In the coming weeks, the National Hurricane Center will unveil a fresh cone of concern, which excites them.
Mid-August is when the prototype tropical cyclone prediction cone graphic is scheduled to be released, right before the height of hurricane season.
For core counties in the storm’s direction, the new cone will include alerts and warnings for tropical storms and hurricanes. Only coastal regions are included in the latest cone’s alerts and warnings.
What makes the “cone of uncertainty” from the National Hurricane Center different?
Alerts and cautions for interior counties will be reflected in the latest experimental cone.
The NHC cone of interest currently displays the anticipated course of a hurricane or tropical storm, along with the storm’s time and any warnings or alerts for coastal regions.
The updated visual will show possible effects for regions closer to the coast in addition to the identical information.
The National Hurricane Center stated that the watches and warnings will be more important than the cone.
Changes you’ll notice:
Alerts and warnings are available not only for coastal regions but also for counties inland.
Rather than using white stippling (dots) for the 4 and 5-day forecasts, the full five-day prediction is shaded with white translucent shading.
While watches and warnings were previously focused on Florida’s beaches, numerous inland residents and tourists were not aware of the wind hazards that a coming hurricane may pose far from the coast. The inland alerts and warnings are highlighted by the new cone.
“It’s doing excellent, and we’re on the correct track” to introduce the new cone in August, according to Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center.
According to Rhome, meteorologists analyzed the initial 3 hurricanes of the 2024 Atlantic season for hurricanes to confirm that everything was operating as intended.
“We will begin operations as expected on or near Aug. 15,” Rhome stated.
“We are refusing to launch during a storm since that could cause confusion and disruption. We may launch on August 15 if everything is quite calm, but if a hurricane is building up early, we may launch a fresh cone earlier.
“The inland wind alerts are the largest modification to the cone. Those have been given for years by the National Weather Service.