TC-ATLAS

Tropical Cyclone Analysis Tool for Live and Archived Structure

A multi-source platform for exploring tropical cyclone vortex structure. TC-ATLAS brings together airborne Doppler radar, passive microwave and infrared satellite imagery, ERA5 environmental diagnostics, dropsonde profiles, and flight-level observations into one unified interactive tool.

— active TCs · Monitor refreshed — · 1,510 TC-RADAR analyses · 1997–2024

Popular starting points

See what's happening now
Live global IR satellite composite tracking every active tropical cyclone.
Step inside Irma's Cat-5 eyewall
Airborne Doppler radar · 155 kt · 2017-09-05 · full 3D wind field.
Browse 14,000+ historical storms
Every named TC since 1842 · tracks, intensity, climatology, comparison.

Integrated Data Sources

TC-ATLAS unifies observations from multiple platforms and agencies into a single interactive environment.

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.

About TC-ATLAS

TC-ATLAS was developed by Dr. Michael Fischer at the University of Miami to enable researchers to conduct storm-to-storm comparisons and climatological analyses of tropical cyclone vortex and convective characteristics across all stages of the lifecycle. The platform is built around the TC-RADAR database, developed in collaboration with NOAA's Hurricane Research Division, and continues to expand with new data sources and capabilities.

Methods: Cyclogenesis Clusters

The description of how TC-ATLAS clusters Google DeepMind's cyclogenesis ensembles — genesis definition, density-peak clustering, and wave-family linking — lives on the Real-Time Monitor itself, where the markers are: open the methods description →

Recent Updates

TC-ATLAS is actively maintained — new data sources, analysis tools, and UI improvements are added continuously.

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.
View full commit history on GitHub →

How to Cite

If you use TC-ATLAS or the underlying TC-RADAR dataset in your research, please cite the relevant publications below.

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/

Data acknowledgements — infrared imagery

The Global IR Archive and the archived storm IR loops are built from two public datasets. Please cite them, and their data centers, in any work that uses imagery from TC-ATLAS.

MergIR (1998–present, 4 km, half-hourly): Janowiak, J., B. Joyce, and P. Xie, 2017: NCEP/CPC L3 Half Hourly 4km Global (60S–60N) Merged IR V1, edited by A. Savtchenko, Greenbelt, MD, Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC), doi:10.5067/P4HZB9N27EKU. The MergIR data used here were acquired as part of the activities of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, and are archived and distributed by the Goddard Earth Sciences (GES) Data and Information Services Center (DISC).

GridSat-B1 (1980–2024, 0.07°, 3-hourly): Knapp, K. R., and NOAA CDR Program, 2014: NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) of Gridded Satellite Data from ISCCP B1 (GridSat-B1) Infrared Channel Brightness Temperature, Version 2. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, doi:10.7289/V59P2ZKR. Knapp, K. R., and Coauthors, 2011: Globally gridded satellite (GridSat) observations for climate studies. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 92, 893–907, doi:10.1175/2011BAMS3039.1. NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data; users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data.

Imagery on TC-ATLAS is re-encoded and recolored from these sources; it is not an official NASA or NOAA product, and neither agency endorses TC-ATLAS. Best-track positions and intensities are from IBTrACS (NOAA NCEI).

Get in Touch

Questions about TC-ATLAS? Contact the developer.

Dr. Michael Fischer

TC-ATLAS Developer · University of Miami

[email protected]