ECMWF | Plan and mitigate the impact of tropical cyclones

    Tropical cyclones are extremely destructive; not just the winds, but the associated flooding from heavy rainfall and storm surges. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), which is located in Bonn, provides several graphical products for tropical cyclone forecasts which can be used to plan and mitigate impact.

    ECMWF provides a range of graphical products for tropical cyclone (tropical depressions, tropical storms, hurricanes and typhoons) forecasts.  These products consist of:

    • Latest tropical cyclone forecast: generated automatically whenever a tropical cyclone is observed (reported via the Global Telecommunication System) at the initial time of the forecast and is present in the high-resolution forecast and/or ensemble (ENS),
    • Tropical cyclone activity: these products are based on tropical cyclone activity throughout the forecast. They are produced twice a day from the ENS, twice a week for the extended range (month ahead) and once a month for the seasonal forecasts. They give an indication of the potential tropical cyclone activity in the coming days, weeks and months.

    More information about the tropical cyclone products can be found in ECMWF Newsletter No. 130 (pp 17-23)

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    Source: European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), 13 October 2021