Ted Cruz Questions NOAA Nominee on Drones in Hurricanes and AI for Weather Forecasting

Hurricane Hunter Technology

• ✈️ Ted Cruz inquired about the vulnerability of aircraft to water and hail ingestion when descending into severe storms, referencing dual engine flameouts.
• 💡 He highlighted that NOAA's hurricane hunters use turboprops, which are less susceptible to these issues than other aircraft engines.
• ✅ Cruz asked for a commitment from the nominee and the Department of Commerce to collaborate with the FAA on ensuring future hurricane hunter fleets utilize appropriate technology to prevent dangerous incidents.

Drone Capabilities in Hurricanes

• ❓ Cruz questioned the size a drone would need to be to navigate a hurricane and whether such technology is currently available.
• 🔬 Dr. Jacobs explained that NOAA has deployed small, 1-2 foot long drones within hurricanes for the past few years.
• 🚀 He also mentioned potential opportunities for drones to fly above hurricanes and deploy instruments through them.
• 🤔 The nominee stated it is still to be determined if a drone can successfully fly through a hurricane, but he has spoken with companies interested in testing such capabilities.

Artificial Intelligence in Weather Forecasting

• 📊 Dr. Jacobs identified computational efficiency as the primary benefit of artificial intelligence for improving weather forecasting.
• ⚡ He believes AI is worth using if it can perform tasks faster and more efficiently, even if it doesn't necessarily perform them better than existing methods.