The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which tracks and predicts hurricanes, has announced the implementation of several new pieces of technology to aid them ahead of the 2026 hurricane season.
Between 3 and 9 hurricanes are expected this year, and thanks to things like drones and AI that the NOAA is rolling out, we should be able to predict them far better than before.
The NOAA says it will be using data gathered by a 2.75-pound drone in real time for the first time. Lance Wood with the Harris County Flood Control District says they’ve actually been testing this for several years, but this is the first time we’ll actually get that data when it’s needed the most.
Wood says the NOAA has also been using AI for some time too. “Google DeepMind has probably had the biggest impact, especially last season, on forecasting and tracking the intensity of tropical cyclones,” he explained.
He went on to say that last season, they were able to predict a Category 5 hurricane three days before it actually intensified to that level, setting a prediction record. Wood believes that having even just a day or two of advance notice would make a huge difference when dealing with these worst-of-the-worst storms.