US center’s tropical storm forecasts are going inland, where damage can outstrip coasts

By CURT ANDERSON
Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The National Hurricane Center will add inland predictions to its forecast of the location and ferocity of tropical storms. The Miami-based hurricane center said Thursday on the social media platform X that the new, experimental forecast tool will be ready around Aug. 15, just before the traditional peak of the hurricane season that begins June 1. The center’s so-called cone of uncertainty prediction will now also look at areas where wind and flooding are sometimes more treacherous than damage to the coasts.