Category: Data Updates

HURREVAC now highlights active selections in the Toolbox, which is located in the lower left corner of the workspace. For example, this behavior indicates whenever the Tropical Weather Outlook is turned on by default when the program loads. Other tools like Text Advisories, Evacuation Timing and Training are also highlighted when clicked and their respective windows are open. Tools that open from the right side panel – Reports, Storm Surge (SLOSH) Explorer, and Storm Simulator – are also highlighted in the same way when you click on them. The right side panel now has a slightly different look, which removes the tabs at the top and only shows one tool at a time. It is still possible to switch between these three panel-based features using the toolbox. Other recent program changes Tropical Weather Outlook: storm icons are shown for all systems except the one that is actively selected (the ‘working’ storm). The TWO is beneficial for situational awareness, but we also recommend turning off the TWO layer when focused on tracking a particular storm unless you want to show its track in relation to other areas of potential development. Wind watches and warnings: improved caching now lets new information populate on the map without needing to restart the browser. This layer is often published shortly after the other advisory text products, so there can be a period of a few to several minutes where the HURREVAC map does not yet show a wind watch/warning line to match the text. Deterministic winds for JTWC areas of responsibility: added an exception to the recent program changes to show the 64kt (typhoon or cyclone) winds on the map throughout the 5 day period when applicable, as that threshold is explicitly forecast in JTWC advisories. The deterministic wind timing report still limits specific results for the 64-kt threshold to 3 days in all areas. Note to users in South Carolina: the state’s latest Hurricane Evacuation Study (HES) data has been implemented in the program during recent weeks and months. This includes new Evacuation Zones and clearance times in the Evacuation Timing window. New HES documents for the Resources tab are coming soon.  

Starting with the 2024 season, the National Hurricane Center extended tropical-storm-force wind radii forecasts out to days four and five. Previously, this forecast information only went out to day three.HURREVAC now incorporates this extended forecast data, which lets users gather more information about when tropical-storm-force winds could arrive. This change is reflected in several areas of the program: Forecast Wind Field (Wind Rings) used to advance no further than 69 hours, and can now be animated along the full length of the forecast. Wind Swath: Forecast – Deterministic and Forecast – Probabilistic were both extended from three days to five days. Wind Timing Report for a Location has a longer period of deterministic timing information for the 34-kt and 50-kt thresholds. Deterministic Wind Timing Report: refer to the updated report description for details. One change of note: a cell now lists “No Data” when the deterministic forecast does not reach that threshold. Previously, this was listed as “n/a.” NOTE: As in previous seasons, hurricane-force winds are still forecast to day two by the NHC, but extrapolated to day three in HURREVAC when applicable. Hurricane winds are not depicted beyond three days in HURREVAC. Therefore, even if the track forecast indicates a hurricane four or five days into the future, the hurricane-force wind fields and swaths are not plotted beyond three days, and reports do not show timing of hurricane winds beyond 69 hours. Users are encouraged to refer to Text Advisories and probabilistic products to fully assess a storm’s intensity, hazards, and uncertainty. This change does not affect the Error Cone plus Fringe Winds which still shows a hatched area for the next three days of the forecast.

Emergency managers in North Carolina now have access to an updated SLOSH basin in HURREVAC. The associated high-resolution MEOWs are available in the Storm Surge (SLOSH) Explorer to help users understand their storm surge risk for both planning and operational decision-making. The North Carolina basin, identified as nc1, was updated by the National Hurricane Center Storm Surge Unit and released by the National Hurricane Program in May 2024. The nc1 update includes improvements to both resolution and geographic extent, and is intended for use between the South Carolina-North Carolina border and the North Carolina-Virginia border. This new data replaces the previous Wilmington (il3) and Cape Hatteras/Pamlico Sound (ht3) basins. Questions pertaining to nc1 data should be directed to Cody.Fritz@noaa.gov at the National Hurricane Center. General questions about storm surge tools in HURREVAC should be directed to support@hurrevac.com. Other recent updates The River Gages layers in the Conditions tab now link users to NOAA’s NWPS, which recently replaced the AHPS system. The interface and symbology in HURREVAC are unchanged. The Potential Track Area (Error Cone) rates for 2024 have been incorporated for all basins. As a reminder, when using an archived storm, HURREVAC now uses the error statistics from its year of occurrence to show the cone as it would have appeared at the time (more information is in the January announcement). HURREVAC always plots exercise storms and simulated storms with the current season’s error cone definitions, regardless of when it was created or the date of the scenario. The HURREVAC team is currently working on improvements to the display of active storms and the Tropical Weather Outlook, and will have more to share about that project and other planned changes for this season during our annual training webinar series (June 10-14).