The National Research Council's Board of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate likened transferring some atmospheric research into forecast operations to “Crossing the Valley of Death”. In response to this challenge for tropical cyclones, the United States Weather Research Program (USWRP), with NOAA support, established the Joint Hurricane Testbed (JHT) in late 2000.

The JHT mission is to transfer more rapidly and smoothly new technology, research results, and observational advances of the USWRP, its sponsoring agencies, the academic community and other groups into improved tropical cyclone analysis and prediction at operational centers. This mission is accomplished by identifying promising research and technology and by supporting the testing, evaluation, and any modifications in a quasi-operational environment, of techniques, applications and systems developed and provided by external Principal Investigators (PIs).

This presentation will discuss how the JHT facilitates the testing of these new products in the operational environment, how some of them have made a beneficial aspect into the real-time analyses and forecasts of tropical cyclones, and what projects are currently being addressed.