New hurricane model has early success

PALM BEACH, Fla., Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Meteorologists said it is too early to say the U.S. government’s hurricane forecasting model is as good as scientists had hoped but early tests have been good.

The Hurricane Weather and Research Forecast system became an official part of the government’s storm predicting arsenal this year after six years of testing, the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post said Monday.

While It appeared to do a good job of predicting where Hurricane Dean -- the season’s first Atlantic hurricane -- was going to land, forecasters say it will take a while to see how the new model stacks up against the complex collection of models the National Hurricane Center uses.

A spokesman said the agency will wait until after the season to analyze the new model's performance.

The newspaper said scientists have high hopes for the computer program, which was designed to accurately predict a hurricane's path and strength. Current models sometimes fail to foresee a storm growing quickly or fizzling before landfall.