The National Hurricane Center is tasked with issuing coastal warnings
24 h prior to the arrival of hurricane conditions. Due to
uncertainties in the track and intensity forecasts, the section
of coastline warned is typically larger than that which actually
experiences hurricane winds. The size and lead times of the
hurricane warnings for the U.S. mainland from 1967 to 1997 will
be examined. Results show that the size of the warned area has
been gradually increasing, despite considerable improvements in
track forecasting during this same period. The reasons for this
increase, and strategies to reverse this trend will be discussed.