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To reduce the catastrophic loss of life and material damage caused by hurricanes we need better forecasts both of their paths and intensities. Currently forecasts of path are too error-prone to be of much practical use beyond three days in advance, and predictions of intensity change are even less developed. Furthermore, last year’s record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season has fuelled fears that global warming may be responsible for increasing the frequency and intensity of hurricanes. Although controversial, such a link would be of vital importance to the hundreds of millions of people living in hurricane-prone areas.Many features of hurricanes can be explained in terms of classical physics – such as Newton's second law and the thermodynamics of moist air. By understanding the basic physics behind the growth and progress of hurricanes, physicists are contributing to a global effort to obtain better hurricane forecast models.

http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/print/24997