HURRICANE CENTER

National Tropical Weather Conference
  • 4.5 (17)
  • Nature
  • Updated Biweekly

HURRICANE CENTER: The people, science and decisions that protect communities before, during and after the storm.

  1. 3d ago

    Episode 144: BEYOND THE HURRICANE HUNTERS: The Future of Storm Observation

    Hurricane Hunter aircraft have transformed our understanding of tropical cyclones, but there are still parts of a hurricane that are too low, too turbulent and too dangerous for a crewed aircraft to explore. That is where a new generation of uncrewed aircraft systems is changing the science. In this episode of the HurricaneCenter Podcast, we speak with Dr. Joe Cione, lead meteorologist with NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division and a leader in the development and deployment of emerging hurricane-observation technology. Dr. Cione explains why the lowest portion of a hurricane—the boundary layer immediately above the ocean—is so important to understanding storm structure and intensity. It is the region where the hurricane interacts directly with the sea, transferring heat, moisture and momentum, yet it has historically been one of the most difficult areas for scientists to observe. The conversation explores how small aircraft launched from NOAA Hurricane Hunter planes can descend into the eye, eyewall and lower levels of a tropical cyclone while transmitting measurements back to researchers. We also discuss: Why hurricane intensity remains more difficult to forecast than trackWhat scientists still need to learn about rapid intensificationWhy the interaction between the ocean and atmosphere mattersHow uncrewed systems complement aircraft, satellites, dropsondes and ocean platformsThe engineering challenges of operating inside hurricane-force windsHow observations are eventually incorporated into forecast modelsThe importance of collaboration among government, academia and private industryWhat the next generation of hurricane reconnaissance may look likeHow better observations can ultimately support earlier and more confident emergency decisionsDr. Cione has spent decades investigating the hurricane environment and developing ways to collect measurements from locations that were once inaccessible. His work has included the Coyote, Altius-600 and Black Swift uncrewed aircraft systems. A NOAA team that deployed an Altius aircraft into Hurricane Ian’s eyewall received the Department of Commerce Gold Medal for scientific and engineering achievement. Later Black Swift missions demonstrated extended flight time, communication range and the ability to operate within extreme hurricane conditions. This episode offers a rare look at the technology, science and human persistence behind the effort to better understand one of the atmosphere’s most powerful phenomena. Support the show Suggest a topic or ask a question: alex@wxguide.com Visit our conference site: www.hurricanecenterlive.com Thanks for listening and please share with your friends and co-workers.

  2. Jul 22

    S8:143 Rebuilding Together: Florida Recovery & Resilience After the Storm

    When a hurricane strikes, the first images are often wind, rain, storm surge and damage. But for many families, the hardest part begins after the cameras move on: finding help, repairing unsafe homes, navigating recovery programs and trying to rebuild a sense of normalcy. On this episode of the HurricaneCenter Podcast, Jose Garcia of Rebuilding Together Greater Florida joins the conversation to discuss the recovery side of hurricane preparedness. The discussion focuses on what happens after disaster strikes, why safe housing is central to recovery, and how community partnerships can help homeowners - especially vulnerable families - move from damage toward resilience. Jose shares perspective on the real-world challenges families face after storms: roof damage, water intrusion, unsafe living conditions, financial barriers, contractor concerns and the emotional toll of a long recovery. The episode also looks at how preparedness, mitigation and rebuilding stronger can reduce risk before the next hurricane season. The bigger message: hurricane preparedness is not just about tracking the cone. It is about what families, neighborhoods, nonprofits, local governments and partners do before and after the storm to protect people and restore homes. Support the show Suggest a topic or ask a question: alex@wxguide.com Visit our conference site: www.hurricanecenterlive.com Thanks for listening and please share with your friends and co-workers.

  3. Jul 15

    S8:142 - Bryan Norcross on Hurricane Communication Without the Hype

    When a hurricane threatens, the forecast is only part of the job. The bigger challenge is helping people understand what the storm means for them - without exaggeration, confusion or panic. In this episode of HurricaneCenter, meteorologist Bryan Norcross joins the program for a conversation about one of the hardest parts of hurricane season: communicating risk in a way that is urgent, accurate and trusted. The discussion centers on the balance between warning people early enough to act and avoiding language that makes every storm sound like the worst-case scenario. For broadcasters, forecasters, emergency managers and public information officers, that balance matters. If the message is too soft, people may not prepare. If it is too loud too often, people may tune it out. Support the show Suggest a topic or ask a question: alex@wxguide.com Visit our conference site: www.hurricanecenterlive.com Thanks for listening and please share with your friends and co-workers.

  4. Jul 8

    S8: Ep: 141 The Storm Is Over. The Danger Is Not.

