[Switch to Tropical East Pacific Headquarters]
ATLANTIC BASIN VISIBLE (NRL) |
ATLANTIC BASIN INFRARED (NRL) |
ATLANTIC BASIN WATER VAPOR (NRL) |
STORM TRACKS & FORECASTS |
VIS "FLOATER" (NOAA)
W-ATL E-ATL |
IR "FLOATER" (NOAA)
W-ATL E-ATL |
NEWS & UPDATES:
- Ocean Heat Content added to Tropical Satellite Sectors page
- NY Times Hurricane Expert Blog
- Join my tropical updates mailing list, or view the archives
THE 2009 LIST OF ATLANTIC STORM NAMES (with dates of activity & peak intensity):
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VALUABLE TROPICAL ATLANTIC WEATHER RESOURCES:
- Atlantic Hurricane Tracking Map
- Caribbean Reference Map
- National Hurricane Center (FORECASTS & WARNINGS)
- CSU Tropical Satellite Sectors (SATELLITE)
- CSU Infrared Hovmoller diagram (SATELLITE)
- RAMMB Tropical Cyclones (SATELLITE)
- NRL Tropical Cyclones (SATELLITE)
- NRL Tropical Satellite Animator (SATELLITE)
- CIMSS Tropical Cyclones (SATELLITE)
- West Atlantic SHEAR and VORTICITY
- East Atlantic SHEAR and VORTICITY
- CIMSS AMSU TC Products
- CIMSS Real-Time ADT (SATELLITE)
- GHCC GOES Interactive Viewer (SATELLITE)
- SSD Satellite Imagery (SATELLITE)
- CSU Atlantic ITCZ Hovmoller diagram (SATELLITE)
- MOST QuikSCAT Ocean Surface Winds (SFC WINDS)
- KMNI ASCAT Ocean Surface Winds (SFC WINDS)
- COLA Maximum Potential Intensity (MPI)
- AOML Tropical Cyclone Heat Potential (SST)
- Weather Underground (GENERAL)
- Tropical Atlantic (RECON)
- CSU Operational Model Guidance (MODEL)
- FSU Cyclogenesis Model Fields (MODEL)
- FSU Cyclone Phase Evolution (MODEL)
- NRL NOGAPS Model Output (MODEL)
- NRL NOGAPS Wave Heights (MODEL)
- SHIPS Model Output (MODEL)
- HWRF Model Output (MODEL)
- National Data Buoy Center (BUOY OBS)
- CSU Net Tropical Cyclone Activity Calculator (STATS)
- Unisys Tropical Data (TRACKING)
- HRD FAQ: Tropical Cyclones (Q and A)
THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON INTENSITY SCALE:
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Category
TD TS CAT1 CAT2 CAT3 CAT4 CAT5 |
Max Winds (kts)
< 35 35-63 64-82 83-95 96-113 114-135 > 135 |
MSLP (mb)
- - > 980 965-979 945-964 920-944 < 920 |
SURGE (ft)
- - 4-5 6-8 9-12 13-18 > 18 |
ACRONYMS & COMMONLY USED ABBREVIATIONS:
- C: Celsius (a commonly used temperature scale, used for describing sea-surface temperature or cloud-top temperature)
- CAT: Category (a number between 1 and 5, this is the category on the Saffir-Simpson Scale assigned to a storm based on its maximum winds)
- CDO: Central Dense Overcast (the high, cold shield of clouds over the center of a cyclone... caused by deep convection)
- IR: Infra-Red (a frequency commonly used in satellite data to help determine cloud-top temperatures... can be used at all times of day)
- ITCZ: Intertropical Convergence Zone (area of enhanced convection encircling the globe where the Northern and Southern Hemisphere tropical winds collide)
- kts: knots (used to describe storm motion and wind speeds... 1 knot equals 1 nautical mile per hour, or 1.15 statute miles per hour)
- mb: millibars (a unit of pressure... 1013 mb is standard sea-level pressure)
- MSLP: Minimum Sea-Level Pressure (the lowest pressure found at the cyclone's center... either by aircraft recon or by satellite estimation techniques)
- MWS: Maximum Wind Speed (the highest winds found in the cyclone's eyewall, either by aircraft recon, buoys, or satellite estimation techniques)
- NHC: National Hurricane Center (the governing US agency responsible for issuing forecasts, advisories, watches, and warnings for all Atlantic and East Pacific hurricanes)
- RMW: Radius of Maximum Winds (distance from the center of circulation where the winds are the greatest... i.e., the eyewall radius)
- SST: Sea-Surface Temperature (the skin temperature of the ocean... found using ships, buoys, and satellites)
- STS: Subtropical Storm (a cyclone with 35kt+ winds, but having both tropical and extratropical characteristics)
- TC: Tropical Cyclone (general term for any warm-core weather disturbance with cyclonic winds)
- TD: Tropical Depression (a low-pressure tropical system with closed circulation and MWS of less than 35 kts)
- TS: Tropical Storm (a low-pressure tropical system with maximum winds between 35-63 kts)
- VIS: Visible (a frequency used in satellite data to view storms during daylight hours... has higher resolution than IR, but only works during daylight hours)
- Z: Zulu (this means Zulu time --or GMT or UTC--... it is placed after a time, like 12Z or 2315Z. During the summer months, EDT is 4 hours behind UTC, CDT is 5 hours behind UTC, etc.)
