TropicWatch Hurricane Tracking

TropicWatch is designed as the place to get all the information you need about Hurricanes and other Tropical Systems in the Atlantic Ocean. When a Tropical Storm comes your way, you may go to the National Hurricane Center for information, but they aren't the only source on the web. We pull information from several sources to give you information the professionals use to track hurricanes.

General Tropical Info

Even when there are no tropical systems active in the Atlantic, you'll still see the basic tropical information. You'll get the official NHC Active Storms map, a Surface Analysis map showing high/low pressure systems, a map with atmospheric Steering Currents, a model showing dust and dirt particles caused partly by Saharan Air, a real-time atmospheric Water Vapor map, models of the current Wind Shear, and Atlantic Ocean Water Temperatures. Tropical Storms and Hurricanes require favorable conditions in these in order to thrive.

When there are cyclones in the Atlantic, information for that storm will automatically appear. For each storm, you'll get (when available): a Satellite Image, computer models for both intensity and direction, official NHC 3-day and 5-day track models, the official NHC Discussion text, and official models for both Wind Swath and Intensity.

National Hurricane Center Active Storms Map

What is an "Invest"?
When a National Hurricane Center forecaster sees a tropical disturbance that may be a threat to develop into a tropical depression, the forecaster may label the disturbance an "Invest" and give it a tracking identification number. There is no formal definition of what qualifies as an "Invest". Declaring an "Invest" is merely done so that a set of forecasting aids like computer model track forecasts can be generated for the disturbance. The "Invest" is given a number 90-99, followed by a single letter corresponding to the ocean basin--"L" for the Atlantic.[source]

Tropical Depression - 38 mph (33 kt or 62 km/hr) or less.
Tropical Storm - 39-73 mph (34-63 kt or 63-118 km/hr).
Category 1 Hurricane - 74-95 mph (64-82 kt or 119-153 km/hr).
Category 2 Hurricane - 96-110 mph (83-95 kt or 154-177 km/hr).
Category 3 Hurricane - 111-130 mph (96-113 kt or 178-209 km/hr).
Category 4 Hurricane - 131-155 mph (114-135 kt or 210-249 km/hr).
Category 5 Hurricane - greater than 155 mph (135 kt or 249 km/hr).

Welcome to the ClientSide Productions TropicWatch Beta! Please be aware that this is a "Beta" release. This means you may run into a bug here and there. If you have questions, comments, or wish to report a bug, contact us.

What is TropicWatch?
TropicWatch is an aggregator of information relating to current Atlantic Ocean tropical activity. It was intended to be the one-stop-shop for the most up-to-date information on current storms. In order to get the most up-to-date information, this page will update every ten minutes, during which the site is taken offline. Hopefully TropicWatch helps you keep tabs on the tropics.

Sources:

Please prepare yourself in case a Tropical System comes your way. The American Red Cross has information about steps to take to prepare your family in case a storm threatens you.

Coding and Layout © ClientSide Productions 2008-12 — All weather data presented is in the public domain and is thus not copyright protected.