Forecast a Hurricane

Hurricanes are steered by bands of upper-level winds. As a hurricane moves across an ocean, scientists try to forecast where and when the storm will reach land. Their forecasts allow warnings to be issued in areas that the storm is likely to hit, giving people time to get out of the way. Watching hurricanes with weather satellites and using computer models to develop forecasts, scientists are able to predict the likely path of the storm. 

Can you predict the path of a hurricane? Select an upper-level low area (L) and an upper-level high area (H) in the interactive above. Try to predict the path the hurricane will take. Will it make landfall? Then hit "go" to test your prediction. Take your learning to another level, and select the "make a path (part 2)." You will be able to view different hurricanes and predict what cities they will impact.

Learn more about how hurricanes form or visit the National Hurricane Center to view real-time hurricane forecasts.

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