Tropical Cyclones
Tropical cyclones and hurricanes are xxx. They are the No.1 hazard for the US, causing xxx of loss.
- how do they make an impact
Impacts
Hurricanes pose hazards related to coastal flooding, erosion, and movement of contaminants in highly populated areas. Damage to natural systems can have long-term ecological consequences. The USGS applies a broad range of expertise to assess these hazards, forecast their impacts, understand potential risks, and use this knowledge to inform preparedness, response and recovery.
Dataset Information
National Hurricane Center Historical Database
Context: The National Hurricane Center (NHC) performs detailed post-storm analysis of each tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin, which includes the North Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea, as well as the North Pacific Ocean. This comprehensive examination utilizes all available observations to officially assess the cyclone's history, including data not available in real-time. The NHC is also committed to regularly updating the historical record as new analyses are reviewed.
Visualization
Content:
The NHC releases the tropical cyclone historical data in a database known as HURDAT (HURricane DATabase). This repository consists of the Atlantic HURDAT2 and the NE/NC Pacific HURDAT2 databases. They provide six-hourly updates on various aspects of all known tropical and subtropical cyclones, including their location, maximum winds, and central pressure. Since 2004, the database also includes the size of these cyclones.
- Data Type: Gridded, historical database
- Coverage: Atlantic basin, North Pacific Ocean
- Temporal Resolution: Six-hourly intervals
- Variables:
- Location (Latitude, Longitude)
- Maximum Winds (knots)
- Central Pressure (millibars)
- Size parameters (nautical miles, post-2004)
- File Format: CSV, PDF
- Update Frequency: Post-storm analysis, with regular updates
Sample Entry
Below is an example of how data is recorded in the HURDAT database[1]:
| ID | Name | Date | Time | Event | Status | Latitude | Longitude | Maximum Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL011851 | UNNAMED | 18510625 | 0 | HU | 28.0N | 94.8W | 80 | |
| AL011851 | UNNAMED | 18510625 | 600 | HU | 28.0N | 95.4W | 80 |
Usage
Researchers, meteorologists, and the public can utilize the HURDAT databases for various purposes, such as climatological studies, risk assessment, and educational projects.
Accessing the Data
The HURDAT databases can be accessed through the following links:
- https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/Data_Storm.html
- https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/
- Hurricane Satellite Data (HURSAT)[2]: Data download: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/hurricane-satellite-data
- International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/international-best-track-archive. Track mapper: https://coast.noaa.gov/hurricanes/ The International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) project is the most complete global collection of tropical cyclones available. It merges recent and historical tropical cyclone data from multiple agencies to create a unified, publicly available, best-track dataset that improves inter-agency comparisons. IBTrACS was developed collaboratively with all the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres, as well as other organizations and individuals from around the world.
- NASA tropical cyclone: https://disasters-nasa.hub.arcgis.com/ also soil moisture.
- storm-tide monitoring: https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/storm-tide-monitoring#overview
- National hurricane center: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/102341.shtml?cone#contents USGS Hurricane resources: https://www.usgs.gov/hurricanes
- storm events database by NOAA: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/
- severe weather data inventory by NOAA https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/severe-weather-data-inventory view https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/maps/swdi/
- usgs total water level and coastal change forecast viewer: https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/research/twlviewer/
- The International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS)
- flooding and storm surge associated with storms will also impact nonindigenous aquatic species https://nas.er.usgs.gov/viewer/Flooding/
- Hurricane impacts on agriculture: a lot of financial loss data https://www.ers.usda.gov/newsroom/trending-topics/hurricane-impacts-on-agriculture/
Ocean data
- Daily OISST by NCEI: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/optimum-interpolation-sst
Damage and Loss
- Hurricane Debby damage assessment aerial imagery: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/aug24/ngs-storm-imagery-debby.html
Citation
- ↑ https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
- ↑ Knapp, K. R. and J. P. Kossin, 2007: New global tropical cyclone data from ISCCP B1 geostationary satellite observations. Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, 1, 013505. doi:10.1117/1.2712816