As Hurricane Irma tore through Florida, meteorology students at Central Michigan University used it as a chance to learn about forecasting hurricanes.
Since students got to campus, they’ve been watching to see what’s going on with the major hurricanes to hit the United States this year and understand the science behind them.
We met the next generation of meteorologists. They include Cedar Junior Woody Unruh. They’ve spent the past few weeks learning as much as they can about hurricanes.
“It’s completely different to see it in a real world setting. You see these concepts that we talk about in class and you see them actually applied to the real world, which is really interesting to see how storms move and basically, it’s not just a text book,” said Unruh.
They’ve covered everything from how the storms form to what influences where they’ll head.
“It’s really interesting to see how the warmer temperatures are affecting the air, making them strengthen. It has been valuable to see these storms move, and you can understand how these interact with the atmosphere and how you can better predict these for the future,” noted Unruh.
Professor Marty Baxter says the intensity of the storms to hit the United States has also emphasized the importance of what’s being discussed.
“It’s absolutely crucial that we not only know the science of how hurricanes form and how we can predict them, but how they’re going to impact people and communicate to people what these threats are. At these times it’s something more than just something you’re interested, in this is a serious job,” said Baxter.
The learning is not over, the discussion has shifted to the next big storm in the Atlantic, Hurricane Jose.
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