Veery Birds are Better at Predicting Hurricanes Than Machines

It's crucial business to make hurricane predictions. Currently, we rely on a variety of technology, including things like satellites, radar, even ships and buoys in the oceans, to assist us assess whether a hurricane is approaching. With all of this equipment, we can forecast a hurricane 36 to 48 hours in advance.

We have little else to go on when making long-term forecasts besides chance. We can anticipate hurricanes throughout hurricane season, but what good is that? That is equivalent to saying that the sun will rise tomorrow. We can shift away from computers and toward birds for more dependability. Due to their breeding seasons, veeries have an incredible ability to foresee severe hurricane conditions. These birds breed just once per breeding season and are found in Northern and Southern Canada. The veeries shorten their breeding seasons in years with intense hurricane seasons, even if they haven't yet had any success. They'll do these months before hurricane season, but the two have clearly been connected.

When it came to storm activity in 2018, an ornithologist projected a particularly active season, yet meteorological data indicated the exact opposite. It was predicted to be a mild year by scientists who study the weather. They forecasted somewhere between 60, which is fairly low, to 103 at most, which is below average, using a figure called ACE, which stands for accumulated cyclone energy. The ornithologist, who has never before made weather predictions, put out a range of 70 to 150. It was discovered to be 129. Based on 20 years of observing veeries in the wild, he made his forecast by studying their behavior.