The U.S. is losing the battle to predict the next Hurricane Sandy

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Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall near Brigantine, New Jersey, on Oct. 29, 2012, was a showcase of modern weather forecasting — but not necessarily one enabled by American engineering

The storm shined a spotlight on the superiority of a computer model run by a European weather center, known as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF), which, more than a week in advance, pinpointed Sandy's infamous left hook track directly into New Jersey

Now, two years after that monstrous storm, the same computing gap remains — in some cases growing even wider. In addition, the Weather Service is trying to shore up even more basic elements of its infrastructure, like satellites and computer networks. These issues raise the question of whether the agency is ready to face another Sandy. Read more...

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