Instructions for Using the Hurricane Display Capabilities

Last update on March 9, 2000

These instructions will help the tester and developer use the Hurricane Display on the graphics workstation.

1.0 Capabilities
The Hurricane Display decodes hurricane text messages and displays them in the D-2D graphics window.

Track Summaries, displays the TCM/TCP products.
Position Update, displays the TCE products.
Model Guidance, displays the CHG products, which currently are the HUR and QLM products.
Strike Probabilities, displays the SPF products.

1.1 Running

There are two ways to run the Hurricane Display.

Just normally start the D-2D processes, the text messages data will be from the text DB.
There is a set of text data files under the /data/fxa/flatText/. Test by using the data files, first need to set up a enviroment variable, " setenv FXA_FLAT_FILE_TEXT TRUE", then start the D-2D processes.

2.0 Display Operations

Selecting "Hurricane" in the "Surface" menu, the "Hurricane" submenu will pop up. There are five parts selection buttons in the this submenu, the Track Summaries, Position Update, Model Guidance, 12hr Strike Probabilities, and 48hr Strike Probabilities.

2.1 Track Summaries

The "Atlantic", "E Pacific", "W Pacific" and "Hourly forecasts" buttons display the TCM/TCP products.

Selecting the "Atlantic", "E Pacific", or "W Pacific" button, plots current and future positions of all current tropical systems. It plots max wind, valid time of the position, pressure for the initial position and the system name. It uses standard meteorological symbols for depressions, storms, hurricanes and extratropical systems.
Selecting the "Hourly forecasts" button, will pop up a detail product submenu. The products buttons are AT1 ~AT5, EP1 ~EP5, CP1 ~CP5, and WP1 ~WP5. Selecting one of the product button, plots one position on each frame. If zoom in enough, the wind radius will be displayed with different line types.

2.2 Position Update

The "Atlantic", "E Pacific" and "W Pacific" buttons display the TAP products.
Selecting the "Atlantic", "E Pacific", or "W Pacific" button, plots the positions of the current tropical system and its name. It uses standard meteorological symbols for depressions, storms, hurricanes and extratropical systems.

2.3 Model Guidance

The "CHGHUR Guidance" and "CHGQLM Guidance" buttons display the CHG forecast products

Selecting the "CHGHUR" button, displays the HUR product. It loads the BAMD, BAMM, A90E and LRAR model forecast in same frame with different color.
Selecting the "CHGQLM Guidance" button, displays the QLM product.

2.4 12hr Strike Probabilities
The AT1 to AT5 buttons are different tropical systems. Selecting one, will display a SPF product by plots the current position using meteorological symbols, the possible future positions with 12 hours strike probability in a frame

2.5 48hr Strike Probabilities
This is same as 2.4, except the forecast time is 48 hours.