"Right now we've been getting a few thunderstorms, but they're very severe supercell thunderstorms, " said Michael Scotten, a meteorologist with the National Weather Services.

NPR: Tornadoes Touch Down In Oklahoma And Arkansas

The state-funded Met Office, which bills itself as "one of the top two national weather services in the world, " is in overdrive, sending extra weather balloons into the atmosphere to try to get a read on what's to come and providing daily updates to government officials and other Olympics honchos.

WSJ: As Games Open, Britons Excel at National Sport: Talking About Rain

Over the past five years, global companies, such as Japan's Weathernews, or national forecasters, such as the Netherlands's Meteo Consult, have captured 20% of the market from government weather services.

ECONOMIST: Weather