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Historical North Atlantic Hurricane Tracks - Major Storms with Landfall in the United States, 1851-2004
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Historical North Atlantic Hurricane Tracks - Major Storms with Landfall in the United States, 1851-2004

Metadata also available as - [Outline] - [Parseable text] - [XML] - [DIF]

Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Historical North Atlantic Hurricane Tracks - Major Storms with Landfall in the United States, 1851-2004
Abstract:
This Historical North Atlantic Hurricane Tracks file of major storms with landfall in the United States contains the six-hourly (0000, 0600, 1200, 1800 UTC) center locations and intensities for all northern Atlantic major storms from 1851 through 2004. Major storms are those that made landfall in the United States and that were classified on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale as Category 3, 4, or 5 at the time of landfall. Landfalling storms are defined as those storms whose center is reported to have either crossed or passed directly adjacent to the United States coastline, and which came ashore with tropical storm intensity or greater (sustained surface winds of 34 knots or 39 miles per hour or greater). In 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 there were no major landfalling hurricanes. This a replacement for the January 2005 map layer distributed as Historical North Atlantic Hurricane Tracks - Major Storms with Landfall in the United States, 1851-2003.
Supplemental_Information:
An ASCII format version of the Historical Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Tracks file is available at <http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/tracks1851to2004_atl.txt>. The ASCII file contains the source information from which the file of major landfalling storms was drawn.

For more information on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, please see <http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml>.

For more information on tropical cyclone advisories, please see <http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/forecast/forecast_products.shtml>.

General information on subtropical and tropical cyclones is available from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Atlantic 0 Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Hurricane Research Division FAQ page at <http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/tcfaqHED.html>, and from the National Hurricane Center Hurricane Basics page at <http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/basics.shtml>.

  1. How should this data set be cited?

    National Oceanic and Atmospheri, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurr, 200509, Historical North Atlantic Hurricane Tracks - Major Storms with Landfall in the United States, 1851-2004: National Atlas of the United States, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -107.0
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -15.0
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 60.2
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 8.5

  3. What does it look like?

  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

    Beginning_Date:
    Ending_Date: 05-Dec-2004
    Currentness_Reference: Ground condition

  5. What is the general form of this data set?

  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?

    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):

      • String (4056)

    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.1. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.1. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is GRS1980.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.0.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    Major hurricane tracks (described by Hurmjrl020.dbf)
    The path followed by the center of a major landfalling hurricane. A major landfalling hurricane is one that made landfall in the United States and that was classified on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale as a Category 3, 4, or 5 hurricane at the time of landfall. A hurricane is a warm-core tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface wind is 64 knots/74 mph or more. A landfalling storm is defined as a storm whose center is reported to have either crossed or passed directly adjacent to the United States coastline, and which came ashore with tropical storm intensity or greater. (Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center)

    Shape
    The representation of the entity in the data. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    ValueDefinition
    Polyline1-dimensional element that may or may not surround a 2- dimensional element.

    Fnode#
    Internal sequence number of the from-node. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:0

    Tnode#
    Internal sequence number of the to-node. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:0

    Lpoly#
    Internal sequence number of the left polygon. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:0

    Rpoly#
    Internal sequence number of the right polygon. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:0

    Length
    Length of the line in coverage units. In the distributed file, coverage units represent decimal degrees. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0.000
    Maximum:9.708

    Hurmjrl020
    Internal feature number. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:4056

    Year
    The year of the storm advisory, in the format yyyy. Advisories are issued for storms that have attained at least tropical depression status, and are issued every six hours, at 0000, 0600, 1200, and 1800 hours. Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center advisories are discontinued once a storm makes landfall and all storm warnings are dropped, or when the wind speed drops below 30 knots or 35 mph. The records for each date are listed in order. (Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center)

    Range of values
    Minimum:1851
    Maximum:2004

    Month
    The month of the storm advisory. Advisories are issued for storms that have attained at least tropical depression status, and are issued every six hours, at 0000, 0600, 1200, and 1800 hours. Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center advisories are discontinued once a storm makes landfall and all storm warnings are dropped, or when the wind speed drops below 30 knots or 35 mph. The records for each date are listed in order. (Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center)

    Range of values
    Minimum:6
    Maximum:10

    Day
    The day of the storm advisory. Advisories are issued for storms that have attained at least tropical depression status, and are issued every six hours, at 0000, 0600, 1200, and 1800 hours. Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center advisories are discontinued once a storm makes landfall and all storm warnings are dropped, or when the wind speed drops below 30 knots or 35 mph. The records for each date are listed in order. (Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center)

    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:31

    Btid
    The unique event identifier. (Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center)

    Range of values
    Minimum:4
    Maximum:1320

    Name
    The given name of a storm. Storms are named if they are true tropical storms and attain a sustained wind speed of at least 39 mph. (Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center)

    ValueDefinition
    NOT NAMEDThere is no given name for the storm. Prior to 1950 storms were not named. Later storms that were not recognized as tropical storms or hurricanes at the time of their occurrence are also not named.

