Image of Hurricane Milton from NOAA's GOES-16 satellite on Oct. 8, 2024. (Image credit: NOAA)
Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will be utilizing updated products for forecasting during the 2026 hurricane season.
What we know:
NOAA is implementing a new operational hurricane track cone graphic with a depiction of inland tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings for the United States and a new storm surge watches and warnings graphic for the main Hawaiian Islands.
NOAA says the new operational hurricane track forecast cone will now include tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings for inland areas and allow residents of inland communities. (NOAA)
NOAA’s new operational hurricane track cone map
NOAA says the new operational hurricane track forecast cone will now include tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings for inland areas and allow residents of inland communities to better understand and prepare for the danger posed by tropical cyclone winds.
What to know about the new NOAA hurricane cone graphic:
- Incorporates all land-based (coastal and inland) tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings in effect for the continental United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Uses single shading for the entire 5-day outlook cone.
- Legend depicts symbols for areas where a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning are both in effect (represented by diagonal pink and blue lines.
- Full and intermediate Tropical Cyclone Advisories are/will be publicly available on hurricanes.gov.
NOAA says the new potential storm surge watches and warning graphic for the Hawaiian Islands will deliver probability-based forecasts of water and storm surge levels within 72 hours of hurricane impacts. (NOAA)
New NOAA storm surge products for Hawaii
NOAA now has new storm surge watches and warning graphics for the Hawaiian Islands. The graphics are an expansion of the storm surge products and services NOAA currently uses for the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of America coastline, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
What to know about the new NOAA potential storm surge watch and warning graphic for the Hawaiian Islands
- Delivers probability-based forecasts of water and storm surge levels within 72 hours of hurricane impacts.
- Incorporates forecast inputs such as storm track, wind intensity, and wind radii.
- Are publicly available for the main Hawaiian Islands.
NOAA says the improved graphics are a continuation of the National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) focus on improving public safety messaging and advancing the public’s understanding of hazards associated with tropical storms.
What they're saying:
"These improvements empower communities to prepare earlier and more effectively for dangerous hazards from tropical storms and hurricanes," said Michael Brennan, director, NOAA’s National Hurricane Center.
A prototype of the front page of the mobile-friendly National Hurricane Center website. (NOAA)
A mobile-friendly version of NHC website being developed
Dig deeper:
NOAA says a mobile-friendly front page of the NHC website, hurricanes.gov, is being worked on to provide users with mobile-friendly accessibility.
NHC says a refreshed version of the front page of the NHC website will be hosted on NHC’s mobile URL www.nhc.noaa.gov/mobile around the beginning of the 2026 hurricane season and will work on mobile, tablet, and desktop devices.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This story was reported from Orlando.