Data on 150 years of Atlantic Basin tropical cyclones (hurricanes, tropical storms, and tropical depressions) are on-line in a new interactive mapping tool located at http://hurricane.csc.noaa.gov/hurricanes/.
The Historical Hurricane Tracks tool can help scientists and emergency preparedness officials research storm-related subjects and detect storm trends, as well as help members of the general public satisfy their natural curiosity about storms.
The hurricane tracks tool lets users easily search and display Atlantic tropical cyclone activity since 1851. Searches can be made using a number of criteria, such as storm name, U.S. ZIP code, U.S. state, country, or latitude and longitude points. The Web site also provides a searchable database of population changes from 1900 to 2000 for U.S. coastal counties affected by hurricanes—and detailed text reports on the life history and effects of Atlantic tropical cyclones from 1958 to 2001.
"To make informed decisions, emergency managers need to know how many people live, work, and vacation in coastal areas," says Tony LaVoi, program manager at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center. "Having simultaneous access to population figures and storm data is a significant improvement, since the more you know about past tropical cyclones the better you can prepare for the future."
This Historical Hurricane Tracks tool was developed by the NOAA Coastal Services Center in partnership with the NOAA Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center.
