Highlights
The National Hurricane Center is responsible for tracking tropical systems in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and providing watches and warnings when storms threaten land areas. Its ultimate mission is to save lives and help protect property. The hurricane center is located on the campus of Florida International University in western Miami-Dade County. Jurisdictionally speaking, it falls under the National Weather Service, which comes under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA, in turn, answers to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The center has 10 primary tropical meteorologists, who are called hurricane specialists. During the Atlantic hurricane season, from June...
The National Hurricane Center is responsible for tracking tropical systems in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and providing watches and warnings when storms threaten land areas. Its ultimate mission is to save lives and help protect property. The hurricane center is located on the campus of Florida International University in western Miami-Dade County. Jurisdictionally speaking, it falls under the National Weather Service, which comes under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA, in turn, answers to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The center has 10 primary tropical meteorologists, who are called hurricane specialists. During the Atlantic hurricane season, from June 1 through Nov. 30, they write advisories any time a system strengthens into a tropical depression. Once a system develops sustained winds of 39 mph, it is designated a tropical storm and given a name. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane with sustained winds of 74 mph. Advisories, which provide a storm's strength, position and projected track, are written every six hours, released at 5 a.m. and 11 a.m., and at 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern time. They are provided more often when a storm is approaching land. Hurricane specialists rely heavily on computer models for guidance on how to craft their advisories. The models, in turn, are fed atmospheric information derived from satellites, radar, ocean buoys and reconnaissance aircraft. Historically speaking, tracking tropical storms was originally the responsibility of the National Weather Service in Miami, Florida. As of 1965, the Miami weather office established the National Hurricane Center as part of its internal workings. In 1984, the hurricane center was broken out as its own entity. It had been housed in a building on the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables and later in a building across the street from the university before it moved into its current facility in 1995. In its history, the hurricane center has had nine directors: Gordon Dunn (1965-1967) Robert Simpson (1967-1973) Neil Frank (1973-1987) Bob Sheets (1987-1995) Bob Burpee (1996-1997) Jerry Jarrell (1998-2000) Max Mayfield (2000-2007) Bill Proenza (2007) In 2007, the center experienced internal tumult, shortly after Proenza was installed as director. Proenza angered his superiors when he publicly warned the inevitable demise of a weather satellite would cause hurricane forecasts to suffer. At the same time, he alienated many on his staff, who felt he had undermined public confidence in the center. Despite support from some members of Congress, Proenza was removed from the position after only seven months on the job. He was later returned to his previous job as head of the National Weather Service Southern Region in Fort Worth, Texas. Currently, NOAA is in the process of selecting a new director. Ed Rappaport, the center's deputy director, has been named acting director in the interim.
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Tropical Storn Fay led unrelenting barrage of storms
Sentinel Staff WriterFor Central Florida, the worst part of the 2008 hurricane season wasn't even a hurricane. Tropical Storm Fay drenched the region in late August, causing nearly $80 million in damages. Even today -- the last day of the official hurricane season -- some...Tags: Tropical Weather, Meteorological Disasters, Local Authority, Florida, Natural Disasters
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2008 hurricane season brought a few close calls for South Florida
South Florida Sun-SentinelHow best to describe the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season? In a word: Whew! For the third year in a row, South Florida escaped feeling the wrath of a hurricane yet had a number of close calls. Hurricane Ike threatened to strike as a Category 4 monster...Tags: Tropical Weather, Hurricane Kyle, Meteorological Disasters, Florida, Natural Disasters
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Months later, Tropical Storm Fay still lingers
