In partnership with NOAA, Saildrone Inc. is deploying seven ocean drones to collect data from hurricanes during the 2022 hurricane season with the goal of improving hurricane forecasting. For the first year, two saildrones will track hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. One of the biggest challenges to hurricane forecasting is predicting rapid intensification, when hurricane…
The Observations Program at the Weather Program Office has partnered with WindBorne Systems, Inc. to fund the development of an advanced weather balloon. This technology offers a low cost platform enabling collection of surface to stratosphere weather data in lesser-sampled regions.
WPO works in coordination with the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) in Norman, Oklahoma to award projects that explore and refine novel predictors of tornadoes, and to improve the communication of tornado forecasts and risk to tornadoes in the U.S. This year competition award total* for the 4 selected projects equals $1.36 M in grants.…
Testbeds are unique collaborative spaces that allow researchers and forecasters to work together to improve weather prediction systems. They accomplish this by working alongside each other to integrate new observing systems into models, test and streamline data assimilation methods, test weather model improvements, and strategize new developments. The Weather Program Office funds research projects and…
The VORTEX-SE field study, set to run March 1 through April 30, will involve 40 physical and social science researchers from 20 research entities, many based in the southeast. They will deploy and operate approximately 13 vehicles, three mobile radars and one fixed radar.
Research to focus on improved prediction of tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, snow NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan announced today $5.7 million in cooperative research agreements and grants to improve the forecasting of hazardous and extreme weather including tornadoes, hurricanes, heavy rainfall, floods and snowstorms. The funding, provided by NOAA Research, will support collaborative work between NOAA and 27…
As the Northeast digs out from this week’s blizzard, a new NOAA-led effort to improve the forecasting of such high impact weather events is reaching an important early benchmark. One of the first major improvements – upgrading the resolution of three global forecast models — has already shown its effectiveness. One of these models, the newly upgraded Global Forecast System (GFS) model, provided one of the most precise forecasts of the track, intensity, precipitation, and distribution of the Nor’easter.
The Office of Weather & Air Quality announces a funding opportunity for research projects supporting the overall mission of Hazardous Weather and Hydrometeorology Testbeds. Collaborative testbed projects shorten the transition time from meteorological research to useful operational forecasting tools
On Thursday, Sept. 18, scientists reported successfully receiving weather data from the Coyote unmanned aircraft system. The Coyote unmanned aircraft is the first unmanned aircraft deployed directly inside a hurricane from NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft.
NOAA scientists and partners are launching a number of new unmanned aircraft and water vehicles to collect weather information as part of a coordinated effort to improve hurricane forecasts.