NorthWestern Energy Enhances Wildfire Risk Monitoring with Meteomatics

MetX Platform Supports Proactive Response to Changing Weather Conditions

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, UNITED STATES, July 31, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- NorthWestern Energy, a provider of electricity and natural gas service to customers in Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska, has adopted Meteomatics’ MetX platform to strengthen its wildfire risk monitoring and response capabilities.

The company’s service area includes 626 high-risk weather zones where conditions can shift rapidly. With access to real-time weather data and forecasts, NorthWestern Energy can better monitor critical wildfire indicators—such as wind speed, humidity, temperature, and dryness—on a subhourly basis. This enables earlier action to help reduce the risk of service interruptions and infrastructure damage.

“Knowing that wind will hit 45 miles per hour is one thing,” said Matthew Sargent, Meteorologist at NorthWestern Energy. “Seeing it visualized with charts and multiple forecast models helps us make better decisions.”

The MetX platform aggregates data from over 25 global and regional sources and presents it in accessible visual formats. This supports decision-making across departments, including vegetation management and line maintenance, and informs considerations such as Public Safety Power Shutoffs.

“We needed a weather intelligence solution that could keep pace with our operational demands,” said Shane Colman, Manager of Wildfire Situational Awareness at NorthWestern Energy. “MetX equips us to make timely, informed decisions that prioritize customer safety.”

The platform also allows NorthWestern Energy to set custom alert thresholds—such as low humidity combined with high winds—and automatically notify NorthWestern’s Meteorologist and Situational Awareness Team when those conditions are met, improving response times and coordination.

“As climate variability increases, so does the importance of accurate, actionable weather data,” said Martin Fengler, CEO of Meteomatics. “This collaboration is focused on using data to help safeguard communities and infrastructure over the long term.”

Read more about Northwestern Energy and Meteomatics’ work together here.

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About Meteomatics

Meteomatics is a weather intelligence and technology company that enables precision forecasts of the weather’s impact on businesses anywhere in the world at any time. More than 600 companies, including CVS Health, Swiss Re, McCain, NASA, Honda, Airbus, Stellantis, and UK Power Networks, rely on Meteomatics for weather data that can significantly impact everything from energy savings and logistics to process automation, risk management, and product design. The company’s robust approach to weather data collection, modeling, visualization, and delivery rivals even the most sophisticated government and commercial services. Its autonomous Meteodrone, paired with high-resolution weather models, including the US1k and EURO1k, enables granular visibility (down to a single square km) into weather phenomena that traditional weather sensing technology does not regularly or accurately observe. Meteomatics is headquartered in Switzerland, with local operations in the U.S., the UK, Germany, Norway, and Spain.

Kieran Powell
Meteomatics
kieran.powell@channelvmedia.com

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