Atlantic Tropical Weather Discussion (Text)
Tropical Prediction Center (TPC),
National Hurricane Center (NHC),
National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP),
National Weather Service (NWS),
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
U.S. Department of Commerce
(General to Advanced Audience)
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East Pacific Tropical Weather Discussion (Text)
Tropical Prediction Center (TPC),
National Hurricane Center (NHC),
National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP),
National Weather Service (NWS),
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
U.S. Department of Commerce
(General to Advanced Audience)
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Our atmosphere is constantly changing. The state of the atmosphere and how
it changes is what we call weather. The immense ocean of air
in which we live has the ability to reconfigure itself quickly on many
different scales; this serves as a source of wonder, pleasure,
vexation and danger.
Because weather can influence our lives so greatly, it has become necessary
to make attempts to accurately predict it. During the last century
weather prediction grew from little more than an art into a well-recognized
discipline within the now-robust science of meteorology (the study of the
atmosphere and its components). Prediction, by its very nature, is less
than perfect; because of this imperfection and the significant effects
weather exerts on our daily lives, the weatherman became fodder
for jokesters, skeptics and complainers. During my tenure as U.S. Air
Force meteorologist and weather forecaster, our jovial response to the
critics became, “Our forecast is guaranteed. If it fails for any
reason, we’ll give you a new one.”
The quality of weather prediction has improved dramatically over the
last 30 years. Numerical models, satellite imagery, doppler radar and
other state-of-the-art technologies have revolutionized the field of
meteorology. Nearly gone is the moniker of weatherman, in great
part because many of today’s meteorologists are women. Forecasting
the weather is still far from perfect, but great strides have been made
— especially in the arenas of severe storm prediction and tropical
meteorology. As accuracy has improved, respect has grown for
meteorologists and their role as protectors of the public interest.
Authored by Kenneth L. Anderson.
Original article published prior to 13 April 2003, updated
29 March 2004.
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