UW scientists hone tools for hurricane prediction

Scientists at UW–Madison’s Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) are developing new tools to better predict the course of hurricanes. Chris Velden, a hurricane research expert with SSEC, and his team have developed products derived from remote sensors on meteorological satellites, which are currently being used by the National Hurricane Center forecasters for real-time predictions.

SSEC data is also being used in computer models to predict the course of this summer’s hurricanes, including Hurricane Bonnie, which pounded the Carolina Coast this afternoon with heavy rains and 140-mph wind gusts.

Predicting the future course of a hurricane is one of the most difficult challenges for meteorologists, since hurricanes are composed of rivers of wind currents that vary in speed and direction. His colleagues’ computer models are helping identify “atmospheric steering currents” within the hurricane, giving weather trackers a better idea of its eventual path. That information is crucial for better forecasting and improving public warnings.