How hurricanes are detected and monitored?

Satellite Meteorology
Earth-observing [[KW]] satellites [[/KW]] can provide images of large weather systems, such as [[KW]] Hurricane [[/KW]] Gloria, shown here. These pictures reveal patterns and movement that provide clues about what the storm might do next.
Phototake NYC

Since 1943 U.S. military and civilian aircraft have been flying into Hurricanes to measure wind velocities and directions, the location and size of the eye, air pressures, and temperatures in different parts of the storm. A coordinated system of tracking hurricanes was developed in the mid-1950s, and steady improvements have been made over the years. In addition to reports from aircraft, geosynchronous weather satellites (since 1966) and ocean buoys that automatically record and transmit data such as wave heights and wind speeds furnish information to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.
The National Hurricane Center is part of the U.S. National Weather Service and is the main forecast center for storms that originate over the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the northeastern Pacific Ocean west to longitude 140° west. The Hawaiian Hurricane Center at the Honolulu National Weather Service office handles storms from longitude 140° west to longitude 180° west. Hurricanes rarely hit Hawaii. The centers of only two hurricanes moved ashore there from 1950 through 2003, although three others came close enough to cause wind or wave damage. Hurricane Iniki in September 1992 was by far the worst, killing six people and doing an estimated $2.3 billion in damages.
In the past, hurricanes often hit land without being detected beforehand. Today, weather satellites ensure that this never happens. As a storm begins to threaten land, forecasters call on military or civilian aircraft for detailed storm data that satellites cannot supply. When a storm comes within about 160 km (100 m) of land, weather radar images also become available. Forecasters use several computer models, which combine observational data from all around the world and mathematical equations, to make forecasts. But since forecasts from different models often disagree, they are merely tools to help humans make predictions.