Highlights
The National Hurricane Center is responsible for tracking tropical systems in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and providing watches and warnings when storms threaten land areas. Its ultimate mission is to save lives and help protect property. The hurricane center is located on the campus of Florida International University in western Miami-Dade County. Jurisdictionally speaking, it falls under the National Weather Service, which comes under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA, in turn, answers to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The center has 10 primary tropical meteorologists, who are called hurricane specialists. During the Atlantic hurricane season, f...
The National Hurricane Center is responsible for tracking tropical systems in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and providing watches and warnings when storms threaten land areas. Its ultimate mission is to save lives and help protect property. The hurricane center is located on the campus of Florida International University in western Miami-Dade County. Jurisdictionally speaking, it falls under the National Weather Service, which comes under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA, in turn, answers to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The center has 10 primary tropical meteorologists, who are called hurricane specialists. During the Atlantic hurricane season, from June 1 through Nov. 30, they write advisories any time a system strengthens into a tropical depression. Once a system develops sustained winds of 39 mph, it is designated a tropical storm and given a name. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane with sustained winds of 74 mph. Advisories, which provide a storm's strength, position and projected track, are written every six hours, released at 5 a.m. and 11 a.m., and at 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern time. They are provided more often when a storm is approaching land. Hurricane specialists rely heavily on computer models for guidance on how to craft their advisories. The models, in turn, are fed atmospheric information derived from satellites, radar, ocean buoys and reconnaissance aircraft. Historically speaking, tracking tropical storms was originally the responsibility of the National Weather Service in Miami, Florida. As of 1965, the Miami weather office established the National Hurricane Center as part of its internal workings. In 1984, the hurricane center was broken out as its own entity. It had been housed in a building on the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables and later in a building across the street from the university before it moved into its current facility in 1995. In its history, the hurricane center has had nine directors: Gordon Dunn (1965-1967) Robert Simpson (1967-1973) Neil Frank (1973-1987) Bob Sheets (1987-1995) Bob Burpee (1996-1997) Jerry Jarrell (1998-2000) Max Mayfield (2000-2007) Bill Proenza (2007) In 2007, the center experienced internal tumult, shortly after Proenza was installed as director. Proenza angered his superiors when he publicly warned the inevitable demise of a weather satellite would cause hurricane forecasts to suffer. At the same time, he alienated many on his staff, who felt he had undermined public confidence in the center. Despite support from some members of Congress, Proenza was removed from the position after only seven months on the job. He was later returned to his previous job as head of the National Weather Service Southern Region in Fort Worth, Texas. Currently, NOAA is in the process of selecting a new director. Ed Rappaport, the center's deputy director, has been named acting director in the interim.
Displaying items 1-12 of 698
» View abc26.com items only
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11-59
•
Next >
-
Tropical Storm Sean forms; watch issued for Bermuda
CNNA tropical storm watch was issued for Bermuda on Tuesday ahead of newly formed Tropical Storm Sean, forecasters said. Sean formed early Tuesday, midway between Bermuda and the Bahamas, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. As of midday Tuesday,...Tags: Disasters, Hurricanes, Natural Disasters, Weather, Tropical Weather
-
Tropical Storm Sean may become hurricane Thursday
Tropical Storm Sean may strengthen into a hurricane Thursday as it moves between the U.S. East Coast and Bermuda.
