Additional Model Data

Our model site displays National Hurricane Center (NHC) model data in Google Maps and Google Earth for active storms and areas of investigation. (Areas of investigation are designated as invests with numbers from 90 to 99.) You can also view model wind and pressure data, when available, in Adobe Flash diagrams. All best track and model data is archived so you can view historic data as well. Other features of our model system include NHC model error, a center fix system containing raw center fixes by satellite and other sources and model data for the East and Central Pacific basins. For active Atlantic storms, links to each storm's data will appear at the top of most of the pages on our site.

If you have the free program Google Earth, you can access all model data in the Atlantic Basin by saving the Google Earth file below:
This file will allow you to view the latest model data when it is available for active storms and areas of investigation. NHC best track, model and fix data come from the Automated Tropical Cyclone Forecasting (ATCF) system. Raw ATCF data is downloaded here from the NHC's FTP server and is processed by our site to be displayed visually when new data is available.

For a nice background to display Google Earth data on, click here for a NASA Blue Marble layer for Google Earth. If you would like a lower quality version, with the image embedded within the file, click here (5.09mb) to download it. The overlay is from August 2004. It combines higher quality imagery from here, which has been resized, that we replaced in the image overlay here, which contained lower quality imagery. Please note, this overlay may crash Google Earth if you do not have sufficient memory. Please save all the work on your computer before opening it.

For information about other basins, visit Tropical Globe.

This site has excellent Global Forecast System (GFS) model imagery. Other model data includes: North America Mesoscale Model (NAM) and NAM-HIRES, Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS), North American Ensemble Forecast System (NAEFS), Short Range Ensemble Forecast Model (SREF), Rapid Refresh Model (RAP), High Resolution Window (HRW) and Wave Watch III Model (WW3). Under "Observations and Analyses" you can also find Real-Time Mesoscale Analysis (RTMA), Upper Air Plots (UAIR) and Skew-T Plots (SKEWT).

This site displays models' projected path of low pressure areas all in one image. Once on the site, click the latest time in the left frame. From that you'll see a page full of different regions and models. If you are looking for a storm that doesn't happen to be near North America, such as in the Caribbean or across the Atlantic basin, scroll down the page and there is a table for the Atlantic basin. There are a variety of models to choose from, such as a multiple model, GFS, NCEP Ensemble, NAM, SREF Ensemble, NAVGEM, FNMOC (Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center) Ensemble and CMC (Canadian Meteorological Centre). The images show the path of a low with a line and also display the forecast pressure, which is quite helpful. You can view the text files if you cannot read the pressure on the images.

Model data for the GFS is available on the Model Analysis and Guidance page from NCEP as previously described on this page. About the GFS.

Scroll down in the right column of the page to "Model Data". You can select from a variety of map types and also select an opacity if you want to be able to view other features on the map. You can zoom in and out and pan the map. The WunderMap also has ECMWF model data. Since the Weather Underground switched to a new map service, some of the features the WunderMap used to have are no longer available in the new display.

Mean sea level pressure and wind speed at 850 hPa: Geopotential 500 hPa and temperature at 850 hPa: You can learn more about the ECMWF Integrated Forecast System (IFS) here.

See the description under the GFS section for how to use the WunderMap interface.

- Global Model
- Regional Model
- Global Ensemble Forecasts
- Operational Analysis Charts - Current Surface / Upper Air Analysis

You can view model data further out in time than the 144 hours (6 days) on the the CMC site. Surface Analyses & Observations

- NAVGEM
- GFS

Note: You can safely ignore the security warning if one pops up.

The National Hurricane Center has incorporated their NHC/TAFB Experimental Gridded Marine Forecasts into the proposed replacement of the National Weather Service Graphical Forecast Page. Select "Oceanic" as the geographic region and next to it select the forecast element you want to view, such as wind speed or wave heights. You can use the slider to view a different time period. You can learn more about how to use the interface here. You can view more information here on the NHC's site about the addition.

"HFIP provides the basis for NOAA and other agencies to coordinate hurricane research needed to significantly improve guidance for hurricane track, intensity, and storm surge forecasts. It also engages and aligns the inter-agency and larger scientific community efforts towards addressing the challenges posed to improve hurricane forecasts. The goals of the HFIP are to improve the accuracy and reliability of hurricane forecasts; to extend lead time for hurricane forecasts with increased certainty; and to increase confidence in hurricane forecasts."

NOAA HFIP Related Websites - This site links to lots of great resources, some of which appear below and in other places on this page.

ECMWF, GFS, HWRF, HMON, CMC, NAVGEM, FV3-GFS, JMA, EPS, GEFS, GEPS, NAM, WRF and others.

Global model means (ECMWF, GFS, Canada, UK), ensembles (ECMWF, Canada, UK, FNMOC), NHC model data (some of the data from "aid_public" folder) and others.

GFS, HWRF, HMON, UKMET, CMC, NAVGEM, JMA, FV3-GFS.

Tracks for GFS, ECMWF, CMC, UKMET, GEFS (US), EPS (Europe), CEPS (Canada), MOGREPS (UK) and others.

ECMWF, GFS, HWRF, HMON, CMC, NAVGEM, FV3-GFS.

GFS, CMC, NAVGEM, HWRF.

The WunderMap contains model imagery from the ECMWF and GFS that you can zoom in on and animate. The WunderMap also has other weather overlays on the map. To access model imagery in the WunderMap scroll down in the right column of the page to "Model Data".

On the tropical weather page for the Atlantic you will also see additional model imagery (Click "Computer Models") for active storms.

This site has select NHC model data plotted on images as well as model intensity data charted. It also has an archive of imagery, the latest SHIPS text output for a storm and links to other content.

GFS, CMC and other models and data, including satellite imagery. Some ECMWF and UKMET model data is also available.

Click here for Tropical Atlantic e-WALL. (Notice in the left column the satellite views, including floaters.)

- NOAA's Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) - GFS, NAM, HRRR and RAP

- Ohio State University - GFS, NAM and RAP

- Unisys - GFS, NAM and RAP

- South Florida Water Management District Model Data (SFWMD) - Has some NHC model data. Ignore any storm that is not from 1 to 49, for depressions or higher, or 90 to 99, for invest areas. This link is kept for posterity due to being available for such a long time online, before most any other model data was available online.

This page from the National Hurricane Center explains some of the different models used in forecasting hurricanes.

This page provides a brief overview of the global forecast models.

This page contains quite a bit of data regarding models, though it is rather dated. In 2016 this site moved and this page doesn't appear to be on the new site.

This page contains information that is mostly contained on the pages above. It is an answer to a question in the HRD's excellent Tropical Cyclone FAQ.