NOAA CREATES HISTORICAL DATABASE ON 150 YEARS OF ATLANTIC HURRICANES

September 18, 2002 — Emergency preparedness managers, meteorologists and the general public now have a powerful new instrument to explore more than 150 years of information about tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Developed by NOAA’s Coastal Services Center in partnership with NOAA’s Tropical Prediction Center, the Historical Hurricane Tracks tool is an Internet-based application that allows the search and display of detailed tropical cyclone data and coastal population trends. (Click NOAA satellite image for larger view of Hurricane Bonnie taken Aug. 26, 1998.)

Searches can be made using criteria such as storm name, U.S. ZIP code, U.S. state, county, or latitude and longitude. Tropical cyclone activity is archived as far back as 1851. The 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 impact of Atlantic tropical cyclones from 1958 to 2001. This is the first NOAA site that provides storm and population data side by side.

“To make informed decisions, emergency managers need to know how many people live, work and vacation in coastal areas,” said Margaret Davidson, acting assistant administrator for NOAA’s National Ocean Service. 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.”

NOAA National Hurricane Center Director, Max Mayfield, also praised the initiative for bringing together useful information to a wide range of users—from those in the hurricane “business” to retirees planning to move to the coast.

“Now that the Historical Hurricane Tracks tool is available you have one, easy-to-navigate site that can answer many questions about tropical cyclone history,” he said. The NOAA Coastal Services Center works to support the environmental, social and economic well being of the coast by linking people, information, and technology.

NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events. NOAA provides environmental leadership of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA's Atlantic Hurricanes Database — 150 Years of Atlantic Hurricanes

NOAA's National Hurricane Center — Get the latest advisories here

NOAA’s Coastal Services Center

Media Contact:
Frank Lepore, NOAA's National Hurricane Center, (305) 229-4404 or David Miller, NOAA, (202) 482-6090