛄️ Weather winners

While the weather is becoming more stubborn, the technology to track it is becoming more agile. These data-driven firms are turning atmospheric chaos into actionable intelligence:

• Tomorrow.io (formerly ClimaCell) offers a comprehensive weather intelligence platform that uses proprietary data sources, radar satellites and an AI algorithm that finds patterns in atmospheric data and weather observations to provide hyperlocal, minute-by-minute forecasts and actionable insights for businesses across various sectors. The Boston-based company has raised over $430 million, most recently through an $175 million Series F round in February 2026.
  
• Planet Labs (NYSE: PL): While primarily a satellite imaging company, Planet’s near-daily photographs covering all the Earth’s landmass are the backbone for several climate-predictive models used by governments and NGOs. Since going public in 2021, Planet has maintained a market cap in the $12 billion range, bolstered by a massive multiyear contract with the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.
  
• Skyfora is a Helsinki, Finland–based startup focused on AI-powered weather technology. They aim to “supercharge” the data training AI weather forecasting models by transforming existing cell phone towers into weather sensors. They’ve raised over $7 million dollars to date, including over $4 million in 2025. They also received previous funding from the European Space Agency, European Innovation Council Accelerator and Business Finland.

The most liquid assets will be the ones that can see the freeze coming.

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