Welcome to the Tropical Cyclone Data Project

This project is funded by the Risk Prediction Initiative (RPI2.0) to develop a new historical database of tropical cyclone wind and size parameters. Unlike other historical databases, such as the National Hurricane Center's Hurricane Database (HURDAT2), this new database will use objective methods to provide time-dependent error bounds on the estimated wind parameters. The goal is to provide the highest quality database possible for parametric wind modeling applications. Such models are used by the (re)insurance industry to simulate wind risk from tropical cyclones.

To accomplish this goal, the project is currently organized around four main objectives: (1) to provide an updated Vortex Data Message dataset for Atlantic tropical cyclones that occurred between 1989 and 2012, (2) to provide a new dataset of standardized high resolution flight level data for Atlantic tropical cyclones that occurred between 1999 and 2015, (3) to provide an updated dataset of QuikSCAT satellite-based wind parameters from 1999 to 2009, and (4) to use objective methods to combine the information from the above source datasets into a new historical database of tropical cyclone parameters.  

This site is organized by tabs underneath the banner image above. Each main tab has a 'About' page that provides more information about that section. Please refer to the overview tab to learn more about the rationale of this project, the project team members, to see the project timeline, and to contact the team. 

Inside the eye
Looking straight up from inside the eye of Supertyphoon Forrest (1983) from a hurricane hunter reconnaissance aircraft. Photo courtesy of Scott A. Dommin.