Designing an Arrival of TS Force Winds Graphic: An Interactive Session

The ultimate goal of hurricane forecasting and communication is for those under threat to have completed all preparations and be settled in secure settings ahead of the potential danger. Under the leadership of NHC a team of social scientists are engaged in a process of developing a timing graphic that uses storm-specific data, including uncertainty levels, to illustrate estimates of arrival times of tropical storm force winds at various locations. The process being used is of particular significance to the meteorology community. Demand for this timing graphic was first identified in exploratory research conducted with various stakeholder groups, including emergency managers, broadcast meteorologists, and the general public. Next, based on input from forecasters, a prototype map was developed and tested with stakeholder focus groups in several Atlantic and Gulf coastal areas, and the findings used to further develop the prototype. The latest version will be shown, and input solicited from session participants using polling software in which they can answer several questions related to the graphic via their computers or smartphones. The results will then be discussed.