Enhancing hurricane forecasts: Simulations reveal reducing estimates of atmospheric friction improves storm predictions

Hurricanes and other extreme weather events are expensive in lives and money. From 1980 to 2023, weather and climate disasters caused about $2.6 trillion in damages in the U.S., according to NOAA estimates. In 2022 alone, the U.S. experienced 18 disasters individually costing $1 billion or more. Worse, U.S. hurricanes from 2000 to 2021 took almost 2,000 lives. As climate change continues to intensify these storms, accurate forecasting becomes ever more crucial.