    Formal codeset
    Codeset Name:World-Wide Tropical Cyclone Names
    Codeset Source:World Meteorological Organization

    Wind_kts
    The measured or estimated wind speed at the time of the advisory, in whole knots. (Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center)

    Range of values
    Minimum:15.0
    Maximum:165.0

    Pressure
    The measured or estimated barometric pressure at the time of the advisory, in millibars. (Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center)

    ValueDefinition
    0The barometric pressure is unknown.

    Range of values
    Minimum:892
    Maximum:1020

    Location
    A code indicating where in the United States the storm made landfall or impacted a point along the coast, and at what intensity, in the format HR ST#. ST is the two-character State abbreviation, or a location code from the table below, and # is the intensity classification on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Additional codes in the string (HR ST# ST#, etc.) indicate the location and intensity of the storm when it passed back over water or impacted additional points along the coast with hurricane-force winds. A storm may make landfall multiple times. 
    
 Code             Location
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 AFL              NW Florida coast - the Gulf coast down to Tarpon
                  Springs
 BFL              SW Florida coast - Tarpon Springs to the Keys
 CFL              SE Florida coast - north to Cape Canaveral
 DFL              NE Florida coast - north of Cape Canaveral
 ATX              Southern Texas coast south of Corpus Christi
 BTX              Central Texas coast between Corpus Christi and
                  Matagorda Bay
 CTX              Northern Texas coast from Matagorda Bay to the
                  Louisiana state line
    For example, Hurricane Andrew (1992) has a location code of HRCFL5BFL4 LA3, which means that Andrew made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane on the southeast coast of Florida, crossed the peninsula and exited as a Category 4 hurricane on the southwest coast of Florida, crossed the Gulf of Mexico and then made final landfall on the Louisiana coast as a Category 3 hurricane. (Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center)

    There is no predefined set of valid location codes.

    Winds_mph
    The measured or estimated wind speed at the time of the advisory, rounded to the nearest 5 miles per hour. (Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA Coastal Services Center)

    Range of values
    Minimum:15.0
    Maximum:190.0

    Category
    The intensity classification of the storm. Hurricanes are classified according to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. (Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center)

    ValueDefinition
    DThe storm was classified as a tropical disturbance at the time of the advisory. A tropical disturbance is a discrete tropical weather system of apparently organized convection (i.e. thunderstorm activity), which is generally 100 to 300 nautical miles in diameter. It originates in the tropics or subtropics, has a nonfrontal migratory character, and maintains its identity for 24 hours or more. It does not necessarily exhibit circulation, but may develop into a tropical cyclone.
    EThe storm was classified as Extratropical at the time of the advisory. Extratropical is a term used in advisories and tropical summaries to indicate that a cyclone has lost its tropical characteristics. The term implies both that the cyclone has moved out of the tropics and that the energy source driving the storm has changed. While tropical cyclones derive their energy from the convection of warm, moist air, extratropical storms derive their energy from the temperature contrast between warm and cold air masses. It is important to note that cyclones can become extratropical and still retain winds of hurricane or tropical storm force.
    h3The storm was classified as a Category 1 hurricane at the time of the advisory. A Category 1 hurricane is a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained surface (10 meter) winds of 64 knots/74 mph to 82 knots/95 mph, inclusive.
    H2The storm was classified as a Category 2 hurricane at the time of the advisory. A Category 2 hurricane is a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained surface (10 meter) winds of 83 knots/96 mph to 95 knots/110 mph, inclusive.
    H3The storm was classified as a Category 3 hurricane at the time of the advisory. A Category 3 hurricane is a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained surface (10 meter) winds of 96 knots/111 mph to 113 knots/130 mph, inclusive.
    H4The storm was classified as a Category 4 hurricane at the time of the advisory. A Category 4 hurricane is a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained surface (10 meter) winds of 114 knots/131 mph to 135 knots/155 mph, inclusive.
    H5The storm was classified as a Category 5 hurricane at the time of the advisory. A Category 5 hurricane is a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained surface (10 meter) winds greater than 135 knots/155 mph.
    LThe storm was classified as a tropical low at the time of the advisory. A tropical low indicates low pressure at the surface, but no other characteristics of a tropical cyclone are present.
    TDThe storm was classified as a tropical depression at the time of the advisory. A tropical depression is a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained surface (10 meter) winds of less than 34 knots/ 39 mph.
    TSThe storm was classified as a tropical storm at the time of the advisory. A tropical storm is a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained surface (10 meter) winds of 34 knots/39 mph to 64 knots/73 mph, inclusive.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)

    • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

    NOAA Coastal Services Center
    Clearinghouse Manager
    2234 South Hobson Avenue
    Charleston, SC 29405-2413
    USA

    843-740-1200 (voice)
    843-740-1315 (FAX)
    [email protected]

    Hours_of_Service: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Eastern Time

Why was the data set created?

