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Historical Eastern North Pacific Tropical Cyclone Tracks, 1949-2004
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Frequently-anticipated questions:
- Title:
-
Historical Eastern North Pacific Tropical Cyclone Tracks, 1949-2004
- Abstract:
-
This Historical Eastern North Pacific Tropical Cyclone Tracks file
contains the six-hourly (0000, 0600, 1200, 1800 UTC) center locations
and intensities for all eastern Pacific extratropical storms, tropical
lows, tropical depressions, tropical storms, and all hurricanes, from
1949 through 2004. This is a replacement for the January 2005 map layer
distributed as Historical Eastern North Pacific Tropical Cyclone Tracks,
1949-2003.
- Supplemental_Information:
-
An ASCII format version of the Historical Eastern North Pacific
Tropical Cyclone Tracks file is available at
<http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/tracks1949to2004_epa.txt>.
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
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>.
- How should this data set be cited?
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:
- What geographic area does the data set cover?
- West_Bounding_Coordinate: 129.5
- East_Bounding_Coordinate: -85.2
- North_Bounding_Coordinate: 54.0
- South_Bounding_Coordinate: 4.2
- What does it look like?
- Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
- Beginning_Date: 19490611
- Ending_Date: 13-Oct-2004
- Currentness_Reference: Ground condition
- What is the general form of this data set?
- How does the data set represent geographic features?
- How are geographic features stored in the data set?
This is a Vector data set.
It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
- 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.
- How does the data set describe geographic features?
- Subtropical and tropical cyclone tracks (described by phralll020.dbf)
- The path followed by the center of a tropical cyclone or related
storm. A tropical cyclone is a warm-core, non-frontal low-pressure
system that develops over tropical or subtropical waters, covering a
large region and with organized convection (i.e. thunderstorm
activity) and definite cyclonic (counter-clockwise circular) surface
wind circulation. Related storms are those that develop into
tropical cyclones or develop from them, such as tropical
disturbances, lows, and extratropical storms.
(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)
Value | Definition |
PolyLine | 1-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: | 6.096 |
- Phralll020
- Internal feature number.
(Source: National Atlas of the United States)
Range of values |
Minimum: | 1 |
Maximum: | 19381 |
- 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: | 1949 |
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: | 1 |
Maximum: | 12 |
- 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. Identifiers are sequential, starting
with 1 in June, 1949 and ending with 766 in October, 2003.
(Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurricane Center)
Range of values |
Minimum: | 1 |
Maximum: | 779 |
- 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)
Value | Definition |
NOT NAMED | There 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 |
- Long
- The longitude of the starting point of the storm track segment, in
tenths of a degree. Storm center positions are collected every six
hours, and each storm center position is represented by a longitude-
latitude coordinate pair. When 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. Any
variation in longitude smaller than 0.1 degrees should be assumed to
be an introduced offset from the originally recorded point.
(Source: National Atlas of the United States)
Range of values |
Minimum: | -180.0000000 |
Maximum: | 180.0000000 |
- Lat
- The latitude of the starting point of the storm track segment, in
tenths of a degree. Storm center positions are collected every six
hours, and each storm center position is represented by a longitude-
latitude coordinate pair. When 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. Any
variation in longitude smaller than 0.1 degrees should be assumed to
be an introduced offset from the originally recorded point.
(Source: National Atlas of the United States)
Range of values |
Minimum: | 4.2000000 |
Maximum: | 54.0000000 |
- 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)
Value | Definition |
0 | The wind speed is unknown.
|
Range of values |
Minimum: | 10.0 |
Maximum: | 160.0 |
- 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)
Value | Definition |
0 | The barometric pressure is unknown.
|
Range of values |
Minimum: | 98 |
Maximum: | 1018 |
- Wind_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)
Value | Definition |
0 | The wind speed in unknown.
The barometric pressure is unknown.
|
Range of values |
Minimum: | 10.0 |
Maximum: | 185.0 |
- 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)
Value | Definition |
E | The 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.
|
h3 | The 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.
|
H2 | The 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.
|
H3 | The 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.
|
H4 | The 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.
|
H5 | The 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.
|
L | The 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.
|
TD | The 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.
|
TS | The 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.
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- 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
- Who also contributed to the data set?
- 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
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.
- From what previous works were the data drawn?
- EPA_2004 (source 1 of 1)
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National Oceanic and Atmospheri, Tropical Prediction Center/National Hurr, 200503, Eastern North Pacific Tracks File 1949-2004: NOAA National Hurricane Center, Miami, FL.
Online Links:
- Type_of_Source_Media: Online
- Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information.
- How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
- Date: Aug-2005 (process 1 of 1)
-
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 180-degree longitude line had negative longitude
values even in the eastern hemisphere. The line segments were broken
at the 180-degree longitude line and the negative longitude values
for the eastern hemisphere were converted to the corresponding
positive longitude values. This means that each track segment that
crosses the 180-degree longitude line is now composed of two line
segments which have the same descriptive information for the tropical
storm.
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.
The cover was converted into a shapefile and an SDTS-formatted file.
Data sources used in this process:
- What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
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:
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- How accurate are the heights or depths?
- Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
This map layer includes all known eastern North Pacific and central North
Pacific tropical cyclones between 1949 and 2004. The term tropical
cyclone as used here refers to subtropical depressions and storms,
tropical depressions and storms, and all categories of hurricanes from
Category 1 to Category 5. This dataset also includes hybrid systems such
as tropical lows, waves, and disturbances, as well as extratropical
storms.
- 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.
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, the
NOAA Coastal Services Center and (or) the National Atlas of the United
States of America would be appreciated in products derived from these
data.
- 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>.
- What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?
- 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 or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration 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 or the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the use of these data.
- How can I download or order the data?
- Availability in digital form:
- Cost to order the data: There is no charge for the map layer.
- 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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