National Hurricane Center facts for kids
 Front view of the National Hurricane Center headquarters |
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1965 |
| Jurisdiction | United States government |
| Headquarters | University Park, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States 25°45′16″N 80°23′01″W / 25.75444°N 80.38361°W |
| Agency executive |
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| Parent agency | NOAA |
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is a special part of the NOAA in the United States. Its main job is to keep an eye on tropical weather systems. This includes tracking and predicting hurricanes and tropical storms. They cover a huge area, from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the central Pacific Ocean.
The NHC is located in University Park, Florida, near Miami. It shares a building with the Miami Weather Service office. This building is on the campus of Florida International University.
The NHC has different teams that do important work:
- The Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) creates ocean forecasts. These forecasts help ships and boats know what weather to expect.
- The Technology and Science Branch (TSB) makes sure the NHC has the best tools. They bring in new technology to help predict storms better.
- The Chief, Aerial Reconnaissance Coordination, All Hurricanes (CARCAH) team sends planes into storms. These "Hurricane Hunters" fly into hurricanes to collect important data. They also help with winter storms.
During hurricane season, the Hurricane Specialist Unit (HSU) is very busy. They watch for tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. If a storm is expected to hit land within 48 hours, they issue special alerts. These alerts, called watches and warnings, tell people to prepare. You can hear these alerts on the news or NOAA Weather Radio.
The NHC is a US agency, but it also helps the whole world. The World Meteorological Organization chose it as a special center for tropical cyclones. This means the NHC shares its forecasts and observations with many other countries. If the NHC ever has problems, other centers like the Central Pacific Hurricane Center or the Weather Prediction Center can step in to help.
Contents
History of Hurricane Tracking
How Hurricane Tracking Started
The first hurricane warning service began in the 1870s in Cuba. A person named Father Benito Viñes started it. After he passed away, the U.S. Army Signal Corps and the U.S. Weather Bureau took over. They moved the service from Jamaica and Cuba to Washington, D.C., by 1902.
Later, in 1935, regional hurricane offices took on the job of issuing warnings. This is when the idea of an "Atlantic hurricane season" began. This season is a specific time of year when people watch closely for tropical cyclones. These regional offices started sending out hurricane updates every six hours.
The Jacksonville hurricane warning office moved to Miami, Florida, in 1943. By 1947, tropical cyclones in the Atlantic started getting names. They used the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet. In 1953, the U.S. Weather Bureau began naming tropical storms with human names.
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In the 1950s, the National Hurricane Research Project started using planes to study hurricanes. They even tried experiments on big hurricanes. On July 1, 1956, a National Hurricane Information Center opened in Miami. This center collected all hurricane-related information.
The Miami Hurricane Warning Office moved buildings a few times. In 1964, it moved to the University of Miami campus. Around this time, it started being called the NHC. Forecasts also got better over time. In 1954, they could predict one day ahead. By 2001, they could predict five days into the future!
The National Hurricane Center Today
| Director | Years in Charge | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Gordan Dunn | 1965–1967 | |
| Robert Simpson | 1968–1973 | |
| Neil Frank | 1973–1987 | |
| Bob Sheets | 1988–1995 | |
| Bob Burpee | 1995–1997 | |
| Jerry Jarrell | 1998–2000 | |
| Max Mayfield | 2000–2007 | |
| Bill Proenza | 2007 | |
| Edward Rappaport | 2007–2008 | |
| Bill Read | 2008–2012 | |
| Richard Knabb | 2012–2017 | |
| Edward Rappaport | 2017–2018 | |
| Kenneth Graham | 2018–2022 | |
| Jamie Rhome | 2022–2023 | |
| Mike Brennan | 2023–present |
In 1977, the World Meteorological Organization took over naming Atlantic hurricanes. In 1978, the NHC moved to a new building. Male names were added to the hurricane list starting in 1979.
In 1984, the NHC became its own separate agency. By 1988, the NHC also became responsible for tropical cyclones in the eastern Pacific Ocean. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew damaged the NHC's radar. A new, stronger radar system was installed in 1993.
