Every year, the construction industry loses billions of dollars due to delays and failures caused by weather. And the construction industry isn’t alone, with one-third of the world’s economy comprised of weather-sensitive industries. In fact, in 2017 economic damage from severe weather reached $306 billion, according to TIME Magazine. The National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration reported that weather-related variables had swung the nation’s GDP by 3.4% in 2018.

Given the outsized impact of weather on industries worldwide, ranging from operational and customer satisfaction issues to safety and legal concerns, many industries are taking a closer look at how better weather forecasts can help protect, and even grow, business.

But weather forecasting hasn’t changed much in decades. Forecasts today, even those coming from nicely designed apps and dashboards, are based on repackaged governmental data designed to address the broadest needs rather than answer specific business questions. What can a company that is planning work for the day—whether paving a road or placing cement foundations or working on a roof—do with a forecast of “a chance of rain this afternoon in Minneapolis?” This type of broad forecast doesn’t provide the actionable insights necessary to make decisions.

The reason? Most forecasts rely on traditional weather observations, which provide only a partial picture. Satellites miss weather happening at roof level, radars miss weather happening literally under the radar (ever wonder where that saying came from?) and weather stations are very accurate in a very small radius. These forecasts provide a general sense of the forecasts but simply aren’t accurate or specific enough to make smart operational decisions.

What would be helpful? A forecast that said if it was—or wasn’t—going to rain, at what time and where, exactly, in Minneapolis (or any other location, for that matter) it will rain. And it isn’t just rain that impacts construction companies. Similar any weather-sensitive industry, construction companies need to know about snow, ice and moisture that affects paint, carpeting, drywall, wood, insulation, bricks and more. In addition, thunder that can completely shut down operations—causing unnecessary shutdowns if the forecast is inaccurate. High winds, which can pose a safety risk, and temperature changes, which can have a vast impact on tools, materials and crews, are also of key importance. These kinds of hyper-accurate forecasts are needed to determine staffing levels for each project, know when to stop work for a while, when to wrap up shop for the day, and, just as importantly, to avoid unnecessary windows of caution when bad weather will not reach a specific location.

Inclement weather cannot be avoided or prevented, but when companies have forecasts they can rely on, they can plan around weather and greatly reduce the costly delays, operational difficulties, and customer frustration that are the result of relying on traditional weather forecasts.

While the weather remains the same, it is time for a better forecast. New technology uses traditional meteorological sources in addition to millions of data points from the connected world, including from wireless signals, connected cars, airplanes, drones and IoT devices. The result is hyper-accurate, specific and customizable data about weather conditions.

In a world where time is money, weather-related delays can be costly. Having accurate, minute-by-minute, street-by-street forecasts can help the construction industry outsmart the weather.