The 18th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, Sean's winds may increase to 75 miles per hour on Thursday. The U.S. National...Tags: Disasters, Hurricanes, Natural Disasters, Tropical Storms
-
Irene strengthens into Category 3 hurricane
ReutersHurricane Irene strengthened on Wednesday as it roared up from the Caribbean on a path that prompted residents along the U.S. east coast to prepare for a possible hit over the weekend. Irene regained force as a Category 2 storm, then quickly moved up...Tags: Disasters, Petroleum Industry, Caribbean Islands, New York, Natural Disasters
-
Emergency Phone Numbers & Web Links
WGNO News++++++++++++++++++++ || American Red Cross : http://www.redcross.org (866)GET-INFO or (866)438-4636 ++++++++++++++++++++ || Central Louisiana (Alexandria) || (318)442-6621 || || Louisiana Capital Area ( Baton Rouge) || (225)291-4533 || ||...Tags: Disasters, Executive Branch, Unrest, Conflicts and War, Forestry and Timber, Natural Disasters
-
Hurricane Hunter: The Storm Chaser Next Door
Long before a hurricane makes landfall, there's a group of people risking their lives to help us stay safe. They're called the Hurricane Hunters and they work hand in hand with the National Hurricane Center to bring the most accurate information to the...Tags: Disasters, Hunting, Natural Disasters, Weather Reports, FedEx Corporation
-
Thibodaux Man Dies In Crash
ABC26 NewsState police say an 85-year-old Thibodaux man died from injuries suffered in a crash on La. Highway 20 in Lafourche Parish. Trooper Bryan Zeringue (zuh-RANG') says Ferdinand Delatte was driving a car westbound on Choctaw Road near Chackbay Monday, made a...Tags: Disasters, Natural Disasters, Health, Water Pollution, Thad Allen
-
Gulf Relief Well Crews Watch For Tropical Weather
ABC26 NewsCrews finishing work meant to forever stop oil from leaking from a blown-out undersea well into the Gulf may have one more hurdle to overcome: the weather. The National Hurricane Center is watching a cluster of thunderstorms in the far eastern Gulf of...Tags: Disasters, Natural Disasters, Health, Water Pollution, Thad Allen
-
Feds: Storms delay drilling for final BP well plug
ABC26 NewsAn approaching tropical depression forced crews to suspend drilling Tuesday on the final stretch of a relief well aimed at shooting a permanent underground plug into BP's busted oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said the...Tags: Thad Allen, Florida, Weather, Tropical Weather, Justice System
-
Tropical Depression Halts Drilling At Gulf Well
ABC26 NewsDrilling the final feet of a relief well intended to permanently plug the busted BP oil well deep below the Gulf of Mexico will have to wait two to three days as a strengthening tropical depression bears down on the site. BP and Coast Guard officials had...Tags: Disasters, Weather Warnings, Thad Allen, Water Pollution, Florida
-
Tropical depression just fades away
ABC26 NewsAfter a day when Mississippi's coast and about two-thirds of Louisiana's was under a tropical storm warning, the tropical depression heading for the coast weakened and dissipated. The National Hurricane Center in Miami discontinued the tropical storm...Tags: Weather Warnings, Louisiana, Miami (Miami-Dade, Florida), Weather, Mississippi
-
Tropical Storm Danielle Forms In The Atlantic
ABC26 NewsTropical Storm Danielle has formed in the Atlantic, but the system is still far from land. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Sunday that Danielle had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and the storm is expected to...Tags: Weather Warnings, Mexico, Weather, Tropical Weather, Tropical Storms
-
Hurricane Paula Forms, Heads To Yucatan Peninsula
ABC26 NewsHurricane Paula has formed off the coast of Honduras and the storm is forecast to skirt the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said early Tuesday that Paula had maximum sustained winds near 75 mph (120 kph) and...Tags: Disasters, Weather Warnings, Natural Disasters, WGNO, Weather
Nov 8, 2011
|Story| WGNO-LTV
Nov 10, 2011
|Story| WGNO-LTV
Aug 24, 2011
|Story| WGNO-LTV
May 31, 2011
|Story| WGNO-LTV
May 17, 2011
|Story| WGNO-LTV
Aug 10, 2010
|Story| WGNO-LTV
Aug 10, 2010
|Story| WGNO-LTV
Aug 10, 2010
|Story| WGNO-LTV
Aug 11, 2010
|Story| WGNO-LTV
Aug 11, 2010
|Story| WGNO-LTV
Aug 22, 2010
|Story| WGNO-LTV
Oct 12, 2010
|Story| WGNO-LTV
Original site for National Hurricane Center topic gallery.
