Weather IQ: How did we know about hurricanes before the satellite era?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Satellite data. Doppler radar. Ocean buoys. Hurricane hunters.

We have a variety of modern tools to help us forecast when a tropical cyclone will develop, where it’ll go, and who it’ll impact.

But before this technology existed, tracking tropical storms and hurricanes relied on a network of ship reports, surface observations, and coastal cues. Sudden drops in barometric pressure or violent wind shifts over the ocean were reported back to shore. Land stations would monitor similar observations closer to the coast.

Unusually large swells and coastal flooding could be a cue for folks who lived along the shoreline. And those interested in these observations would ...