Surviving the Storm: Technology

Constantly circling the Earth,  weather satellites scan the planet searching for potential hazards.

They measure temperature, atmospheric moisture, cloud formations, and many other terrestrial and atmospheric factors.  Satellites are the most important technology because they allow us to see tropical systems in their formative stages.  Before the dawn of the weather satellite, forecasters had to rely on ships or eyewitness accounts. 

Just as important is the use of US Airforce reconnaissance missions to directly sample the atmosphere inside and around a storm.  Dubbed “the hurricane hunters,“ these missions relay information back to the National Hurricane Center.  LIVE VIPIR displays this data in real time allowing our team of experts to give you the latest information as hurricane hunters are flying through the storm. 

Hundreds of floating weather stations continuously send information on water temperature, wind speed, and atmospheric pressure.  Buoys are especially important in confirming the intensity of hurricanes.  LIVE VIPIR shows the data obtained from buoys in a clear, easy to understand display so you know exactly what is going on.

Information from reconnaissance missions, buoys, and other atmospheric measurement devices is fed into supercomputers to produce high resolution forecast models.  Storm Team 2 uses VIPIRcast—our exclusive forecast model—and various other atmospheric models to develop the most accurate tropical forecasts possible. 

As a hurricane approaches the coast, land based Doppler radar plays a major role in tracking wind speeds, wind direction, rainfall intensity, and tornadoes in real-time. 

Other Doppler radars only analyze storms at one level—but storms are three dimensional—LIVE VIPIR radar scans higher and higher into the sky to give us the whole picture.