An experimental version of the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting model (HWRF) is used to conduct the most comprehensive assessment to date of the impact of dropsonde data obtained at different distances from the center of a tropical cyclone (TC) on forecasts. The main finding is that dropsonde data within 250 km of the TC […]
Improved understanding of small-scale processes near the surface is important for advancement of TC intensity prediction. Observational data collected by multilevel towers are analyzed to study the turbulent mixing process and structure in the atmospheric surface layer of two landfalling TCs. Newly derived coefficients may lead to improved forecasts when used in numerical models. Read […]
NOAA recently conducted a series of flights into African Easterly Waves to try to understand why some develop into tropical cyclones and some do not. A quick look at some of the data obtained and some logistical issues is available at https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/ftp/hrd/blog/meetings/2023/6_7Aug_AEWs_Debrief.pptx For more information, contact aoml.communications@noaa.gov.
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Hurricane Alicia’s landfall near Galveston, the National Weather Service Office in Houston/Galveston has created a story map. Details in the story map include the work that NOAA/AOML/HRD did with the hurricane, including multiple flights with Hurricane Hunter aircraft, gathering the first-ever airborne Doppler radar data in a major hurricane, […]
AOML/HRD has concluded research missions in the central North Atlantic. The goal of these flights was to sample the interactions between two tropical waves and the Saharan Air Layer, to gain a better understanding of tropical cyclogenesis processes as part of NOAA APHEX Genesis objectives, and to use model ensembles to target areas of forecast […]
An overview of the saildrone mission into Hurricane Sam in September 2021 is presented. The paper describes how saildrones were coordinated with other observing platforms, presents preliminary scientific results to demonstrate their use, and offers a vision of future hurricane observations using multiple uncrewed observing systems. More information on saildrones in hurricanes can be found […]
