Wednesday, 24 May 2000: 9:15 AM
Since 1997, NOAA has performed more than 50 synoptic surveillance
missions in the core and environments of tropical cyclones
threatening the United States mainland, Puerto Rico, and the
Virgin Islands with their G-IV and P3 aircraft. GPS
dropwindsonde observations are taken approximately every 250 km
along the flight tracks and sent to the National Centers for
Environmental Prediction and the National Hurricane Center for
incorporation in numerical guidance and for subjective
evaluation. The impact of these data on both track and intensity
forecasts will be presented.
Since small differences in initial conditions are known to grow in the numerical models at different rates, targeting the fastest growing modes has been studied. Results of such targeting, including methods to find target locations and sampling strategies, will be presented.
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