extra credit assignment #4

New technology allows for better extreme weather forecasts

• Ways of forecasting extreme weather have advanced over the past years, but researchers at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration are working to improve radars, satellites, and supercomputers to extend warning times for tornadoes and thunderstorms, as well as to enhance the knowledge of hurricane intensity and forecast floods.

• If these efforts work, in a decade from now, residents will get an hour's warning about a tornado, giving them plenty of time to prepare and take shelter. 

• Meteorologists are trying to improve radar, which plays a role in most weather forecasts. Doug Forsyth, chief of the Radar Research and Development in Oklahoma, is mainly concerned about increasing warning times because deadly tornadoes form quickly and can be recognized most easily by radar. 

• By measuring the strength of the waves that return to the radar and how long the trip takes, forecasters are able to see the location and intensity of precipitation. This information allows forecasters to see rotation occurring inside thunderstorms before tornadoes form. 

• Technology called dual polarization allows forecasters to differentiate more accurately between types of precipitation and the amount. Knowing the difference in shape of a raindrop also reduces the guesswork required by a forecaster to identify the features in the radar scans. This helps forecasters in predicting preparation for hail and not rain.

• There are also multiple tools like geostationary satellite which help transmit views of the Earth's surface by staying fixed at one spot at an altitude of 22,000 miles. These satellites make forecasters able to detect changes in hurricanes. 

• I believe that the enhancement of these devices are critical in saving lives and avoiding potential disasters. With these tools, it would give people additional time to prepare for such disasters. 

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=a-better-eye-on-the-storm