Hurricanes are among the most powerful and destructive weather systems on Earth, affecting millions of people each year through high winds, flooding rains, storm surge, and tornadoes. This presentation provides an overview of how hurricanes form, why they intensify, and what makes them so dangerous. We will explore the basic science behind these storms, including the role of warm ocean waters, atmospheric structure, and large-scale weather patterns.

The talk will also examine the primary hazards associated with hurricanes, emphasizing that wind is often not the greatest threat to life and property. Storm surge and inland flooding will be discussed through real-world examples, highlighting why risk can extend far from the coastline and well after landfall. Finally, the presentation will demystify hurricane forecasting—how storms are tracked and predicted, what forecast models can and cannot do, and how uncertainty is communicated. Finally, we will also touch on some newer hurricane tracking models that incorporate AI techniques and contrast this type of weather model with the more traditional ones.

Dan Reilly retired from the National Weather Service in 2024 after a 32-year career with the agency. During his tenure, he worked at forecast offices in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Montana, and Texas, issuing forecasts and warnings for a wide range of hazardous weather events. His experience includes several major tropical cyclones, including Hurricanes Floyd, Isabel, Ike, Harvey, and Beryl. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of Virginia in 1988 and a Master’s degree in Meteorology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992. Reilly currently provides weather briefings and consulting services to public and private-sector clients through his company, Reilly Weather, LLC, and publishes a weather blog.

The library's “Science and Society - Making Sense of the World Around Us” lecture series is co-organized and moderated by Fred Dylla, Executive Director Emeritus of the American Institute of Physics and author of Scientific Journeys, Linda Dylla, former public information officer at the Jefferson Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy, and Colin Norman, the former News Editor at Science.

NOTE: this meeting is being conducted through Zoom. You MUST REGISTER to receive instructions for joining the meeting.

If you have need assistance with registration or getting your Zoom invitation, please email the library.

Basic written instructions for using Zoom may be found here and a brief video tutorial may be found here. Closed captioning is available for all our sessions. Information on enabling closed captioning in Zoom may be found here.