They transmit weather data as they float seaward on a descent that can take 25 minutes. Sixty of the probes, called dropsondes, have been used to gather Bonnie data, compared to 30 in a more typical case. Last year, NOAA also begin flying a Gulfstream jet over thousands of square miles of ocean around storms to collect data on the winds steering them. But Bonnie has been confounding forecasters' best efforts despite their array of gee-whiz technology. The problem, meteorologists say, is this storm's lack of movement.
Motion is a key element around which all of the others revolve.
There's nothing giving it a good nudge one way or the other. Hurricane science and technology Hurricane history page Hurricane information index Go to Weather front page Shop.