About the National Hurricane Center

The National Hurricane Center is located on the campus of Florida International University in Southwestern Miami-Dade county in Miami, Florida.

Here are directions to the Center. The National Weather Service Miami Weather Forecast Office is co-located with us.

Here's a brief history of the National Weather Service in Miami, Florida.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is a component of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. The NHC mission is to save lives, mitigate property loss, and improve economic efficiency by issuing the best watches, warnings, forecasts and analyses of hazardous tropical weather, and by increasing understanding of these hazards. The NHC vision is to be America's calm, clear and trusted voice in the eye of the storm and, with its partners, enable communities to be safe from tropical weather threats.

Through international agreement, the NHC has responsibility within the World Meteorological Organization to generate and coordinate tropical cyclone analysis and forecast products for twenty-four countries in the Americas, Caribbean, and for the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern North Pacific Ocean. NHC products are distributed through a close working relationship with the media and emergency management communities.

To meet its mission the NHC is composed of three branches. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) maintains a continuous watch on tropical cyclones from 15 May in the eastern Pacific and 1 June in the Atlantic through November 30. The Center prepares and issues forecasts, watches and warnings within text advisories and graphical products. Although many countries issue their own warnings, they generally base them on direct discussions with, and guidance from, the NHC. During the "off-season", the NHC conducts an extensive outreach and education program, training U.S. emergency managers and representatives from many other countries affected by tropical cyclones.

The Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) provides year-round marine weather analysis and forecast products over the tropical and subtropical waters of the eastern North and South Pacific and the North Atlantic basin. The branch also produces satellite-based weather interpretation and rainfall estimates for the international community. The TAFB provides support to NHC through manpower and tropical cyclone position and intensity estimates based on the Dvorak technique.

The Technical Support Branch (TSB) provides support for NHC computer and communications systems. The TSB also maintains a small applied research and techniques development unit which develops tools for hurricane and tropical weather analysis and prediction. TSB also has a storm surge group which provides information for developing evacuation procedures for coastal areas.

The NHC collaborates with universities, government research laboratories, international tropical weather centers, the private sector and other National Weather Service components to maintain its leading edge in tropical meteorology through coordinated operations, research, training and forecast development techniques.

For general questions and information about the NHC or its branches please contact:

NOAA Public Affairs Officer: