Objective aids used in the analysis of tropical cyclone intensity and rainfall

NOAA/NESDIS Satellite Services Division (SSD) has been deriving the position and intensity of tropical disturbances around the world using the Dvorak technique for more than 25 years. These estimates are disseminated to international weather agencies as well as tropical cyclone warning centers such as the Tropical Prediction Center (TPC), the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). Various tools used to ascertain tropical cyclone intensity and the areal distribution of rainfall from landfalling tropical cyclones will be described.