Storm Chasing

What Technology or Tactics do Storm Chasers Use?

I started to follow the weather and big storms because of my first hurricane experiences. Hurricane Sand which hit the North East on November 1st, was the first time that I found hurricanes and big storms interesting. 

NASA plays a huge part in identifying/digitally program hurricanes from computers. According to GPM "NASA’s role as a research agency is to bring new types of observational capabilities and analytical tools to learn about the fundamental processes that drive hurricanes and work to help incorporate that data into forecasts. NASA collaborates with its interagency partners so that the nation benefits from our respective capabilities." NASA has tools that can help analyze hurricanes. These programs can build simulating out of particles that are programmed in the system. From the same website "3-D models of the area northeast of Typhoon Dolphin's eye on May 16 created by data from NASA/JAXA's GPM core satellite shows heaviest rain over the open waters of the Pacific Ocean at a rate of over 65 mm (2.6 inches) per hour." These programs can create entire storms from head to toe and from the beginning to the end of the storm's life span. These models can also help scientists predict future hurricane systems.

Tornadoes are one of the most dangerous storms systems in the world. Most tornadoes accrue in the United States across a place called Tornado Alley, which spans from Texas, all the way up to North Dakota. Depending on the season one region will get more action due to the change in climates over the seasons. Most Tornadoes are Formed by rotating thunderstorms, called supercells. For scientists to study tornadoes they need Simulation and programs that can help them with research. According to the NSSL "researchers have created a computer model that simulates a tornado-producing thunderstorm in 3-D. We use this model to study what changes in the environment cause a thunderstorm to produce a tornado, and how the tornado and storm behaves as it encounters different weather conditions." These simulations are computer generated to help scientists study the system and help predict future storms in the same condition as the computer model.

Works Cited

Cold Front Warm Front Hurricane Felix 2007. Pixa Bay, WikiImages, pixabay.com/photos/cold-front-warm-front-hurricane-63037/. Accessed 19 Jan. 2021.

"How Does NASA Study Hurricanes?" Global Precipitation Measurement, gpm.nasa.gov/science/how-does-nasa-study-hurricanes#:~:text=The%20National%20Oceanic%20and%20Atmospheric,to%20predict%20these%20storms%27%20paths.&text=NASA%20satellites%2C%20computer%20modeling%2C%20instruments,better%20understanding%20of%20these%20storms. Accessed 18 Jan. 2021.

"NSSL Research: Tornadoes." NSSL, www.nssl.noaa.gov/research/tornadoes/. Accessed 18 Jan. 2021.

"What You Need to Know about How Tornadoes Form." Popular Mechanics, DAISY HERNANDEZ, www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a28396453/how-do-tornadoes-form/. Accessed 19 Jan. 2021.