Where Is The Hurricane Now is a free hurricane tracking and preparedness platform. Our mission is to make professional-grade storm information accessible to every coastal resident — not just meteorologists and emergency managers.
Every year, millions of coastal residents face a critical decision: stay or evacuate. That decision depends on understanding their specific risk — not just whether a hurricane exists, but whether it threatens their street, their evacuation zone, their family.
The information to make that decision exists. NOAA, the National Hurricane Center, and dozens of research institutions publish it freely. But it is scattered across dozens of websites, buried in technical jargon, and designed for meteorologists rather than the people who need it most.
We built Where Is The Hurricane Now to change that. One platform, one ZIP code, one clear answer: here is your risk, here is your evacuation zone, here is what you need to do.
The site is free. It will always be free. Storm preparedness should not be a premium feature.
Every piece of storm data on this site traces back to an official government meteorological agency. We do not publish unofficial forecasts, social media speculation, or unverified storm reports.
Storm data is refreshed every 6 hours in sync with NHC advisory cycles. During active storm events, our systems check for updates more frequently to ensure you have the latest information as quickly as possible.
We translate meteorological data into plain language. Every technical term is explained. Every tool is designed so that a first-time user can understand their risk without a meteorology degree.
We document every data source, every update interval, and every limitation of our tools. When data is unavailable or uncertain, we say so clearly rather than displaying misleading information.
Every data point on this platform originates from an official government meteorological agency or a peer-reviewed research institution. We do not generate forecasts — we aggregate, translate, and present official data.
Official tropical cyclone advisories, forecast tracks, cone of uncertainty, and public storm advisories. Updated every 6 hours (every 3 hours when a storm is near land). The NHC is the authoritative source for all Atlantic and Eastern Pacific hurricane data.
NOAA's global tropical cyclone best track dataset, maintained by the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). IBTrACS is the world's most complete collection of global tropical cyclone data, covering all ocean basins from 1842 to present.
TSR is an independent research group at University College London that produces long-range seasonal hurricane forecasts. Their statistical models are among the most widely cited in the meteorological community.
The CSU Tropical Weather & Climate Research group, led by Dr. Philip Klotzbach, produces the most widely followed seasonal hurricane forecasts in the United States. Their April and June outlooks set the benchmark for the season.
NOAA's Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH) model is used to estimate storm surge heights for evacuation zone planning. Our storm surge risk data is derived from SLOSH Maximum of the Maximum (MOM) outputs.
The spaghetti model viewer displays guidance from NOAA's Global Forecast System (GFS), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), the Canadian Meteorological Centre (CMC), and the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) model.
Live weather radar tiles are provided by RainViewer, which aggregates composite radar reflectivity data from weather services worldwide. The radar overlay on our homepage shows the past 2 hours of precipitation in 10-minute intervals.
This site is an information and education platform. It is not a substitute for official emergency management guidance.
For evacuation orders, shelter locations, and life-safety decisions, always follow the instructions of your local emergency management agency, county emergency manager, and the National Hurricane Center. When officials order an evacuation, leave.
Data latency: Storm data is updated every 6 hours in sync with NHC advisory cycles. There may be a delay of up to 30 minutes between an NHC advisory release and its appearance on this site. Do not rely on this site for real-time storm position during rapidly evolving situations — use the NHC directly.
Storm surge estimates: The storm surge risk data shown in the Storm Surge Lookup tool is based on SLOSH model outputs and official evacuation zone designations. Actual storm surge will vary based on storm intensity, track, speed, and local geography. These estimates are for planning purposes only.
Spaghetti models: The model guidance displayed in the Spaghetti Model Viewer is for educational purposes. Individual model runs can be wrong. Never make evacuation decisions based solely on a single model line. Always follow the official NHC forecast cone.
Off-season data: Outside of the Atlantic hurricane season (June 1 – November 30), storm data may be limited or unavailable. The site continues to display historical season statistics and preparedness tools year-round.
Enter your ZIP code to see your storm surge risk, evacuation zone, and nearest shelters.