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The Conversation
The Conversation
Chris Vagasky, Meteorologist and Research Program Manager, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Hurricane forecasts are more accurate than ever – NOAA funding cuts could change that, with a busy storm season coming

Radar shows a NOAA Hurricane Hunter flying through Tropical Storm Idalia during a mission in 2023. Nick Underwood/NOAA

The National Hurricane Center’s forecasts in 2024 were its most accurate on record, from its one-day forecasts, as tropical cyclones neared the coast, to its forecasts five days into the future, when storms were only beginning to come together.

Thanks to federally funded research, forecasts of tropical cyclone tracks today are up to 75% more accurate than they were in 1990. A National Hurricane Center forecast three days out today is about as accurate as a one-day forecast in 2002, giving people in the storm’s path more time to prepare and reducing the size of evacuations.

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