    In this episode of HurricaneCenter, Meteorologist John Gordon joins the program for a focused conversation about indirect fatalities from extreme weather - the deaths and injuries that happen after the wind, rain, tornado, flood or hurricane has passed. The discussion reframes severe weather safety around the recovery period: carbon monoxide poisoning, flooded roads, hydroplaning, heat exposure, cleanup injuries, medical disruption and the risky decisions people make when power is out and stress is high. Extreme weather deaths are often counted by the headline hazard - hurricane, tornado, flood, heat or winter storm. But many of the most preventable fatalities occur indirectly. They happen when people drive into flooded roads, lose control on wet pavement, run generators too close to the house, work outside in dangerous heat, use unsafe cleanup tools, or lose access to power-dependent medical needs. This episode focuses on the part of storm safety that can be overlooked: what people do next. Support the show Suggest a topic or ask a question: alex@wxguide.com Visit our conference site: www.hurricanecenterlive.com Thanks for listening and please share with your friends and co-workers.

  5. Jul 1

    S8: Episode 140 Portable Generators: The Mistake That Turns Deadly

    Power outages are one of the most common after-the-storm problems - and for many families, a portable generator becomes the bridge between disruption and recovery. But generator safety has to come before convenience. In this episode of HurricaneCenter, Guillermo Rodriguez, PGMA Marketing Committee Chair, joins the program for a focused conversation on portable generator safety. The discussion centers on carbon monoxide, the colorless and odorless gas that can build up quickly when a generator is operated in or near an enclosed space. The key message is simple: take the generator outside. Not in the garage. Not on a porch. Not under a carport. Not near an open window. Portable generators should be used outdoors, far away from doors, windows and vents, with exhaust directed away from the home and any occupied space. The episode also highlights the importance of planning before the outage happens. Families should know where the generator will sit, how it will be connected, what it can safely power, which cords are rated for outdoor use, and where carbon monoxide alarms are installed. Support the show Suggest a topic or ask a question: alex@wxguide.com Visit our conference site: www.hurricanecenterlive.com Thanks for listening and please share with your friends and co-workers.

  6. Jun 24

    S8: Episode 139 Early Season Storms: Signal or Noise?

    Early tropical activity can create a lot of noise. A June storm near land may grab headlines, raise anxiety and spark big seasonal questions: Is this a sign of an active year? Does an early storm mean the season is ahead of schedule? Or is it just one weather event in a much larger climate pattern? On this episode of HurricaneCenter, Michael Lowry joins the program to help answer those questions. Lowry brings a rare combination of tropical forecasting, storm surge, broadcast and emergency management experience. He currently serves as Hurricane Specialist and Storm Surge Expert at WPLG-TV Miami, and his background includes work with the National Hurricane Center, The Weather Channel, FEMA and emergency management. The conversation centers on the difference between short-term tropical weather and longer-season signals. Early storms can be important, especially when they produce flooding, coastal water issues, gusty winds or public confusion. But they do not always say much about what the peak of the season will bring. Lowry helps frame what forecasters look for instead: large-scale steering patterns, ocean heat, vertical wind shear, moisture, pressure patterns and where storms are forming. The episode also explores communication. Early-season systems can be messy, sheared, lopsided or close to land. Those storms may not look impressive on satellite, but they can still produce meaningful local impacts. That is where clear messaging matters: rainfall, storm surge, coastal flooding and power interruptions can occur even when a storm is not a classic major hurricane. This is a useful episode for weather professionals, emergency managers, coastal residents and anyone trying to understand how to read the tropics without overreacting to every early-season development. Key Takeaways Early storms do not automatically define the rest of hurricane season.A named storm can be impactful even if it is weak, sheared or poorly organized.The best seasonal clues often come from large-scale patterns, not a single storm.Storm surge and rainfall risk can be more important than category or appearance.Communication matters most when the atmosphere produces messy, borderline systems.The public should prepare for the season as a whole, not just react to the first storm.Support the show Suggest a topic or ask a question: alex@wxguide.com Visit our conference site: www.hurricanecenterlive.com Thanks for listening and please share with your friends and co-workers.

  7. Jun 17

    S8: Ep 138: A Quieter Hurricane Season? Dr. Phil Klotzbach on El Niño, Arthur & the 2026 Outlook

