Accurate knowledge of the distribution and evolution
of moisture and latent heating fields associated with
deep convection is essential for accurate numerical
forecasts of cyclogenesis (e.g., Anthes et al. 1983; Brennan
and Lackmann 2005). The paucity of in situ observations
over the North Pacific Ocean can lead to significant
errors in the initial moisture fields’ input into operational
numerical models. These observational errors in
turn often lead to large forecast errors in simulated storm
geopotential height, wind, and rainfall (e.g., McMurdie
and Mass 2004).