Ground truth data refers to direct, on-the-ground measurement of conditions produced as a hurricane passes through a location. While satellites, radars, and models can provide a broader picture of the storm, surface weather stations capture the conditions occurring at a specific location, including wind, pressure, rainfall, and other measurements.
In many remote regions, the surface observation networks that provide ground-truth data may be limited or non-existent. By deploying weather stations directly in a hurricane’s path, the measurements can help fill in these observational gaps and provide valuable data on how storms behave at the surface.