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2023 Updates to NHC products in HURREVAC

HURREVAC will incorporate updated products from the National Hurricane Center for the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.

The Peak Storm Surge forecast graphic is added to the Storm Tools bar to coincide with the operational issuance of the product this year. The new icon is located between “Watches and Warnings” and “Potential Storm Surge Flooding.” Peak Storm Surge forecasts were issued experimentally for three storms in the 2022 season: Fiona, Ian, and Nicole. Those products were added to the HURREVAC archive for training purposes. This product visualizes the peak surge inundation values listed in the public advisory, and will be available when storm surge watches or warnings are in effect for the mainland United States, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Read more in the updated User Guide page (login required).

Screen capture of the HURREVAC workspace for Hurricane Ian Advisory #24. The map view is zoomed to southwest Florida. Peak surge is represented by purple, red, orange and yellow segments following the coastline. The Text advisories window is superimposed over the map, showing that text values listed there match the map labels. A red arrow points at the icon that turns on the peak storm surge map layer.

Starting this year, the Tropical Weather Outlook is extended to 7 days. The 7-day formation probability replaces the 5-day probability. A 2-day probability will continue to be issued. When applicable, outlook areas will also contain the associated invest identification number (for example, “AL91”).

Potential Storm Surge Flooding maps will now be available for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This product will continue to be issued when storm surge watches or warnings are in effect along the Gulf and Atlantic coastlines of the United States. Unlike those areas, any maps issued for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will account for water level rise resulting from nearshore breaking waves.

Watch and warning information will only be listed in the public advisory, which is found in the “Text Advisories” window in HURREVAC. To reduce duplication and potential for errors, NHC will no longer list watch and warning information separately in the forecast advisory.

The Potential Track Area (Error Cone) size is updated to reflect NHC forecast performance for the 2018-2022 period. The cone definitions for the Eastern Pacific basin also changed slightly.

Read the NHC’s 2023 product update (PDF) for more details about these changes.

More improvements are in store for the HURREVAC workspace in 2023. Developers are working on two main projects: in-app notifications and enhancements to points of interest. Check back by June 1 for another announcement with more details. Sign up for the 2023 HURREVAC training webinar series to learn more about these updated products and features during the week of June 12.

  • Posted by John Boyer
  • On May 16, 2023