Oregon is known for some very interesting weather transitions. One day we are close to a record low, the next could be a record high! I have a meteorologist friend who anchors for a radio station, and whenever I ask about this part of the country’s forecast it sounds like it is pretty much anyone’s guess with the complex system of mountains, rivers, and valleys.

So how do you predict the weather? The people of Brussels, Belgium, have a new answer to the age old question. According to designboom, Belgian design studio lab[au] transformed Dexia tower into a light-based weather forecasting installation. The project uses the large tower as a public canvas to visualize the next day’s weather forecast, using real time data to project the temperature, cloudiness, precipitation and wind using colors and different geometrical patterns. each of the building’s 6,000 windows have been outfitted with around 12 LED lights each. The lights reflect off the closed blinds at night, illuminating the whole window. the temperature is displayed based on the monthly average with a different color for each increase or decrease.

Could you imagine this being set up in Portland? Although, you do have to crack the code as to what the colors and patterns represent…