Tropical cyclones are the most impressive and best phenomenon of the tropics, and this book fills a need for a thorough detailed book on the subject, concentrating on the remote sensing results on both initial and mature forms of tropical cyclones. It provides a comprehensive description of the physical, geophysical and meteorological foundations of global tropical cyclogenesis. The author emphasises the physical aspects necessary to judge the possibilities and limitations of monitoring mitigation methods, and includes numerous applications and illustrations from up-to-date airborne and satellite experiments.

A comprehensive summary of tropical cyclone variability at time scales from intraseasonal and interannual to interdecadal and centennial. Major climate oscillations (Madden-Julian, El Niño, Atlantic Meridional Mode and Pacific Decadal) are covered, and their impacts on tropical cyclone activity in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans are discussed.

"Although hurricanes are common over the eastern Pacific and annually are seen in parts of the central Pacific, they are not routinely found over Hawaii. Only four of these have impacted the Aloha State since 1950. Hurricane Iniki, with winds up to 160 MPH, was by far the strongest and most destructive. This storm also completed a "clean sweep" of National Weather Service (NWS) offices responsible for issuing hurricane warnings. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Coral Gables, Florida (Hurricane Andrew), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) in Guam (Typhoon Omar), and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) in Honolulu, Hawaii (Hurricane Iniki) were all struck by strong hurricanes within a 2-month span. Relying on one geostationary satellite providing satisfactory, but less than ideal, coverage and an extremely sparse surface data network, NWS forecasters and meteorological technicians across the state provided excellent warning service to residents and visitors alike"--Preface