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The Atlantic Hurricane Database Re-analysis Project is an effort to extend and revise the National Hurricane Center's North Atlantic hurricane database (or HURDAT). Going back to 1851 and revisiting storms in more recent years, information on tropical cyclones is revised using an enhanced collection of historical meteorological data in the context of today's scientific understanding of hurricanes and analysis techniques. To receive email updates about progress in the Atlantic Hurricane Re-analysis Project, send an email to Chris Landsea.
What's NewSeptember 2014 - A paper by Landsea et al. has just been published in the Journal of Climate on the completed 1931-1943 reanalysis. July 2014 - The Northeast and North Central Pacific basin tropical cyclone best tracks have been finalized through 2013 and are available on the reanalysis Data page. May 2014 - An updated HURDAT2 dataset was provided to include the 1988 non-developing tropical depressions, multiple landfall points from 1983-2011 that were in the Tropical Cyclone Reports, as well as correcting a few typographical errors. April 2014 - A re-analysis of the database for Hurricane Camille, an extremely intense hurricane that devastated the U.S Gulf Coast on the night of August 17, 1969, has been completed. Based upon this reassessment, Hurricane Camille is indicated at landfall on the Mississippi coast to have been a Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale with peak sustained winds of 175 mph and a central pressure of 900 mb. This is the same category as analyzed originally, but the peak sustained winds were reduced from 190 mph and the central pressure lowered from 909 mb. Camille is also reanalyzed to have undergone genesis as a tropical cyclone 18 hours earlier than first indicated on August 14, 1969. When comparing Camille with the two other known Category 5 hurricanes that have struck the continental United States since 1900, Camille (900 mb and 175 mph) ranks between the 1935 Labor Day hurricane (892 mb and 185 mph) and 1992’s Andrew (922 mb and 165 mph) as the strongest hurricanes on record at landfall. Revisions to the Camille’s database were accomplished by obtaining the original observations collected – mainly by ships, weather stations, coastal radars, Navy/Air Force/Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA) Hurricane Hunter aircraft reconnaissance planes, ESSA/NASA satellite imagery – and analyzing Camille based upon our understanding of hurricanes today. (The agency ESSA is now the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA.) Margie Kieper, Jack Beven, Hugh Willoughby, Chris Landsea, and the NHC Best Track Change Committee all made substantial contributions toward the reanalysis of this devastating hurricane. This research is supported in part by the NOAA Climate Program Office. March 2014 - A complete re-analysis of the Atlantic hurricane database (HURDAT) was conducted for the 1946 to 1950 seasons. Revisions to the hurricane database were accomplished by obtaining the original observations collected – mainly by ships, weather stations, and the early Hurricane Hunter Navy and Army Air Force aircraft reconnaissance planes – and assessing the storms based upon our understanding of hurricanes today. The reanalysis also allowed “discovering” of tropical storms and hurricanes that occurred, but were not yet officially recognized as such in the official records. 1946 to 1950 was an active period for hurricanes with 13 striking the continental United States, whereas an average five year span would have about nine U.S. hurricane impacts. Five of the 13 were major hurricane status – Category 3, 4, or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale – at U.S. landfall and all five struck Florida. These are a Category 4 hurricane in Fort Lauderdale in 1947, a Category 4 hurricane in Everglades City in 1948, a Category 4 hurricane in Lake Worth in 1949, Category 3 Hurricane Easy in Cedar Key in 1950, and Category 4 Hurricane King in Miami in 1950. Of these, King and the 1948 and 1949 hurricanes were upgraded from a Category 3 to a Category 4 based upon the reanalysis. Having five major hurricanes making landfall in Florida is a record for a five year period, equaled only by the early 2000s. In addition, nine new tropical storms were discovered and added into the database for this five year period. Andrew Hagen, Donna Sakoskie, Daniel Gladstein, Sandy Delgado, Astryd Rodriguez, Chris Landsea and the NHC Best Track Change Committee all made substantial contributions toward the reanalysis of these hurricane seasons. This research is supported in part by the NOAA Climate Program Office. February 2014 - The 2013 Atlantic basin tropical cyclone best tracks have been finalized and made available in the Data page.
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