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The outer rainbands of Hurricane Harvey's intensifying winds were moving onshore in South Texas, bringing torrential rains and tropical storm gusts. Northbound Interstate 37 was jammed with cars, trucks, trailers and boats. Stores and gas stations were boarded up. Corpus Christi was shutting down.
Meanwhile, scientists Josh Wurman and Karen Kosiba of the Center for Severe Weather Research were running the wrong way, heading for ground zero, where Harvey's fury would roar onshore. They weren't alone. A National Science Foundation (NSF) Doppler-on-Wheels (DOW) was with them. The DOW looks more like the dish of a radio telescope than a sophisticated weather instrument, and it's mounted on the back of a flatbed truck. With DOW on board, the truck becomes an odd configuration of generator, equipment and operator cabin. Ungainly as it may appear, it's ideally suited to providing detailed information on the inner workings of hurricanes, said Wurman.Image credit: Center for Severe Weather Research
