Hurricane satellite could fail anytime; plans to launch replacement delayed until 201

[Gorilla]

MIAMI — An aging weather satellite crucial to accurate predictions on the intensity and path of hurricanes could fail at any moment and plans to launch a replacement have been pushed back seven years to 2016.

In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's chief said the failure of the QuikScat satellite could bring more uncertainty to forecasts and widen the areas that are placed under hurricane watches and warnings.

If the satellite faltered, experts estimate that the accuracy of two-day forecasts would suffer by 10% and three-day forecasts by 16%, which could translate into miles of coastline and the difference between a city being evacuated or not.

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Hurricane satellite could fail anytime; plans to launch replacement delayed until 2016 - USATODAY.com