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James L. Franklin
,
Lixion A. Avila
,
Jack L. Beven
,
Miles B. Lawrence
,
Richard J. Pasch
, and
Stacy R. Stewart

Abstract

The 2000 Atlantic hurricane season is summarized and the year's tropical and subtropical cyclones are described. While overall activity was very high compared to climatology, with 15 cyclones attaining tropical (or subtropical) storm intensity, much of this activity occurred outside of the deep Tropics, over open waters north of 25°N. The season's tropical cyclones were responsible for 54 fatalities, with most of these occurring in Central America in association with Hurricanes Gordon and Keith.

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Miles B. Lawrence
,
Lixion A. Avila
,
Jack L. Beven
,
James L. Franklin
,
John L. Guiney
, and
Richard J. Pasch

Abstract

The 1999 Atlantic basin hurricane season produced 4 tropical storms and 8 hurricanes for a total of 12 named tropical cyclones. Seven of these affected land. Hurricane Floyd—the deadliest U.S. hurricane since Agnes in 1972—caused a disastrous flood event over the U.S. mid-Atlantic and northeastern coastal states, resulting in 56 U.S. deaths and 1 death in the Bahamas. Heavy rain from a tropical depression contributed to some 400 inland flood deaths in Mexico.

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Anu Simon
,
Andrew B. Penny
,
Mark DeMaria
,
James L. Franklin
,
Richard J. Pasch
,
Edward N. Rappaport
, and
David A. Zelinsky

Abstract

This study discusses the development of the Hurricane Forecast Improvement Program (HFIP) Corrected Consensus Approach (HCCA) for tropical cyclone track and intensity forecasts. The HCCA technique relies on the forecasts of separate input models for both track and intensity and assigns unequal weighting coefficients based on a set of training forecasts. The HCCA track and intensity forecasts for 2015 were competitive with some of the best-performing operational guidance at the National Hurricane Center (NHC); HCCA was the most skillful model for Atlantic track forecasts through 48 h. Average track input model coefficients for the 2015 forecasts in both the Atlantic and eastern North Pacific basins were largest for the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) deterministic model and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecast System (GFS) ensemble mean, but the relative magnitudes of the intensity coefficients were more varied. Input model sensitivity experiments conducted using retrospective HCCA forecasts from 2011 to 2015 indicate that the ECMWF deterministic model had the largest positive impact on the skill of the HCCA track forecasts in both basins. The most important input models for HCCA intensity forecasts are the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) Model and the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System-Tropical Cyclone (COAMPS-TC) model initialized from the GFS. Several updates were incorporated into the HCCA formulation prior to the 2016 season. Verification results indicate HCCA continued to be a skillful model, especially for short-range (12–48 h) track forecasts in both basins.

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Richard J. Pasch
,
Eric S. Blake
,
Lixion A. Avila
,
John L. Beven
,
Daniel P. Brown
,
James L. Franklin
,
Richard D. Knabb
,
Michelle M. Mainelli
,
Jamie R. Rhome
, and
Stacy R. Stewart

Abstract

The hurricane season of 2006 in the eastern North Pacific basin is summarized, and the individual tropical cyclones are described. Also, the official track and intensity forecasts of these cyclones are verified and evaluated. The 2006 eastern North Pacific season was an active one, in which 18 tropical storms formed. Of these, 10 became hurricanes and 5 became major hurricanes. A total of 2 hurricanes and 1 tropical depression made landfall in Mexico, causing 13 direct deaths in that country along with significant property damage. On average, the official track forecasts in the eastern Pacific for 2006 were quite skillful. No appreciable improvement in mean intensity forecasts was noted, however.

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Christopher W. Landsea
,
James L. Franklin
,
Colin J. McAdie
,
John L. Beven II
,
James M. Gross
,
Brian R. Jarvinen
,
Richard J. Pasch
,
Edward N. Rappaport
,
Jason P. Dunion
, and
Peter P. Dodge

Hurricane Andrew of 1992 caused unprecedented economic devastation along its path through the Bahamas, southeastern Florida, and Louisiana. Damage in the United States was estimated to be $26 billion (in 1992 dollars), making Andrew one of the most expensive natural disasters in U.S. history. This hurricane struck southeastern Florida with maximum 1-min surface winds estimated in a 1992 poststorm analysis at 125 kt (64 m s−1). This original assessment was primarily based on an adjustment of aircraft reconnaissance flight-level winds to the surface.

Based on recent advancements in the understanding of the eyewall wind structure of major hurricanes, the official intensity of Andrew was adjusted upward for five days during its track across the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico by the National Hurricane Center Best Track Change Committee. In particular, Andrew is now assessed by the National Hurricane Center to be a Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale category-5 hurricane (the highest intensity category possible) at its landfall in southeastern Florida, with maximum 1-min winds of 145 kt (75 m s−1). This makes Andrew only the third category-5 hurricane to strike the United States since at least 1900. Implications for how this change impacts society's planning for such extreme events are discussed.

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Edward N. Rappaport
,
James L. Franklin
,
Lixion A. Avila
,
Stephen R. Baig
,
John L. Beven II
,
Eric S. Blake
,
Christopher A. Burr
,
Jiann-Gwo Jiing
,
Christopher A. Juckins
,
Richard D. Knabb
,
Christopher W. Landsea
,
Michelle Mainelli
,
Max Mayfield
,
Colin J. McAdie
,
Richard J. Pasch
,
Christopher Sisko
,
Stacy R. Stewart
, and
Ahsha N. Tribble

Abstract

The National Hurricane Center issues analyses, forecasts, and warnings over large parts of the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and in support of many nearby countries. Advances in observational capabilities, operational numerical weather prediction, and forecaster tools and support systems over the past 15–20 yr have enabled the center to make more accurate forecasts, extend forecast lead times, and provide new products and services. Important limitations, however, persist. This paper discusses the current workings and state of the nation’s hurricane warning program, and highlights recent improvements and the enabling science and technology. It concludes with a look ahead at opportunities to address challenges.

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