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Tropical cyclone (TC) intensity forecasting is a challenging problem in both the research and operational communities. With the advanced research version of the WRF model, several case studies are conducted to investigate two main problems: 1) What are the factors limiting the TC intensity forecast? 2) To what extent can data assimilation helps improve the TC intensity forecast? To achieve the above goals, high resolution numerical simulations are performed. Comprehensive satellite and in-situ data sets, collected from the NASA Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes (TCSP) Experiment, are assimilated into the WRF model with its 3DVAR system. The results show that the forecast of TC intensity is highly sensitive to the physical parameterizations in the WRF model. It is also indicated that the WRF model has a problem capturing the rapid intensity change of TCs. The QuikSCAT ocean surface winds, GOES-11 AMVs, dropsonde data, and airborne Doppler radar data from the TCSP mission show significant impacts on the storm vortex structure and environmental features. The enhanced data has greatly improved the intensity, track, and precipitation forecasts of TCs.