Tropical storms churning into potentially dangerous hurricanes often hide behind a cloak of clouds.
But NASA has given forecasters a new way to peek under the covers and identify storms much faster. Scientists traditionally rely on satellite pictures to study the telltale swirl of clouds of a forming storm. However, the SeaWinds instrument aboard the QuikSCAT satellite can look through the cloud cover and measure winds at the ocean's surface. They can detect tropical depressions early and help us improve our models. With more accurate information on the surface wind speed and direction in hurricanes at all stages, our models can do a better job of predicting a hurricane's evolution and course.