Imagine that before you exited an airplane in brutal heat and immediately regret wearing that sweatshirt, you could test out the weather in your destination without having to leave the airport.
At Stockholm's Arlanda Airport in Sweden, that is a real option. Pull back a curtain, put two feet in and press a button in the airport's "Climate Portal," and you suddenly can feel like you're anywhere from the Arctic to Las Vegas. You have to options to "go hot," "go cold," or even "go big" and visit a city. The booth uses a temperature-control system, wind machines and audiovisual cues to simulate different climates by using live weather data from places around the world.
TODAY meteorologist Dylan Dreyer put it to the test in person, starting with Greenland wind and frigid temperatures, switching to Las Vegas-style heat, and then "going big" to a city, complete with ambulance sirens.
About 60,000 people have tried out the Climate Portal since it was installed in June, and it serves as more than just a simulator. Airport officials are hoping it spurs travelers to want to book a future flight to an exotic destination or stop in at one of the duty-free shops nearby to grab that extra sweatshirt or T-shirt.