Hurricane Expert: Otis Shows Need for More Research on Rapidly Intensifying Storms

ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 25, 2023) — Hurricane Otis made landfall late Tuesday night near Acapulco, Mexico, as an unexpected Category 5 hurricane with 165 mph winds. The storm rapidly grew from a tropical storm in the morning to Category 5 by late evening, the fastest strengthening on record in the northeast Pacific.

Brian Tang, associate professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences at the University at Albany, specializes in various aspects of tropical cyclones, including their formation and intensification. He’s currently leading a $2.15 million Office of Naval Research project to help forecasters better understand and predict the rapid intensification of hurricanes.

Tang says that scientists do not understand all the mechanisms that cause storms like Otis to intensify so dramatically over such a short period of time, which is one of the motivations for his research.

“Rapidly intensifying storms, like Otis, can pose a substantial risk to coastal communities, because of the escalating danger from damaging winds and storm surge. This risk was realized in Acapulco, Mexico, as Otis made landfall there. One of the goals of my research is to improve forecasts of rapid intensification, but as Otis showed, more work needs to be done.”

Tang is available for phone or live/recorded interviews. UAlbany has an on-campus television studio available for remote interviews.

About the University at Albany: 

The University at Albany is one of the most diverse public research institutions in the nation and a national leader in educational equity and social mobility. As a Carnegie-classified R1 institution, UAlbany faculty and students are advancing our understanding of the world in fields such as artificial intelligence, atmospheric and environmental sciences, business, education, public health, social sciences, criminal justice, humanities, emergency preparedness, engineering, public administration, and social welfare. Our courses are taught by an accomplished roster of faculty experts with student success at the center of everything we do. Through our parallel commitments to academic excellence, scientific discovery and service to community, UAlbany molds bright, curious and engaged leaders and launches great careers. 

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