VIRGINA KEY, Fla. (AP) - A new study is trying to determine why
some hurricanes rapidly intensify into destructive storms, while
others remain weak.
Michael Montgomery, a meteorology professor at the U.S. Naval
Post Graduate School, says researchers believe that there are
unseen, protected areas of developing storms that somehow defy odds
and give some systems a chance to intensify.
Frank Marks, the director of NOAA's Hurricane Research Division,
says the new study starting this week will use the Global Hawk, a
jet-powered unmanned drone used by the military in Afghanistan and
Iraq.
Researchers hope the additional drones will be able to sample
areas that can't be scanned by hurricane hunter planes or weather
satellites.
Officials hope the additional data will lead to more accurate
forecasts.

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