As Hurricane Helene developed in the Gulf of Mexico, NOAA researchers gathered critical data from the sea and sky to better understand tropical cyclones and support the National Hurricane Center forecasters. This real time data gives meteorologists a clearer picture of the storm environment and structure, reducing forecast uncertainty. Researchers from NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic & […]
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NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) is excited to announce the selection of Dr. Ghassan “Gus” Alaka as the new Director of the Hurricane Research Division (HRD). As a vital member of the AOML team since 2014, Alaka brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role. Alaka’s journey with AOML began when […]
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One of the largest challenges in hurricane research is studying the inner dynamics of a storm. The regions within the hurricane that provide the most valuable data are often the most inaccessible and dangerous to reach, creating an opportunity for researchers to utilize emerging technology to enter the storm. Small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS), commonly […]
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A 12-year collaboration between NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has culminated in a renewal of an Implementing Arrangement (IA) on Technical Cooperation in Development of Tropical Cyclone Numerical Weather Prediction System for the Indian Seas, which paves the way for advances in severe weather modeling. […]
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In early July, the Caribbean experienced 165 mph winds as Category 5 Hurricane Beryl swept through the region. Beryl was unprecedented, becoming the Atlantic’s earliest forming Category 5 tropical cyclone on record. The storm developed and rapidly intensified to maximum wind speed in less than four days – a behavior uncommon this early in the season. Despite the unprecedented intensification, hurricane scientists with NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory were prepared.
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Tropical Cyclone Freddy breaks records as the longest-lasting cyclone on record. Spanning 36 days, it traveled from the Australia to Africa, nearly 33% of the Earth’s circumference.
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With an active hurricane season on the horizon, the need for reliable hurricane forecasting is at the forefront of our minds. Heightened sea surface temperatures, weakened vertical wind shear, and an enhanced West African monsoon are expected to contribute to the development of tropical cyclones in the Atlantic. To predict these developing storms, meteorologists employ models that rely on current observations and mathematical calculations to predict a storm’s behavior and track. These models are complex and utilize inputs from a variety of sources including historic, numeric, oceanic, and atmospheric data to generate their predictions.
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Improvements in the operational Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting Model paved the way for tropical cyclone prediction and modeling by lowering intensity forecast errors by 45-50%.
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Hurricane Field Program 2023 Season Scroll Down For More! The 2023 Hurricane Field Program supports NOAA’s Advancing the Prediction of Hurricanes Experiment (APHEX). This page is organized by projects that support research into the lifecycle stages of storms, from genesis to end stage, as well as ocean observations and satellite validation. About APHEX: Developed in [...]
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November 30th marked the official end to the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season. Scientists and forecasters from across NOAA worked tirelessly throughout the season to conduct critical tropical cyclone research. This year, NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) coordinated the longest series of missions into a single tropical system, arranged multiple observing assets for simultaneous data collection, deployed new sUAS technology, and included a novel “moving nest” to our next-generation hurricane model.
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