What is the National Hurricane Center (NHC)?:
Saving lives and controlling property loss are some of the top mission of the National Hurricane Center. The NHC issues watches, warnings, forecasts, and analyses of hazardous tropical weather in the United States and beyond. The NHC generates and coordinates tropical cyclone analysis and forecast products for twenty-four countries in the Americas, Caribbean, and for the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
Where is the National Hurricane Center Located?:
The National hurricane center is located on the campus of
Florida International University. The address is
11691 SW 17th Street
Miami, FL US 33165
You can also get driving directions
here.
What Can I Learn on the Virtual Tour of the Hurricane Center?:
There is a lot to learn about tropical cyclones at the National Hurricane Center. Included in the virtual tour are the
National Hurricane Center operations, the
Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch operations,
the Chief Aerial Reconnaissance Coordination -
All Hurricanes, the Federal Emergency Management
Agency liaison, Media & Seminar, NOAA Miami
Regional Library, and the Miami National Weather Service forecast office. Through each step of the tour, you will learn how each department interacts and works as a team to make hurricane forecasting a reality.
Will I Need Any Special Software to View the Virtual Tour?:
If your computer is not upgraded with the latest version of Java, you can download it
here. You will also need speakers to hear the audio text during the tour. For the hearing-impaired, a text window is also available. Visitors can move around each room in a circle, stop, back up, and zoom in. The tour can be downloaded for future reference in case of a loss of internet connection. (This would be especially useful for teachers with limited internet connectivity in the classroom.)
Why Should Everyone Interested in Meteorology Take the Tour?:
According to Bill Read, Director of the National Hurricane Center, "the virtual tour is an especially useful tool for students who are learning about tropical cyclones and weather forecasting. It also shows how the different branches of our facility work together for the best possible forecasts".
How Do I Begin the Tour?:
Go to the
National Hurricane Center Virtual Tour site. From the menu, pick the introduction entitled
Welcome to the National Hurricane Center. A pop-up window will begin your tour. Be sure your audio volume is up. Once inside the center, you can pause the audio in the upper left menu bar. You can also use the lower menu to move around and look at different locations on the tour. Teachers and students can also download the tour and save it on a computer.
