It’s hurricane season. How well do you know your tropical definitions?
Do you know the difference between a tropical disturbance and a tropical cyclone? Here are 10 terms Floridian should know.
- The cone of uncertainty, which tracks the probable path of a tropical cyclone’s center, will be narrower this year and include new symbols for areas under simultaneous hurricane watch and tropical storm warnings.
- In response to rising surf and rip current fatalities, the NHC will now provide a national rip current risk map, highlighting dangerous conditions stemming from both local and distant hurricanes.
We’re still a couple of months out from the start of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which is the perfect time to start preparing.
Gearing up for hurricane season entails more than just making sure your hurricane supplies are topped off. Making sure you can receive the latest weather updates and staying on top of what’s new for the 2025 hurricane season is just as important.
The National Hurricane Center has already announced more than a few changes it’s making for the upcoming hurricane season, like updating its “cone of uncertainty” and providing an earlier window to send alerts about potential tropical activity.
Here’s what to know about what’s news for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season.
The NHC is updating its Potential Tropical Cyclone system for 2025
Starting on May 15, the National Weather Service (NWS) will implement some significant changes to its Potential Tropical Cyclone advisory (PTC) system.
- Extended forecast window: The National Hurricane Center will be able to issue PTC advisories up to 72 hours before anticipated impacts, which is up from the previous 48-hour window.
- Relaxed warning criteria: The change eliminates the previous requirement that advisories could only be issued for PTCs that required land-based watches or warnings.
The experimental cone of uncertainty will be narrower
The NHC says it will continue using its experimental cone graphic, which is frequently referred to as the cone of uncertainty. The graphic is meant to track the probable path of a tropical cyclone’s center.
The cone is frequently misunderstood, which is one reason the NHC consistently updates the product. Here are this year’s changes.
- New symbols: The cone of uncertainty legend will now contain symbology for areas where a hurricane watch and tropical storm are in effect at the same time, marked by diagonal pink and blue lines.
- Narrower cone of uncertainty: The size of the tropical cyclone track forecast error cone will be about 3-5% smaller compared to last year.
New rip current risk map will highlight dangerous conditions stemming from hurricanes
Due to an increase in surf and rip current fatalities in the United States, the NHC will provide current risk information from distant hurricanes and provide a national rip current risk map.
- Rip current risk map: To highlight the risk of dangerous conditions, NHC will provide rip current risk information from local National Weather Service and Weather Force Cast Offices in the form of a map.
Current day, next day and a composite showing the highest risk over both days will be available for areas along the East and Gulf coasts of the U.S in one page.
