The Basics	In-Depth	Experiments	Witness Account
Words to Know	Experts Say	Be Ready!	Quiz Challenge

Experiments

How to Use a Hurricane Tracking Map:
Meteorologists track the movement of a hurricane using latitude and longitude — and so can you! Latitude measures the distance north or south of the equator. Longitude measures the distance east or west from Greenwich, England, which is at 0 degrees longitude. These can be used to pinpoint any position on the globe.

Each horizontal line on the tracking map represents a different line of latitude. These lines are labeled along the right edge of the tracking chart. Each vertical line represents a line of longitude. These lines are labeled along the bottom edge of the tracking map. Sometimes latitude and longitude numbers are given without the "N" or "W" annotations; in this case, positive latitudes are the same as North latitudes (north of the equator), and negative longitudes are West longitudes.

How to Plot a Hurricane's Position:

If you see a hurricane's position is labeled 33.0N 64.5W, find the latitude line for 33 degrees, and the longitude line for 64.5 degrees, and place a mark on the map. That puts the storm directly over the island of Bermuda.

Download an Atlantic Ocean tracking map.

The following sites contain the most current hurricane and storm data. Use the longitude and latitude data to plot the storm's position.

Unisys Weather Center: Hurricane/Tropical Storm Data
This site contains current and historical data on hurricanes and tropical storms. You can view weather data and tracking maps of storms by region.

Hurricane and Storm Tracking for the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
This site contains current and historical data, animated tracking maps, and satellite images.

National Hurricane Center: Tropical Prediction Center
Find data and satellite images of current tropical storm activity.