QST, February 1989, page 15 =
Forecasting hurricane behavior falls far short of a perfect science.  In
order to forecast weather at all, the meteorologists must have command of a
bewildering amount of data.  Within the borders of our country, given
numerous official observation sites such as airports, laboratories and
universities, they have a better chance of being accurate in thier forecasts. 
But for a storm well out in the ocean, there is precious little data from
satellites, buoys, ships, aircraft and the occasional island reports.
Governments can only fund so many observation posts and must therefore
heavily depend on volunteers. When the storms cross international waters and
international boundaries, the communications difficulties and complexities
create much more of a problem. Amateur Radio operators are able to provide
the required support.  +