Since the early days, tracking hurricanes has been an inexact science. Your local emergency managers do their best to get storm predictions to the public as soon as possible, but sometimes just the few minutes of extra warning that a Hurricane Tracking Program can provide will mean the difference between life and death. You may ask if I really know what I am talking about, the answer is yes. I am a trained weather spotter, a trained emergency manager and have lived through the 2005 hurricane season in Florida. I personally was in the eye of hurricane Charlie as it passed over land at Puenta Gorda, FL.
By using one of these packages, you will be able to track not only hurricanes, but other storms that are in your area, including snow, tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.
Hurricanesoftware.net produces the popular Tracking the Eye hurricane tracking software. This will display real time data about the storm coming to your area. It allows you to view the data on custom full color maps of the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean. It allows you to view the satellite imagery and strike probabilities. It also allows you to print out full color maps of the areas affected by the storm. It also has historical data past hurricanes and paths. It does require internet access for the updates. The full version has the capability to download forecasts, warnings and predictions of current storms. It uses the internet and winsock to download the data. It is well known to be used by multiple TV Stations nationwide. There is a free demo version available on the companies website. The cost for this program is $34.95 for the 1st year and $19.95 per year after.
Stormpredator.com has their Storm Predator available for download on their website. Their software is easy to use and has great mapping capabilities. It allows you to view aspects such as predicted storm path, and course and speed. The data for this program is downloaded from the internet and is received from nextrad radar systems in your area. It has a controllable tracking tool that allows you to plan the time the storm is going to be at a certain location. This software is available for download for $39.95 and in CD-Rom form for $49.99.
Hurritrack by PC Weather Products is available at pcwp.com. This software is designed for the professional weather forecaster. It includes extensive graphical data, strike probabilities, surge probabilities, impact analysis, storm animation and rainfall forecasts. It is a virtual weather studio right on your PC. It allows you to view satellite data, radar data, watches and warnings and much more. This program is not cheap, but in this case, you do get what you pay for. The cost for the basic version of this software is $880.00. It also requires an online data subscription which is extra.
No matter which package you use, anything that can get you the information that you need in an emergency is well worth the money. A few dollars and hours now spent learning about the risks in your area, where to go and what to do when you get there can literally save your life.
Links
Hurricane Software www.hurricanesoftware.com
Storm Predator www.stormpredator.com
PC Weather www.pcwp.com
