We’re all used to seeing meteorologists standing in front of a green screen with those familiar, colored map graphics as they toss out numbers and statistics regarding the impending danger from natural disasters like Hurricane Florence. However, those numbers can be really hard to internalize, and if you’re in an at-risk area, just hearing stats and data make it a lot easier to ignore impending danger. So to help those in the path of Hurricane Florence understand what’s headed their way, and to help those of us in other places around the world understand what’s going on, The Weather Channel released a truly impressive animation to depict what happens and the dangers that emerge from a storm surge.
This animation (and this other one just like it) shows how dangerous even three feet of flooding can be, stalling out cars, carrying hidden debris, and knocking people off their feet. But once those water levels rise to about six feet and beyond, the animation really highlights how dangerous it is to remain in those affected areas.
This new animation, as Wired explains, is from a partnership between The Weather Channel and The Future Group. Using high-tech cameras, a wrap-around green screen, and real data released by the National Hurricane Center, they create a breathtaking “interactive mixed reality” experience of potential weather conditions in the midst of Hurricane Florence. Now meteorologists can better explain the potential dangers headed towards those in extreme weather situations and encourage more citizens to listen for and pay attention to weather warnings and evacuation notices. The Weather Channel hopes to continue building on this tech with The Future Group for other extreme weather events.
Of course, shelter and resources for those in the line of fire of a hurricane aren’t always readily available. Visit Charity Navigator if you’d like to help the people expected to be affected by Hurricane Florence, or those still suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
Feature Image: The Weather Channel
