PAUL DEANNO >> We're certainly going to talk about the heat. But something interesting happened in the Bay Area that has to do with the weather today.

Imagine being able to accurately predict extreme weather months in advance.

Today in San Francisco Bay, we caught a glimpse of that future--A boat pulling two high-tech "saildrones" out to the Pacific.

Only on 5, we got an exclusive look at their launch and the big idea behind it.

On the Alameda waterfront, a remarkable journey is about to set sail.

SEBASTIEN DE HALLEUX >> Today is a very important day for us and for oceanographic science in general.

DR. CHRISTOPHER SABINE >> Yeah, we're very excited.

PAUL DEANNO >> A fleet of two sailboats is ready to go. Their mission--a six-month, 8,000 nautical mile round-trip journey to the equator--the birthplace of the weather phenomenon known as El Nino.

DR. CHRISTOPHER SABINE >> Those start in the tropical Pacific but it's a very remote location, it's difficult to monitor.

PAUL DEANNO >> The ultimate goal: To help scientists better understand not only El Nino, but the world's changing climate.

Onboard, not a single human being. These boats are saildrones. Each one equipped with an amazing array of sensors, including...

SEBASTIEN DE HALLEUX >> Wind measurement, you have temperature, humidity, skin surface temperature. You've got wave height and period. You've got CO2 exchange between the air and the water.

PAUL DEANNO >> Today's launch is a collaboration between NOAA and Saildrone, a 26-person startup based in Alameda.

For NOAA, teaming up makes sense. 

DR. CHRISTOPHER SABINE >> Moving to a platform like this is a whole paradigm change of the opportunities and things that we can do that we hadn't really envisioned before.

PAUL DEANNO >> These drones are guided by GPS and controlled by remote rudder. They send back data in real-time, use wind and solar power, and are built to last.

SEBASTIEN DE HALLEUX >> They're designed to survive storms, to survive icy conditions, to survive, you know, long periods at sea which has never been done before.

PAUL DEANNO >> Last year, NOAA and Saildrone deployed several drones into the Arctic Ocean and the Bering Sea. A camera onboard caught a young seal hitchhiking a ride. It goes to show the most exciting drones may not be in the sky, but in the ocean.

You think about it, we've had a lot of extreme weather over the past 12 months, even here in the Bay Area--Not a tropical system, hottest day ever in San Francisco, and a very wet winter last winter.

It's good to know we'll be able to predict those things, hopefully more accurately, longer term.