Automated Tropical Cyclone Forecasting System: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 07:42, 9 October 2023

Revision as of 07:46, 9 October 2023

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{{Short description|Software used to predict and forecast tropical cyclogenesis and to track tropical cyclones}}

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[[File:Ernesto2006modelspread.png|thumb|350px|This is how forecast model tracks appear within ATCF. This example is from [[Hurricane Ernesto (2006)|2006 Ernesto]]'s first advisory. The [[National Hurricane Center|NHC]] official forecast is light blue, while the storm's actual track is the white line over [[Florida]].]]

The '''Automated Tropical Cyclone Forecasting System''' ('''ATCF''') is a piece of software originally developed to run on a [[personal computer]] for the [[Joint Typhoon Warning Center]] (JTWC) in 1988,<ref name="ATCF1">{{cite journal|journal=Weather and Forecasting|pages=653–660|date=December 1990|author1=Ronald J. Miller |author2=Ann J. Schrader |author3=Charles R. Sampson |author4=Ted L. Tsui |name-list-style=amp |doi=10.1175/1520-0434(1990)005<0653:TATCFS>2.0.CO;2|title=The Automated Tropical Cyclone Forecasting System (ATCF)|volume=5|issue=4|bibcode = 1990WtFor...5..653M |doi-access=}}</ref> and the [[National Hurricane Center]] (NHC) in 1990. ATCF remains the main piece of [[tropical cyclone forecasting|forecasting]] software used for the [[United States Government]], including the JTWC, NHC, and [[Central Pacific Hurricane Center]]. Other tropical cyclone centers in Australia and Canada developed similar software in the 1990s. The data files with ATCF lie within three decks, known as the a-, b-, and f-decks. The a-decks include forecast information, the b-decks contain a history of center fixes at synoptic hours, and the f-decks include the various fixes made by various analysis center at various times. In the years since its introduction, it has been adapted to [[Unix]] and [[Linux]] platforms.

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==Data formats and locations in ATCF==

The "A deck" contains the official track and intensity forecast, as well as the model guidance, also known as the objective aids. The "B deck" contains the storm's track information at synoptic hours (0000, 0600, 1200, and 1800 UTC). The "F deck" contains what are known as position fixes and intensity estimates for the associated tropical cyclone, based on satellite data on the cyclone derived by the [[Dvorak technique]]. The "E deck" contains information regarding position error and probabilistic information regarding the forecast at that time.<ref name="ATCF Readme"/>

==Similar software used elsewhere==

In the 1990s, other countries developed similar tropical cyclone forecasting software. The [[Bureau of Meteorology]] in Australia developed the Australian Tropical Cyclone Workstation. The [[Canadian Hurricane Centre]] developed Canadian Hurricane Centre Forecaster's Workstation.<ref name="ATCF2"/>

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[[Category:1988 software]]

[[Category:1988 in computing]]

[[Category:1990 software]]

[[Category:American inventions]]