Tag: hurricane
What to Know about Hurricane Season and Forecast Accuracy
How to Read Hurricane Maps and Avoid Common Mistakes Hurricane forecast maps are more complex than they appear. Understanding them could change how you prepare for the next storm. By Rachel Feltman, Andrea Thompson, Fonda Mwangi & Alex Sugiura Rachel Feltman: For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, I’m Rachel Feltman. While scientists have gotten much better…
The Science behind Hurricane Katrina: What Researchers Knew before the 2005 Disaster
The Storm That Drowned a City—And the Science That Saw It Coming Two decades after Katrina, we revisit the storm and discuss the evolution of hurricane preparedness since then. By Mark Fischetti, Andrea Thompson, Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Jeffery DelViscio & Alex Sugiura Rachel Feltman: For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, I’m Rachel Feltman. Twenty years…
20 Years after Hurricane Katrina, Major Forecasting Advances Could Erode
20 Years after Katrina, Major Hurricane Forecasting Advances Could Erode Hurricane forecasts have made huge leaps since Katrina hit 20 years ago, but that progress is threatened by Trump administration cuts to research By Andrea Thompson edited by Dean Visser In this satellite image from NOAA, a close up of the center of Hurricane Katrina’s…
20 Years After Hurricane Katrina, How Safe Is New Orleans From Another Catastrophic Flood?
Opinion Is New Orleans Safer Now Than When Hurricane Katrina Hit 20 Years Ago? Scientists and engineers have been implementing steps to better protect New Orleans, but recent government actions are undermining the work, raising alarm By Mark Fischetti Water surrounds homes in the devastated Ninth Ward in this aerial view of damage from Hurricane…
Tropical Storm, Typhoon, and More—Your Guide to Hurricane Season Jargon
Hurricane Science Has a Lot of Jargon—Here’s What It All Means Everything you need to know about hurricanes explained By Meghan Bartels edited by Andrea Thompson Eye of Hurricane Ian as the storm headed towards South Carolina. When hurricane season is in full swing, the news can be difficult to parse. What’s the difference between…
ID lost to Hurricane Katrina is returned 20 years later
By Melanie Peeples Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina decimated the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi, few surprises continue to surface, but Becky Copeland has found one. She is a Wildlife Biologist and Park Ranger for the Gulf Islands National Seashore, a group of barrier islands off the coast of Mississippi and Florida, that are mostly…
How to Understand Hurricane Forecasts and the Cone of Uncertainty
How to Decode a Hurricane Forecast Hurricane forecasts feature a “cone of uncertainty,” but what is it actually showing? Scientific American breaks it down for you By Andrea Thompson If you’ve ever taken even a cursory glance at a hurricane forecast, you’ve seen some version of the “cone of uncertainty.” It sounds like some other-dimensional…
It was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history: Have we forgotten Katrina’s lessons?
By Greg Allen , Marisa Peñaloza NEW ORLEANS — On a quiet street in the Gentilly neighborhood, a small brick house stands as a testament to one of the worst disasters in U.S. history. It’s one of thousands of homes that flooded twenty years ago in Hurricane Katrina. It’s been preserved by Levees.org, a group…
Swimmers are warned to avoid East Coast beaches as Hurricane Erin moves north
By Joe Hernandez Federal forecasters are warning people to avoid beaches along the East Coast as Hurricane Erin moves north and slams much of the shoreline with dangerous waves and other severe weather. Though the massive storm was roughly 365 miles from Cape Hatteras, N.C., as of 11 a.m. ET, the effects of Erin will…
Hurricane Forecasters Keep Access to Threatened Defense Department Satellite Data
Hurricane Forecasters Keep Crucial Satellite Data Online after Threatened Cuts By Andrea Thompson edited by Jeanna Bryner Infrared satellite imagery of Hurricane Otis compared with microwave imagery of the storm in October 2023. In the later view, the center of the storm is more visible and indicates the hurricane was strengthening. Microwave satellite imagery helped…
Weather Forecasters Lose Crucial Hurricane Detection Microwave Satellite Data
Hurricane Forecasters Lose Crucial Satellite Data, with Serious Implications Microwave satellite data are key to capturing major changes in a hurricane’s strength, such as when a storm undergoes rapid intensification. But a main source of those data is being abruptly shut off By Andrea Thompson edited by Dean Visser Satellite image of Hurricane Otis over…
Hurricane Hunter Flights Improve Hurricane Forecasts, But Trump Budget Cuts Could Threaten Them
Daring Hurricane Hunter Flights Make Forecasts More Accurate. But They Could Face Cuts NOAA’s Hurricane Hunter airplane missions significantly increase the accuracy of hurricane forecasts, but President Trump’s proposed budget cuts jeopardize the data-gathering efforts and other forecasting tools By Chelsea Harvey & E&E News Stickers of previous hurricane missions adorn the side as a…
FEMA Overhaul Will Come after Hurricane Season, Trump Says
Trump Says FEMA Overhaul Will Come after Hurricane Season States will continue to get FEMA federal disaster aid this year but may see less assistance after changes made in 2026 By Thomas Frank & E&E News Remnants of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge are seen along the Broad River in a landscape scarred by Hurricane…
Hurricane season has started. Here’s what to know
Shannon Bond June 1 marks the start of hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean. Forecasters are warning this year could once again bring an above-average number of storms. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting 13 to 19 named storms between June 1 and Nov. 30, compared with an average of 14 storms per…
With a Busy 2025 Hurricane Season Forecast, Staffing Cuts and Warm Oceans Worry Experts
Why This Hurricane Season Has Experts on Edge By Andrea Thompson edited by Dean Visser Category 4 Hurricane Florence as seen from the International Space Station in 2018. June 1 marks the official start of the hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean—and once again, the season looks like it will be busy. Though it is…
Hurricane Season Is Soon—NOAA Says It’s Ready, but Weather Experts Are Worried
NOAA Says It’s Ready for Hurricane Season, but Weather Experts Are Worried As hurricane season approaches, thousands of weather and disaster experts have raised concerns about NOAA and NWS budget cuts and staffing shortages By Chelsea Harvey & E&E News The remnants of Hurricane Helene begin to dissipate over the United States in this NOAA…
Derecho Wind Storm Damaged Houston Tall Buildings More Than Hurricane Beryl
A Derecho Damaged Skyscrapers More Than A Hurricane Did A powerful derecho last year caused more damage to Houston’s tallest buildings than Hurricane Beryl. Scientists wanted to know why By Chelsea Harvey & E&E News Shattered and boarded up windows are seen on the side of the Wells Fargo Plaza building in Houston, Texas, on…