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In 2018, Hurricanes Florence and Michael made catastrophic landfalls over the United States. 

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They caused extreme flooding, record-breaking winds, 

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and storm surges that devastated communities. 

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Understanding how hurricanes behave is critical to saving lives. 

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How a hurricane forms, develops and dissipates

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is a complex problem though; 

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it involves many different processes that are highly interconnected.

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But from space and the air, NASA satellites and aircraft 

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can break down the underlying physics by monitoring each component of a hurricane.

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There are key ingredients for hurricanes to form.

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First, we need warm waters that provide fuel for the storms.

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Water evaporates from the warm ocean

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and creates humid air, which then rises and cools to form clouds and rain.

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3D structures to look for inside storms are long rain bands and a near-circular eyewall. 

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The warmer the ocean, the stronger the storm can be, 

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which often means heavy rainfall 

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and extreme winds. 

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Understanding each component is just part of the puzzle.

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The key is to figure out how they fit together and to do this, scientists step into the digital world.

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This is a computer-generated model of a hurricane.

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Inside this digital environment, the atmosphere is programmed to behave

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as much as possible like the real world, governed by the laws of physics. 

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What makes this a valuable research tool is that scientists can put satellite observations

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into this digital world to see how the entire system evolves.

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The impact of a hurricane lasts long after the storm has dissipated.

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Satellites and aircraft can also be used to monitor damage and recovery.

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In 2017, Hurricane Maria caused the longest electric power blackout

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in U.S. history in Puerto Rico.

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Over the following year, satellite data helped first responders 

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monitor where and when power was restored. 

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And after Hurricane Maria, aircraft were used to map the island's recovering forests.

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Satellites, aircraft, and computer models help us understand each stage of a hurricane including the aftermath. 

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As we learn more, not only will other agencies better forecast weather,

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but communities will have more time to prepare and evacuate

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from potentially dangerous storms. 

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