Keeping an eye on hurricanes: NASA's Global Hawk collecting data on how storms form and intensify

摘要

The hurricane spawning grounds off the west coast of Africa are nearly 3,000 miles away from the eastern coast of the United States - which often feels their dangerous wrath after the storms have churned across the northern Atlantic Ocean. Hurricanes - also known as tropical cyclones or typhoons, depending on where they occur - are massive, spinning storm systems that feed off warm waters and can grow to hundreds of miles across and pack winds over 155mph.