TC-ATLAS — Tropical Cyclone Analysis Tool for Live and Archived Structure

Airborne Doppler Radar

Post-processed NOAA P-3 tail Doppler radar analyses providing full 3D wind fields, reflectivity, and derived vortex diagnostics via the TC-RADAR database.

Passive Microwave Satellite

Multi-sensor microwave imagery from the TC-PRIMED dataset, revealing precipitation structure and convective organization.

Infrared Satellite

Geostationary IR brightness temperatures from GridSat-B1 (NOAA NCEI Climate Data Record, 1980–2024), MergIR (NASA GES DISC, 1998–present), and real-time GOES ABI Band 13 imagery for cloud-top structure. Data acknowledgements.

ERA5 Reanalysis

Monthly-mean and per-year ERA5 fields (SST, MPI, wind, moisture, MSE, PV, deep-layer shear) on a 3D globe via the TC Climatology page. Composite TC seasons by climate index, custom year/month, or per-pixel correlation.

SHIPS Diagnostics

Operational SHIPS model parameters — vertical wind shear, mid-level RH, ocean heat content, and forecast environment context — surfaced inline on each storm's detail card.

In-situ Observations

Flight-level data and GPS dropsonde profiles from NOAA reconnaissance missions via the SEB archives.

Best-Track Records

Storm tracks, intensity, and classification from IBTrACS v04 for comprehensive historical context across all ocean basins.

Aug 24, 2026

Genesis clusters & wave families. The DeepMind ensemble markers are now labeled genesis clusters — automated clusters of member genesis events, not observed disturbances — and clusters that are scenarios of the same physical wave are linked into families on the Real-Time Monitor map (translucent violet ribbon + marker rings) with a combined, deduplicated probability that counts each ensemble member once. The clustering and linking method is documented in a new Methods description on the monitor itself.

Jul 15, 2026

Real-Time Monitor forecast focus: a new “Off” option on the IR/Vis/WV switch hides the satellite layer so the DeepMind ensemble and environmental overlays read unobscured. DeepMind FNV3 cyclogenesis probabilities are now labeled explicitly as the model odds of a disturbance reaching tropical-storm strength (≥34 kt), and the 1000-member raw-ensemble spaghetti renders instantly.

Jul 3, 2026

Objective eye-fix & storm favorability. The monitor snaps the storm pin to an objective IR eye center with an eye / cold-top brightness-temperature readout and a follow-storm mode. Each storm card gained a favorability dashboard — a realtime ventilation index (Tang & Emanuel) alongside ocean SST, SST anomaly, and ocean heat content (TCHP) — and the storm-detail imagery now carries frame-aligned GFS environmental overlays with init-cycle captions and hover readouts.

Jun 29, 2026

Ground radar on the map. Storm-page and global-map NEXRAD reflectivity now stream as GL tiles (IEM N0Q) at no added compute, and the TC-RADAR Explorer gained a two-panel view with the airborne Doppler field draped directly on the IR map.

Jun 28, 2026

DeepMind FNV3 ensemble tools. The 1000-member cyclogenesis ensemble gained a Structure modal (RMW, size, wind-rose, and wind-area vs. IBTrACS climatology), an Intensity-Change / RI trends panel with median LMI and intensity IQR, an ACE distribution, and Vmax ↔ MSLP toggles on every intensity chart. Members are clustered into labeled disturbances on the global map.

Jun 27, 2026

TC-ATLAS global satellite mosaic. The monitor now renders its own worldwide geostationary mosaic in IR, Visible, and Water Vapor, served from our CDN as GPU-recolored single-channel tiles — full-brightness, multiple colormaps, seamless across the dateline, with animated-GIF export.

Jun 25, 2026

New map engine & 3D convection. The Real-Time Monitor and Global Archive moved to a MapLibre GL rendering engine (smoother zoom, GPU overlays). A one-click 3D pill extrudes cold IR cloud tops into relief with Tilt/Height sliders, drag-to-orbit, and branded 3D-orbit GIF export, and the Environmental Analysis menu added SST anomaly and relative-SST layers.

Jun 13, 2026

TC-ATLAS moved to its own domain, tcatlas.org, and gained dynamic social-preview cards that render the current active-storm state when the site is shared.

May 25, 2026

Near-real-time microwave & aircraft recon. Added NRT microwave overpasses (AMSR2, GMI, SSMIS — 89 GHz PCT + 37 GHz color) with satellite pass prediction, an aircraft recon overlay (HDOB wind barbs, dropsondes, VDM), and a real-time Tail Doppler Radar tab with a live wind-center solver.

May 19, 2026

New Seasonal tab on the Real-Time Monitor — seven panels spanning a live SST-anomaly map, regional environment evolution (shear, MPI, RH, TCWV…), pre-season SST × annual ACE, OISST correlation and analog-season maps, and a climate-index dashboard (ENSO, AMO, MJO, BSISO…).

May 17, 2026

New Subseasonal tab — MJO and BSISO phase clocks plus 60-day Wheeler–Kiladis-filtered OLR Hovmöllers (MJO, Kelvin, ER, MRG, TD-type) with active TCs projected on as longitude traces and a GEFS 10-day forecast extension.

TC-RADAR Dataset

Fischer, M. S., P. D. Reasor, R. F. Rogers, and J. F. Gamache, 2022: An Analysis of Tropical Cyclone Vortex and Convective Characteristics in Relation to Storm Intensity Using a Novel Airborne Doppler Radar Database. Mon. Wea. Rev., 150, 2255–2278, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-21-0223.1.

Vortex Tilt & Precipitation Structure

Fischer, M. S., P. D. Reasor, J. P. Dunion, and R. F. Rogers, 2024: An observational analysis of the relationship between tropical cyclone vortex tilt, precipitation structure, and intensity change. Mon. Wea. Rev., 152, 203–225, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-23-0089.1.

Anomaly-Based Vortex Diagnostics

Fischer, M. S., P. D. Reasor, J. P. Dunion, and R. F. Rogers, 2025: Are rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones associated with unique vortex and convective characteristics? Mon. Wea. Rev., 153, 183–203, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-24-0118.1.

TC-ATLAS Web Tool

TC-ATLAS: Tropical Cyclone Analysis Tool for Live and Archived Structure. Available at https://tcatlas.org/