HIRAD: Spying on a hurricane's eye

摘要

When Humberto came ashore in Texas early on September 13, 2007, the hurricane took meteorologists by surprise. The previous day, it had been just a nameless tropical depression. When it hit Texas, it had developed 85-mph winds and heavy rains. Overnight it became a Category One hurricane. "It made the transition from tropical depression to hurricane within 24 hr, right before landfall," says NASA atmospheric scientist Robbie Hood. "It was a record breaker."