Broadcast meteorologists are a leading source of information about the atmosphere for the public, but many avoid mentioning global warming. New research finds barriers that may keep them from addressing the science of climate change on the air.

They’ve been carried by truck into supercell thunderstorms, flown on aircraft into hurricanes, and sliced and diced the atmosphere in myriad ways. Where are research radars headed next, and where will they take science and society?

As a step toward meeting the goal of providing earlier warnings, NCAR scientists and their colleagues are examining what enables poorly organized clusters of thunderstorms to develop into tropical storms and hurricanes.

Satellite images have revealed at least three dramatic eye-like features not far off the U.S. Atlantic and Pacific coasts over the last several weeks. While these can look startlingly like the eyes of hurricanes, they’re not quite the same thing.

NCAR is spearheading a nationwide project to create unprecedented 36-hour forecasts of incoming energy from the Sun for solar energy power plants.