[alwann]

To those more learned than I:

Why don't we have technology capable of mitigating storms like Ian?

Sending people to the moon and back, and maybe Mars one day. This we can do. Smashing a device into an asteroid to change its direction, this we can do. Technology to deal with tropical storms before they become a danger? Doesn't seem like that's in the cards. Hey, there has to be a business opportunity in this. Memo to Elon Musk: Can't you invent a big old fan of some kind to change the paths of killer storms? I'd bet you'd make a bundle.

[MartinSE]

Originally Posted by alwann

To those more learned than I:

Why don't we have technology capable of mitigating storms like Ian?

Sending people to the moon and back, and maybe Mars one day. This we can do. Smashing a device into an asteroid to change its direction, this we can do. Technology to deal with tropical storms before they become a danger? Doesn't seem like that's in the cards. Hey, there has to be a business opportunity in this. Memo to Elon Musk: Can't you invent a big old fan of some kind to change the paths of killer storms? I'd bet you'd make a bundle.

Easy to say, hard to do.

One suggestion put forward by "someone" was to drop a nuke on the storm while it was forming. ahem...

Messing with nature is not simple. Yes, there are ways we can change the development of the hurricane, the problem is there is no way to know what the side affects will be without doing it. We can model the changes, but many people don't believe models - ie. Climate Change.

So, we must tread lightly. I don't know if they still do it, but they used to seed tropical storms to cause them to rain more, the theory was if the storm lost it's water it would not be as bad as it would have been. I do not know if that is still practiced.

I can assure you if it were doable, it would be done. I am certain that people like DARPA are investigating it, but as I said, it is not a simple problem, and if we whoops, it could quite literal result in the environment not being habitable.

What you are asking for is called terra forming - it is a subject that is being studied, mostly at this point to convert a planet like Mars into something people could live on without living in domes.

So, we must tread carefully.

[Michael G.]

It seems the ocean water temperature has a lot to do with feeding those big Hurricanes.
Someday we will figure something out like stopping massive wildfires.

[Stu from NYC]

Mother nature is still much smarter than we are

[MrFlorida]

It's a prediction, the only profession where a guess is accepted as fact.

[MartinSE]

Originally Posted by MrFlorida

It's a prediction, the only profession where a guess is accepted as fact.

Sorry, I disagree with you. Almost every profession is based on guesses and predictions.

Metrology gets a bad rap because even the best predictions are not 100% accurate.

Virtually NOTHING in science is absolute, it all comes down to estimates, and the more we know the better the estimates. That is why so often scientists seem to contradict themselves. They aren't, they just learned more and the old predictions are no longer the best most accurate.

If you want perfect predictions, then go with religion, it is based on perfection... ahem...

[MartinSE]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

Mother nature is still much smarter than we are

Mother Nature has had 13 billion years to figure out how to do something, and we expect scientists to figure out how to undo it in a year. ahem...

[Taltarzac725]

Hurricane Knowledge.com

Huge number of variables in predicting when and where hurricanes will land. And messing with them would just create more things to take into account.

It does look like the physics involved is a lot better than it was when I took physics classes in the 1970s.

[MartinSE]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

Hurricane Knowledge.com

Huge number of variables in predicting when and where hurricanes will land. And messing with them would just create more things to take into account.

It does look like the physics involved is a lot better than it was when I took physics classes in the 1970s.

Yup, better and simpler explanation than mine - thank you

[Keefelane66]

Originally Posted by alwann

To those more learned than I:

Why don't we have technology capable of mitigating storms like Ian?

Sending people to the moon and back, and maybe Mars one day. This we can do. Smashing a device into an asteroid to change its direction, this we can do. Technology to deal with tropical storms before they become a danger? Doesn't seem like that's in the cards. Hey, there has to be a business opportunity in this. Memo to Elon Musk: Can't you invent a big old fan of some kind to change the paths of killer storms? I'd bet you'd make a bundle.

We had someone with Sharpie and a suggestion to possibly use nuclear weapon to stop a hurricane.
Now since we don’t have enough CO2 in our atmosphere contributes to less tropical storms.

[coralway]

This is The Villages - science don't work here.

[sounding]

It's been tried several times, and is periodically discussed at the Weather Club -- and by those who flew into these storms and made hurricane forecasts. One example is Project Stormfury. On a related subject, a post-analysis of Hurricane IAN will be presented at the next Weather Club meeting ... The Villages Weather Club

[fdpaq0580]

In her attempt to reassure me, DW told me the hurricane wouldn't hurt us because The Villages bubble protects us. I feel so safe now. 😏😍

[heron848]

Originally Posted by MrFlorida

It's a prediction, the only profession where a guess is accepted as fact.

I was a real estate appraiser for over 35 years. Every appraisal report I completed was an “opinion of value” (a guess, but a well-educated guess) which everyone who read the report interpreted as fact. Meteorology is not unique in this regard.

[Climoge]

Because we are not God.