NorthWestern Energy Partners With Meteomatics To Strengthen Wildfire Monitoring

Wildfires are no longer a seasonal worry — they’re a persistent, growing threat across the American West. For utilities like NorthWestern Energy, protecting infrastructure, ecosystems, and lives requires not just vigilance but evolution. With a proactive approach to wildfire mitigation at the core of its operational strategy, NorthWestern Energy has partnered with Meteomatics, a leader in high-resolution weather intelligence, to fundamentally enhance how it monitors and responds to wildfire risk. This collaboration supports NorthWestern’s mission to safeguard communities and critical infrastructure through smarter, faster, and more informed decision-making.

The need was clear: when seconds matter, insight must be instant. With increasingly erratic weather patterns and sprawling service areas, traditional approaches to wildfire monitoring — manual reviews, siloed tools, and generic forecasts — can no longer keep up. NorthWestern Energy needed more than a weather vendor. It needed a partner in decision speed.

“Our wildfire program is relatively new, but it’s growing fast — and this partnership improves our wildfire and weather situational awareness program tremendously. ” said Shane Colman, who leads NorthWestern’s wildfire mitigation program. “We were looking for a weather intelligence partner that could match our vision and commitment and we’ve found that here.”

Seeing the Terrain Differently: Precision That Moves With the Weather

NorthWestern’s service territory spans 626 high-risk weather zones, with microclimates that shift hourly and by the mile. A gust of wind in a canyon, a dry pocket in the hills — these aren’t just data points; they’re potential ignition zones. And yet, too often, traditional forecasts fail to capture these local dynamics with the clarity needed to act decisively.

Enter MetX, Meteomatics’ weather visualization platform powered by its Weather API. Drawing from over 25 global and regional data sources, it delivers sub-hourly updates at 90-meter resolution, blending observational and modeled data into one coherent stream. The result is hyperlocal forecasting with operational relevance.

“It’s one thing to say winds will blow 45 miles per hour at a specific spot. It’s another to show it on a map, with charts, and layer in multiple models. From a visual standpoint, MetX blew me out of the water. I’ve never seen a product like it before.” said meteorologist Matthew Sargent.

Instead of juggling fragmented forecasts, NorthWestern now accesses a unified interface where wildfire-relevant data — wind, humidity, temperature anomalies, fuel dryness — can be visualized, filtered, and animated in real time.

“This is about amplifying our internal expertise with the right external tools. We’re not trying to replace judgment. We’re trying to elevate it,” Sargent added.

Communicating Risk Across the Organization

A major challenge in wildfire operations is translating complex weather data for non-specialists. MetX helps bridge that gap with intuitive dashboards that make meteorological insights accessible to everyone — from field crews to senior leadership.

“The challenge for me is: how do I present weather information to executives without giving them a dense weather breakdown?” Colman explained. “I needed something visual and high-level—and MetX delivers. The climatology and visuals are incredibly powerful.”

From Public Safety Power Shutoff decisions to strategic mitigation, MetX provides leadership with the situational awareness to act confidently and quickly.

“It’s been really cool to embark on this journey,” Colman added. “MetX is becoming a critical tool as we move toward truly data-informed weather decisions.”

From Awareness to Action: Automating the Edge of Risk

Awareness is only half the battle. NorthWestern also needed actionability — a system that could scan its entire service area and flag risk conditions instantly.

That’s where Meteomatics’ Alerting solution plays a key role. NorthWestern defines its own thresholds — like low humidity and high wind — and the system automatically routes alerts to NorthWestern’s Meteorologist and Situational Awareness Team. This turns situational awareness into a forward-looking advantage.

“It’s not just about seeing risk on a map — it’s about acting faster,” Colman said. “We’re not a huge team, so anything that helps us make decisions quickly is a huge win.”

In an industry where compliance timelines, vegetation inspections, and public safety power shutoffs often hinge on environmental thresholds, the ability to proactively trigger workflows — not just react to incidents — is transformational.

Starting With Safety, Scaling With Confidence

This partnership is about more than deploying tools — it’s about building long-term capability. Meteomatics is helping NorthWestern operationalize its protocols through systems configured to align with real-world wildfire procedures.

“We want faster reaction times and more confidence in how we handle elevated wildfire risk,” said Colman. “This is just the beginning.”

For NorthWestern, the impact is tangible: earlier field notifications, smarter prioritization, and more lead time to protect communities. For Meteomatics, it’s a chance to co-develop solutions in the field and model what modern utility safety looks like.

This dynamic became clear when NorthWestern requested a new capability based on operational needs. The Meteomatics team built it within weeks.

“We now have a product that matches what top teams in the industry are using”, Colman said. “And that’s because Meteomatics listened — and built it with us.”

A Partnership Built on Purpose

At its heart, this collaboration is about protecting people and places. It’s not about dashboards or data density. It’s about delivering clarity and confidence where it matters most.

In just a few months, MetX has become an integral part of how NorthWestern prepares for and responds to wildfire risk. With a strong partnership in place and a shared focus on continuous improvement, both teams are aligned for the season ahead — and for a future where proactive, data-driven decision-making is the new standard.