These data are intended for geographic display and analysis at the national level, and for large regional areas. The data should be displayed and analyzed at scales appropriate for 1:2,000,000-scale data. No responsibility is assumed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the National Atlas of the United States in the use of these data.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

    ATL_2004 (source 1 of 2)
    National Oceanic and Atmospheri, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurr, 200503, Atlantic Tracks File 1851-2004: NOAA Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center, Miami, FL.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information.

    Atlas-hurall04 (source 2 of 2)
    National Atlas of the United States, 200509, Historical North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Tracks, 1851-2004: National Atlas of the United States, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: Online
    Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

    Date: Sep-2005 (process 1 of 1)
    To create Atlas-hurall04 from ATL_2004, historical track information was downloaded from the National Hurricane Center's Web site. The ASCII text file was formatted into an Arc/INFO table using AML. The INFO table was then processed into a generate file and an attribute table that were converted into an attributed cover.

    Location points are recorded every six hours. Each recorded point was associated with a unique line that extends from that point to the next recorded point. Small line segments, approximately 0.0001 degree long, were added to the end of each storm track to retain the final collection point's information. In the source data, tracks that crossed the 0-degree longitude line had negative longitude values even in the eastern hemisphere. These longitude values were converted to the corresponding positive longitude values.

    A limit in the processing software will not allow duplicate points, so where a storm stood still longer than the six-hour collection interval, the next location point was offset approximately 0.0001 degrees to retain relevant information.

    During the process of creating Atlas-hurall04, information on landfalling storms was extracted to an INFO table. This information was joined to Atlas-hurall04 and used to extract landfalling major hurricanes, which are those that made landfall as category 3 or higher.

    The cover was converted into a shapefile and an SDTS-formatted file.

    Data sources used in this process:

    • ATL_2004
    • Atlas-hurall04

  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

    National Oceanic and Atmospheri, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurr, 200509, Historical North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Tracks, 1851-2004: National Atlas of the United States, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    National Oceanic and Atmospheri, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurr, 200509, Historical Eastern North Pacific Tropical Cyclone Tracks, 1949-2004: National Atlas of the United States, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

    Specific accuracy information can be found in Neumann, C.J., B.R. Jarvinen, C.J. McAdie and G.R. Hammer, 1999: Tropical Cyclones of the North Atlantic Ocean, 1871-1999 (fifth revision). NCDC/NHC Historical Climatology Series 6-2, pp.11-14. Similar standards and techniques were applied to the post-1999 data.

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    Over-water portions of storm tracks before 1944 are subject to considerable uncertainties. Aircraft reconnaissance of storms near critical areas was introduced in 1944, and continuous weather satellite surveillance was introduced in the mid-1960s. These two developments allow a high degree of probability that more recent storm center locations were determined with a reasonable degree of accuracy.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

    This map layer contains all known Atlantic Basin (Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and North Atlantic Ocean) major hurricanes that made landfall in the United States and that occurred between 1851 and 2004. Major landfalling hurricanes are those that were classified on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale as Category 3, 4, or 5 at the time of landfall. In 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 there were no major landfalling hurricanes.

  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

    Over-water portions of storm tracks before 1944 are subject to considerable uncertainties. Aircraft reconnaissance of storms near critical areas was introduced in 1944, and continuous weather satellite surveillance was introduced in the mid-1960s. These two developments mean that more recent storm records have a higher degree of accuracy than those prior to 1944. No tests for logical consistency have been performed on this map layer.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
None. Acknowledgement of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center and (or) the National Atlas of the United States of America would be appreciated in products derived from these data.

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)

    Earth Science Information Center, U.S. Geological Survey
    507 National Center
    Reston, VA 20192

    1-888-ASK-USGS (1-888-275-8747) (voice)

    Contact_Instructions:
    In addition to the address above there are other ESIC offices throughout the country. A full list of these offices is at <http://ask.usgs.gov/esic_index.html>.

  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or implied is made by the U.S. Geological Survey regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. No responsibility is assumed by the U.S. Geological Survey in the use of these data.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 19-Jun-2006
Metadata author:
Peg Rawson
National Atlas of the United States
12201 Sunrise Valley Dr
Reston, VA 20192

703-648-4183 (voice)
[email protected]

Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)


 
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Generated by mp version 2.9.1 on Mon Aug 21 14:55:46 2006