In 1995, the NHC moved into a new, hurricane-proof building. This building is on the Florida International University campus. It can stand strong winds up to 130 miles per hour. The NHC was briefly called the Tropical Prediction Center. But on October 1, 2010, it officially became the National Hurricane Center again.
Hurricane forecasting uses special computer models. These models use math to predict where storms will go. The World Meteorological Organization still creates and updates the hurricane naming lists. Names of very deadly or famous storms are "retired" and not used again.
How the NHC is Organized
The NHC is one of nine national centers that predict environmental conditions. It has about 66 staff members, including 12 managers.
Hurricane Specialist Unit (HSU)
The Hurricane Specialist Unit (HSU) has meteorologists who predict tropical storms. They work in shifts from May to November, watching the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific oceans. When a tropical storm forms, they issue updates every six hours. If a storm threatens land, they issue public advisories more often.
The specialists work with officials in countries that might be affected. They help decide when to issue watches and warnings. During hurricane season, the HSU also publishes a "Tropical Weather Outlook." This report points out areas where new storms might form.
If there are communication problems, other centers can help. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center can back up the HSU for the Pacific. The Weather Prediction Center can help for the Atlantic. The HSU also teaches the public about hurricane safety when it's not hurricane season.
Technology and Science Branch (TSB)
The Technology & Science Branch (TSB) creates new tools for predicting tropical weather. They developed the Automated Tropical Cyclone Forecasting (ATCF) system. This system helps combine different data and models to create forecasts. The TSB also supports the NHC's computer systems and website.
This branch also has a Storm Surge Unit. This unit creates software to predict how high storm surges will be. Storm surge is the rise in sea level caused by a storm.
CARCAH: The Hurricane Hunters
The Chief, Aerial Reconnaissance Coordination, All Hurricanes (CARCAH) is a part of the 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, also known as the Hurricane Hunters. CARCAH's job is to coordinate all flights into tropical cyclones. They make sure planes fly into hurricanes in the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific.
During winter, CARCAH also helps coordinate flights for winter storms. These flights gather data for storms that might bring heavy snow. They fly when forecasters need more information about a storm.
Hurricane Liaison Team (HLT)
The Hurricane Liaison Team (HLT) helps connect the NHC with emergency managers. This team includes federal, state, and local emergency officials. They make sure everyone knows about the storm's progress and danger level.
The HLT sets up video calls with the NHC, FEMA, and other agencies. They also talk to state emergency centers and other weather centers. When a major hurricane is about to hit, the President of the United States and affected governors and mayors often join these calls.
Research and Improvement
The NHC does a lot of research to improve its forecasts. After every tropical cyclone, they write a "tropical cyclone report." These reports summarize the storm's history, its path, and any damage it caused. These reports have been available since 1958 for the Atlantic and 1988 for the Eastern Pacific.
The NHC also keeps detailed records of hurricane history. This includes annual reports, advisories, and a database called HURDAT. HURDAT is the official record of tropical cyclones.
Programs like the Joint Hurricane Testbed (JHT) help bring new research into practice. The JHT helps turn new ideas into tools that forecasters can use. Another program, the Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program (HFIP), aims to make forecasts even better. Their goal is to improve hurricane track and intensity predictions by a lot in the coming years.
See also
In Spanish: Centro Nacional de Huracanes para niños
- Bureau of Meteorology (Australia)
- Canadian Hurricane Centre
- Central Pacific Hurricane Center
- India Meteorological Department
- Japan Meteorological Agency
- Joint Typhoon Warning Center
- Fiji Meteorological Service
- Réunion Meteorological Centre (CMRS Saint-Denis) (La Réunion) in French (French: Météo-France: Centre météorologique régional spécialisé cyclones de La Réunion)
- Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited
- Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre (TCWC Jakarta) (Indonesia) (Indonesian: Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika: Pusat Peringatan Dini Siklon Tropis)
