Tropical Atlantic: Wind Data

Latest Models:
(in last 24 hours)

Tropical Storm Igor

Thursday, September 9, 2010 7:02 GMT

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Due to an error on September 7th and 8th in part of the NHC's ATCF system, our new model system in alpha testing needs to be recoded to handle errors better that occur on the NHC's end. (It will likely be very unstable for at least several days.) Our current model system is operating normally. - 3:45PM EDT on 9/8

Wind Data

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Wind / Wind Shear / Steering Currents
Surface Winds
Inland Wind Model

Wind

Western North Atlantic GOES-East Satellite Derived Winds and Analyses
New Site | Old Site

Direct link to steering currents: New Site | Old Site
Steering currents at different pressure elevations. Not sure which to look at? How strong is the storm? Take a look at "Steering Layer ???-??? for TC MSLP of ???-???." If the cyclone has a pressure of 1010mb, the 700-850 might be more relevant. See "Product Interpretation" for more.

Direct link to Atlantic wind shear: New Site | Old Site

Direct link to Atlantic wind shear tendency: New Site | Old Site
Has the wind shear lessened or become stronger over the past 24 hours?

For just off Africa:
Wind Shear (New Site | Old Site)
More Winds (New Site | Old Site)

The following come from the "Tropical Cyclone Formation Probability Product" page which is located here.

What shear should we expect this time of year?
http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/TCFP/data/current/gexycshr.png

How much more or less shear is there as compared to normal?
http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/TCFP/data/current/gexyashr.png

On the model page of our site, you can find links to various models. Some of those models may have an option to display the wind shear forecast over the forecast period. Here is one site that presents wind shear data: Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC). Another can be found by selecting the "Wind Shear" option on this page: Model Maps from Weather Underground

Surface Winds

Note: As of November 23, 2009 the QuikSCAT satellite no longer provides real time data due to an instrument failure.

Marine Observing Systems Team (NOAA/NESDIS)
This site contains various surface wind techniques. Take a look at the options in the left column of the page. You'll see the following surface wind techniques and measurements under "Data Products": ASCAT, WindSAT, ERS-2 and SSM/I. Some of the products have pages for active storms.

Surface Winds from NOAA CoastWatch Program
This site provides SSM/I imagery that allows you to select water regions that you want to view specific surface wind for. Regions are provided in alphabetical order. If you get to the page and see only Alaska imagery, use the arrow at the bottom of the page to continue to other regions. Sometimes it may take going through many pages. The latest image for each particular region is the last image shown. If you click the first "Gulf of Mexico" image you see, it is the oldest. Go to the last thumbnail before a new region is listed. It should, unless they change it, be the latest info. Look at the times under the thumbnails to see if you are selecting the latest image.

Java Applet of ASCAT and WINDSAT Winds from NOAA/AOML
You have the ability to select the data you want and zoom in on it.

Scatterometer wind products from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute
ASCAT and ERS-2 winds.

Navy / Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Tropical Cyclone Page
Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) Tropical Cyclone Page
These two pages are very similar. If you look at active storms in the left column, you will find surface wind imagery available at the top of the page. These pages have a lot of useful content.

A note about some of the sites above. Make sure you note the correct time the data was observed. Some times are simply when the image may have been created, such as the last time the system checked to see if info was available.

If you want to know what ascending and descending means in regards to the imagery on these sites, click here.

Inland Wind Model

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/wind/risk_areas.shtml

An updated version of the previous wind model images that were hard to read. This is an estimate of how far the wind will come inland with a landfalling storm. Every storm is different and higher wind speeds may of course be possible than those noted.