Meteorologists use a variety of tools for measuring the size and strength of storms.
Though weather has been a constant issue that people have had to deal with, meteorology, the science of weather, has only existed for about 300 years. That is when scientists first began creating simple measuring instruments, such as the thermometer and barometer, to help them to study and understand the weather. While more advanced versions of these instruments are still used today, scientists now have far more advanced tools for measuring the size of a storm and tracking it.
Satellites
Geostationary satellites are used to provide constant information on weather patterns and enable meteorologists to determine the circumference of a storm and to track a storm's movement. Satellites use a radiometer to provide images of cloud and water vapor in the air. The circumference can be calculated from satellite images by creating a scale using a known distance that is also displayed in the image, usually a geologic feature such as the size of a particular island or the length of one side of a state.
Radar
Radar is used by meteorologists to determine the extend of a storm's precipitation as well as it's intensity. Radar can only be used to measure precipitation in the sky and not the amount of the rainfall due to the interference from structures on the ground, but radar mapping provides meteorologists with a good idea of the size and intensity of a storm. Radar aboard weather aircraft provides a three dimensional view of the wind flow inside, giving scientists a better idea of the shape and size of a storm.
Other Instruments
Beyond measuring the circumference of a storm, meteorologists use a variety of instruments to provide further information about the storm such as the speed of the winds and the storm's intensity. Anemometers are used to measure wind speed. The dropwindsond, also called a dropsonde, is a probe used by weather aircraft to measure air pressure, dewpoint, and atmospheric pressure. It comes equipped with GPS positioning which enables it to detect horizontal and vertical winds. In addition to the dropwindsonde, weather aircraft use a variety of probes to gather information on storms including Aircraft Expendable BathyThermographs (AXBTs), Aircraft Expendable Current Probes (AXCPs) and Airborne Expendable Conductivity Temperature Depth (AXCTD) probes.
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