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 Laura’s center. This flight took off from Lakeland, FL, at 5PM EDT on August 26. The mission has multiple goals: to collect information about the peak winds and minimum central pressure, send measurements for numerical weather model initialization, and collect observations to complement data from research crews staged on the ground in Louisiana.
Throughout Hurricane Laura’s impressive display of rapid intensification (RI), hurricane scientists and forecasters observed the complex configuration of precipitation that is theorized to precede RI. Tail Doppler Radar analyses showed strong winds racing towards its center, allowing the system to enhance strengthening of its circulation.
Hurricane Laura remains a major hurricane over extremely warm ocean waters and a favorable atmospheric environment. Of the many hazards Laura brings at landfall, NHC describes the storm surge as “unsurvivable.”
>> Scientists K. Ryan / L. Bucci
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DISCLAIMER: The above discussion is intended to provide a brief summary of recent and future HRD Hurricane Field Program Operations. Any use of this material beyond its original intent is prohibited without permission of the HRD Director, Frank Marks (Frank.Marks@noaa.gov). Media inquiries should be directed to AOML Communications (aoml.communications@noaa.gov), Monica Allen (301-734-1123) or Monica.Allen@noaa.gov.