Hurricane Hunter data reveals the first signs of strengthening tropical cyclones

Nearly three decades of airborne radar observations have identified four characteristics that help tropical storms align before intensifying.

Hurricane Melissa rapidly intensified after forming on 21 October 2025, reaching Category 5 on 27 October. Credit: NOAA, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA).

For tropical cyclones to strengthen significantly, they generally need to become vertically aligned, with their rotating centres overlapping in the atmosphere. New research, based on nearly three decades of observations from NOAA Hurricane Hunters, identifies four characteristics that can help a tilted storm align and become more capable of intensifying.

The study, led by scientists from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, its Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies and colleagues at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, found that vertical alignment depends on a combination of the storm’s structure, wind orientation and the surrounding environmental conditions.

Rapid intensification of tropical cyclones: an unsolved problem

Tropical storms that intensify rapidly can leave coastal residents and emergency officials with little time to prepare. A better understanding of these structural changes could help meteorologists recognise when a disorganised tropical cyclone is more likely to strengthen, giving communities more time to make evacuation decisions and carry out other essential preparations.

“A tropical cyclone needs to become aligned before it can intensify,” explained Michael S. Fischer, lead author and assistant professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the Rosenstiel School. “Strong winds in the upper levels of the atmosphere can pull the upper part of the storm’s circulation

Original Record.

This archived record authored by ‘Helena Mottram’ at ‘METEORED (Your Weather)’ was recovered from data set:

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