Sentinel Staff WriterIt's been more than three months since Tropical Storm Fay drenched Central Florida, leaving a trail of flooded homes and washed-out roads. The water's gone, but as the hurricane season concludes, disrupted families are still trying to figure out what to...Tags: Homes, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deltona, Hurricanes, Tropical Weather
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Active Atlantic hurricane season ends on Sunday
247-4644The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends Sunday, closing a stretch that churned up a record number of consecutive storms striking the United States. The season ranked as one of the most active in 64 years of comprehensive record-keeping,...Tags: Hurricanes, Tropical Weather, Meteorological Disasters, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Florida
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Relentless Atlantic hurricane season sets records for repeatedly pounding US and Cuba
AP Science WriterWASHINGTON (AP) _ The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends Sunday, seemed to strike the United States and Cuba as if on redial, setting at least five weather records for persistence and repeatedly striking the same areas. "It was pretty...Tags: Tropical Weather, Hurricanes, History, Meteorological Disasters, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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Tropical Storm Paloma strengthening, turns north towards the Cayman Islands and Cuba
Forecasters say Tropical Storm Paloma is strengthening and turning to the north as it approaches the Cayman Islands and Cuba. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said today the storm could make landfall over Cuba as a hurricane by Sunday. A hurricane...Tags: Hurricanes, Tropical Weather, Disasters, Meteorological Disasters, Tropical Storms
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So far, Hurricane Paloma expected to hit Cuba but miss Florida
South Florida Sun-SentinelAfter rapidly intensifying in the Caribbean on Thursday, Hurricane Paloma was forecast to hit Cuba with 100 mph winds Sunday. South Florida is not expected to take a direct hit.However, Paloma's projected path still is close enough that it could bring...Tags: Hurricanes, Tropical Weather, Meteorological Disasters, Forests, Tropical Storms
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World briefs: Bomb kills 11 on North Ossetia minibus
An explosion hit a minibus unloading passengers in the capital of Russia's North Ossetia province yesterday, and officials said 11 people were killed in what they called a terrorist attack. The press service of the North Ossetian chief prosecutor's office...Tags: Hurricanes, Petroleum Industry, Meteorological Disasters, United Nations, Natural Disasters
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Hurricane Paloma takes aim at Cuba
(Fort Lauderdale) Sun SentinelAfter steadily intensifying in the Caribbean on Thursday, Paloma grew into a hurricane Thursday night and was forecast to hit Cuba with 100 mph winds Sunday. Although Florida is not expected to take a direct hit, Paloma's projected path is close enough...Tags: Hurricanes, Tropical Weather, Meteorological Disasters, Forests, Florida
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Hurricane Paloma heads to Cayman Islands
The Associated PressLate-season Hurricane Paloma bore down on the rain-drenched Cayman Islands today, triggering a run on stores and stranding hundreds as the airport closed on the chain of tiny Caribbean islands. The hurricane's center was expected to pass near Grand...Tags: Hurricanes, Hurricane Paloma, Disasters, Meteorological Disasters, Natural Disasters
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Hurricane Paloma will send light gusts to South Florida on Sunday
In a rare development this late in the season, Hurricane Paloma became a major Category 3 storm late Friday night with 115 mph winds. Paloma is projected path continues to keep the storm well clear of Florida. However, forecasters asked residents to...Tags: Miami (Miami-Dade, Florida), Hurricanes, Hurricane Paloma, Disasters, Meteorological Disasters
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World briefing
MEXICO Army seizes huge weapons cache The army announced that it had made the largest seizure of drug-cartel weapons in Mexico's history. The cache of 540 rifles, 165 grenades, 500,000 rounds of ammunition and 14 sticks of TNT were seized at a house...Tags: Defense, Firearms, Hugo Chavez, Hurricanes, Weaponry
Nov 30, 2008
|Story| Orlando Sentinel
Nov 30, 2008
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Nov 30, 2008
|Story| Orlando Sentinel
Nov 29, 2008
|Story| Hampton Roads Daily Press
Nov 27, 2008
|Story| Associated Press
Nov 6, 2008
|Story| Los Angeles Times
Nov 7, 2008
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Nov 7, 2008
|Story| Newsday
Nov 7, 2008
|Story| Orlando Sentinel
Nov 7, 2008
|Story| Los Angeles Times
Nov 8, 2008
|Story| South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Nov 8, 2008
|Story| Los Angeles Times
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