Data from a US Earth-observing satellite could help improve the accuracy of predictions of hurricane track and strength.
When generating hurricane forecasts, the US National Weather Service does not use real-time information from weather satellites. But Xiaolei Zou at Florida State University in Tallahassee and her colleagues looked at the effect of including data from the Suomi NPP satellite, launched in 2011, on hurricane forecasts. The satellite's microwave instrument measures air temperature and humidity.
Incorporating Suomi data into the government's hurricane model for four 2012 storms, including Sandy (pictured), made for more accurate forecasts of track and intensity. The work suggests a way to improve the notoriously difficult predictions of storm strength.
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Satellite improves storm forecasts. Nature 504, 191 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/504191b
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/504191b