    In this episode of HurricaneCenter, the panel opens with the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic season already affecting the Texas coast. Bill Reed walks through the early impacts from Tropical Storm Arthur, including tropical-storm-force winds near the coast, heavy localized rainfall, elevated tides and coastal water issues from Galveston to Bolivar and southwest Louisiana. Dr. Hal Needham joins live from the Galveston Seawall, where rough Gulf conditions and strong winds are already being felt, but he stresses that the main impact from Arthur is rainfall flooding rather than a major storm surge event. The featured guest is Dr. Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University, who breaks down the latest CSU outlook for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. Unlike recent years that leaned well above normal, the updated forecast calls for a somewhat below-normal season: 11 named storms, 5 hurricanes and 2 major hurricanes. With Arthur now named, that leaves 10 additional named storms in the forecast. Phil explains why the forecast has shifted lower: El Niño. He walks through how warmer water in the central and eastern tropical Pacific can change global wind patterns, increase sinking motion over the Atlantic and, most importantly, strengthen vertical wind shear across the Caribbean and tropical Atlantic. That shear can tilt and disrupt tropical systems, making it especially difficult for long-lived major hurricanes to develop. The conversation also covers why weak, short-lived storms like Arthur can still form during El Niño years. Phil explains that El Niño tends to suppress stronger storms more than weak tropical storms, especially in the deep tropics. That means the season can still produce impacts, especially from close-to-land or higher-latitude systems, even when the overall basin activity is expected to be lower. Phil also discusses CSU’s forecasting process, including historical analog years, statistical models, climate model guidance, ACE, western Atlantic landfall probabilities and new AI-driven forecasting tools. He notes that the strongest El Niño impacts are typically felt later in the season, especially in September and October, when background shear increases and Caribbean development often becomes much less favorable. The episode closes with a look back at Arthur’s real-time impacts along the Texas coast, a preview of Hal Needham’s upcoming Extreme Explorations documentary work, and a tease for next week’s guest, Mike Lowry. Support the show Suggest a topic or ask a question: alex@wxguide.com Visit our conference site: www.hurricanecenterlive.com Thanks for listening and please share with your friends and co-workers.

  8. Jun 10

    S8: Ep 137: Into the Storm: Tracking Hurricanes with Mark Sudduth

    Into the Storm: Tracking Hurricanes with Mark Sudduth When a hurricane makes landfall, the forecast tells us what may happen. But storm documentation shows us what actually happens — where wind, water and infrastructure meet in real time. In this episode of HURRICANE CENTER, the hosts talk with Mark Sudduth of HurricaneTrack, one of the most recognized hurricane documentarians in the country. Through HurricaneTrack and the Hurricane Intercept Research Team, Sudduth has spent decades documenting tropical storms and hurricanes along the U.S. coast using field observations, remote cameras, specialized equipment and live storm coverage. The conversation explores what it takes to prepare for a hurricane field deployment, how remote camera technology has changed storm coverage and why documenting landfall impacts matters for forecasters, emergency managers, media organizations and the public. Hurricane coverage is not only about dramatic video. It is about helping people understand storm surge, destructive wind, flooding, power loss and the real-world consequences that happen where a hurricane comes ashore. By placing technology in the path of the storm, HurricaneTrack has helped bring audiences closer to hurricane impacts while reducing the need for people to be in dangerous locations during landfall. In This Episode, You Will Learn  How Mark Sudduth built HurricaneTrack into a hurricane documentation platform.  Why remote cameras have changed the way hurricanes are covered.  What goes into preparing for a landfall field deployment.  How storm documentation can help the public understand hurricane impacts.  Why real-time video and field observations matter beyond traditional forecasts.  How technology can bring viewers closer to landfall without putting more people in danger.  What HurricaneTrack has learned from years of documenting storms along the coast. About the Guest Mark Sudduth is the founder of HurricaneTrack and the Hurricane Intercept Research Team, which was founded in 1998 to collect data and report on hurricanes and tropical storms as they make landfall along the U.S. coast. HurricaneTrack uses specialized meteorological equipment, remotely operated video cameras and field documentation to capture hurricane impacts. Sudduth also joined FOX Weather as an exclusive storm tracker in 2022 and has nearly 30 years of experience documenting hurricanes and other high-impact weather events.  Key Listener Takeaway Seeing hurricane impacts clearly can change how people understand risk. Forecasts tell us what could happen, but field documentation and remote cameras show the reality of landfall — storm surge, wind damage, flooding, infrastructure stress and the conditions people should avoid. HurricaneTrack helps connect the science of forecasting with the real-world consequences of the storm. Resources  HurricaneTrack  Hurricane Intercept Research Team  National Hurricane Center  National Tropical Weather Conference  HURRICANE CENTER podcast archive About HURRICANE CENTER HURRICANE CENTER takes listeners inside the science, decisions and real-world impacts of tropical storms and hurricanes. Featuring conversations with forecasters, researchers, emergency managers, storm documentarians and resilience experts, the podcast helps communities better understand hurricane risk and prepare before, during and after landfall. A production of the National Tropical Weather Conference. Follow and Share Subscribe to HURRICANE CENTER wherever you listen to podcasts, and share this episode with someone who lives or works in hurricane country. Suggest a topic or ask a question: alex@wxguide.com Learn more about the National Tropical Weather Conference: HurricaneCenterLive.com Support the show Suggest a topic or ask a question: alex@wxguide.com Visit our conference site: www.hurricanecenterlive.com Thanks for listening and please share with your friends and co-workers.

See All (144)

4.5
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

HURRICANE CENTER: The people, science and decisions that protect communities before, during and after the storm.

Information

  • Creator
    National Tropical Weather Conference
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    144
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 @Storm Science Network Inc.
  • Show Website
    HURRICANE CENTER

You Might Also Like