Ground-breaking AI tool is helping forecasters spot hurricanes faster
New tool to detect which wind patterns will become hurricanes
- A new artificial intelligence tool has been deployed by the National Hurricane Center to enhance hurricane forecasting capabilities.
- This AI can identify wind patterns likely to develop into hurricanes by tracking early formation signs within tropical easterly waves.
- The tool aims to provide forecasters with increased lead time for preparing communities ahead of major hurricanes, overcoming previous challenges with automated tracking.
- Its deployment coincides with the Atlantic hurricane season's most active phase, amidst concerns that human-caused climate change is leading to more intense and frequent storms.
- The season's first major storm, Hurricane Erin, rapidly intensified from a Category 1 to a Category 5 in just over 24 hours, though it did not make landfall in the US.