Ever wonder how meteorologists track storms? The process begins in outer space with geostationary satellites orbiting the planet at an altitude of about 22,000 miles above the equator.

These satellite images are relayed back to earth 24/7 and are a valuable tool in helping to provide estimates of the location, size and intensity of a storm and its surrounding environment.

Meanwhile back on the planet, or should we say just above it, the US Air Force Reserve provides most of the hurricane reconnaissance used by the National Hurricane Center.

Pilots fly into the core of a hurricane to measure wind, barometric pressure, temperature and humidity, as well as providing an accurate location of the centre of the hurricane.

However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also flies aircraft into hurricanes to aid scientists in better understanding these storms and provide forecast capabilities.

When a hurricane nears land, it is monitored by land-based weather radar.

The National Weather Service's Doppler weather radar are equipped with the latest advanced technology and add new dimensions to hurricane warning capabilities.

It also provides detailed information on hurricane wind fields and its changes. The Bermuda Weather Service (BWS) is also able to provide accurate short-term warnings for storms, inland high winds and any other weather hazards associated with a tropical cyclone - thanks the Island's new $2 million Doppler Radar.

Located in Clearwater, St. David's, this marvel of technology allows local meteorologists to monitor weather systems up to 500 kilometres away and see clearly into the eye of approaching hurricanes. While many areas around the globe are able to share radar, due to the Island's remoteness, Bermuda needed to have its own tower in order to gather accurate information.

The Deputy Director of the Bermuda Weather Service, Brian Kolts, explains the radar antenna looks like a very large satellite dish, enclosed by a radome:

"The radome is the large white dome that protects the antenna from high winds and debris."

A radar works by transmitting an energy wave out from the antenna at a specified frequency. Mr. Kolts elaborates that if the radar beam encounters an obstacle after leaving the antenna, the signal will be reflected back to the antenna. This return signal is often called an echo.

"Depending on the return signal strength, the radar can then determine the reflectivity value of the obstacle (or reflector)," he adds.

Mr. Kolts says the meteorologists at the BWS have programmed the radar to make several different scans at different elevation angles. Knowing the elevation angle, and the time it takes for a signal to return to the antenna, the radar computer is then able to determine how far away and how high above sea level the reflector is.

"By using the Doppler Theory, the radar is able to detect the Doppler shift of a reflector," he explains. "Doppler shift is the term for determining the change in frequency of the radar beam, due to the movement of the reflector.

"By detecting the Doppler shift, the radar is able to calculate the velocity of the reflector, as long as it is moving toward or away from the radar beam. By applying further computations, it is possible to display wind shear and turbulence." The radar image shown on our local weather channel is a Surface Rainfall Intensity (SRI) product.

"This image is updated every ten minutes," says Mr. Kolts.

The Island's Weather Service works in conjunction with the National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.