The Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS) provides crucial high-resolution images for hurricane forecasting, enabling forecasters to see below cloud tops. Recently, the Department of Defense announced it will stop processing this essential data, threatening the National Hurricane Center's forecasting capabilities. Budget cuts and staff reductions have compounded these challenges, leading to a decline in forecasting accuracy just as hurricane season approaches. Without the SSMIS, forecasters lose an important tool needed for tracking storm development, especially during nighttime when traditional methods are less effective.
Clouds are the bane of a hurricane forecaster's existence, but technology such as the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder provides crucial high-resolution images of storm structures.
The loss of the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder data threatens the National Hurricane Center's ability to predict storms accurately, risking public safety during hurricane season.
The U.S. is rapidly losing state-of-the-art hurricane forecasting capabilities as budgets and staffing at the National Hurricane Center are cut, coinciding with peak hurricane months.
Infrared imaging methods provide limited visibility in the darker conditions of convective storms, making the need for the SSMIS data even more critical for accurate forecasting.
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