Summary: NOAA’s operational Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting Model (HWRF) has become an important tool for both hurricane forecasters and researchers. HWRF has three domains around only one tropical cyclone; each domain has grids closer together than the one outside it (what we call high resolution) to allow the model to see small features that […]
NOAA’s P-3 aircraft returned to Lakeland, FL, at 1 AM EDT on August 27th from its final mission to close out the National Hurricane Center and Environmental Modeling Center tasked reconnaissance into major Hurricane Laura. AOML hurricane scientists coordinated with ground crews stationed in the path of Laura’s trajectory to obtain valuable measurements that captured the structural […]
Our very own Jason Dunion was recently featured on the Netflix show Connected: The Hidden Science of Everything. He took journalist Latif Nasser aboard a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft to look at how the Saharan Air Layer influences hurricane development.The Saharan Air Layer is a mass of very dry, dusty air that forms over the Sahara […]
AOML hurricane scientists supporting NOAA reconnaissance into Hurricane Laura recognized the onset of rapid intensification when thunderstorms (often referred to as convection) began working its way around the entirety of the storm center. Now Laura is a major (Category-4) hurricane. The National Hurricane Center and Environmental Modeling Center tasked NOAA’s P-3 Hurricane Hunters for a final flight into […]
NOAA’s P-3 reconnaissance continued through this past weekend for operations into then Tropical Storm Laura. Flights were tasked by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the Environmental Modeling Center (EMC). Both P-3 aircrafts, named Kermit and Miss Piggy, conducted missions into the system. AOML scientists support each flight by processing data to ensure the highest […]
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) upgraded Tropical Depression 13 to Tropical Storm Laura after yesterday morning’s reconnaissance mission confirmed gale-force surface winds within Laura’s vortex. AOML scientists provided remote support for onboard Tail Doppler Radar and dropsonde data processing and will continue to do so for upcoming missions into the system. NHC and the Environmental Modeling […]
With peak Atlantic hurricane season fast approaching, AOML scientists began supporting NOAA Hurricane Hunter missions into Tropical Depression 13. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) and Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) have tasked NOAA’s two P-3 aircraft to investigate the atmospheric conditions associated with the tropical depression. The instrumentation onboard will provide measurements capturing the characteristics of its […]
A big focus of AOML’s is improving hurricane models, so that the public can get more accurate hurricane forecasts. Better forecasts can save lives and reduce property damage, so this work is key to NOAA AOML’s mission. Check out what is happening in the model group by clicking on the image above, or going to […]
After a busy start to the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, AOML scientists prepare for upcoming tropical cyclone activity that may pose a threat to the U.S. and its territories. Close collaboration among AOML hurricane scientists, the National Hurricane Center (NHC), and the Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) allows for a comprehensive consideration of potential tropical cyclone targets for NOAA aircraft […]
The destructive potential of a hurricane is governed by its interaction with the environment and physical processes internal to the storm. Researchers at AOML use a variety of tools to better understand how phenomena from the larger environmental scale down to the cloud and turbulent scale interact (multi-scale interactions) to produce such changes. We also […]
