TC-ATLAS

Tropical Cyclone Analysis Tool for Live and Archived Structure

A multi-source platform for exploring tropical cyclone vortex structure. TC-ATLAS brings together airborne Doppler radar, passive microwave and infrared satellite imagery, ERA5 environmental diagnostics, dropsonde profiles, and flight-level observations into one unified interactive tool.

— active TCs · Monitor refreshed — · 1,510 TC-RADAR analyses · 1997–2024
TC-RADAR Archive
Explore 1,500+ post-processed airborne Doppler radar analyses with interactive 3D wind fields, cross-sections, azimuthal means, and multi-variable visualization spanning 1997–2024.
1,510
Analyses
91
Storms
1997–2024
Coverage
→
Real-Time TDR
Monitor active hurricane reconnaissance missions with live tail Doppler radar visualizations, flight-level data, dropsonde profiles, and SHIPS environmental diagnostics.
Live
Missions
P-3 & G-IV
Aircraft
→
Real-Time Monitor
Track all active tropical cyclones worldwide with live geostationary infrared satellite imagery from GOES-East, GOES-West, and Himawari-9.
Global
Coverage
GOES & Himawari
Satellites
→
Global Archive
Browse the complete IBTrACS tropical cyclone record from 1842 to present with satellite imagery, intensity timelines, reconnaissance, and multi-storm comparison tools.
14,000+
Storms
7
Basins
1842–2025
Coverage
→
Composites
Build custom composite analyses from the TC-RADAR database. Filter by intensity, shear, tilt, motion, and more to reveal systematic structural patterns across tropical cyclones.
12+
Variables
Flexible
Filters
→
TC Climatology
Best-track statistics by basin (ACE, RI, intensity, LMI, seasonal cycles) plus an interactive ERA5 reanalysis globe for compositing TC seasons by climate index, custom year/month, or per-pixel correlation.
6
Stat panels
14
Indices
ERA5
Reanalysis
→

Popular starting points

See what's happening now
Live global IR satellite composite tracking every active tropical cyclone.
Step inside Irma's Cat-5 eyewall
Airborne Doppler radar · 155 kt · 2017-09-05 · full 3D wind field.
Browse 14,000+ historical storms
Every named TC since 1842 · tracks, intensity, climatology, comparison.

Integrated Data Sources

TC-ATLAS unifies observations from multiple platforms and agencies into a single interactive environment.

Airborne Doppler Radar

Post-processed NOAA P-3 tail Doppler radar analyses providing full 3D wind fields, reflectivity, and derived vortex diagnostics via the TC-RADAR database.

Passive Microwave Satellite

Multi-sensor microwave imagery from the TC-PRIMED dataset, revealing precipitation structure and convective organization.

Infrared Satellite

Geostationary IR brightness temperatures from GridSat-B1, MergIR, and real-time GOES ABI Band 13 imagery for cloud-top structure.

ERA5 Reanalysis

Monthly-mean and per-year ERA5 fields (SST, MPI, wind, moisture, MSE, PV, deep-layer shear) on a 3D globe via the TC Climatology page. Composite TC seasons by climate index, custom year/month, or per-pixel correlation.

SHIPS Diagnostics

Operational SHIPS model parameters — vertical wind shear, mid-level RH, ocean heat content, and forecast environment context — surfaced inline on each storm's detail card.

In-situ Observations

Flight-level data and GPS dropsonde profiles from NOAA reconnaissance missions via the SEB archives.

Best-Track Records

Storm tracks, intensity, and classification from IBTrACS v04 for comprehensive historical context across all ocean basins.

About TC-ATLAS

TC-ATLAS was developed by Dr. Michael Fischer at the University of Miami to enable researchers to conduct storm-to-storm comparisons and climatological analyses of tropical cyclone vortex and convective characteristics across all stages of the lifecycle. The platform is built around the TC-RADAR database, developed in collaboration with NOAA's Hurricane Research Division, and continues to expand with new data sources and capabilities.

Recent Updates

TC-ATLAS is actively maintained — new data sources, analysis tools, and UI improvements are added continuously.

May 7, 2026
Site-wide visual refresh: new TC-ATLAS logomark on University of Miami’s green and orange palette, light theme by default with an optional dark mode, and a cleaner light basemap for the global storm-track maps.
May 5, 2026
New TC Climatology page brings IBTrACS best-track statistics (ACE, peak-intensity, RI, LMI, seasonal cycles by basin) together with the interactive ERA5 Reanalysis Globe — composite by 14 climate indices (RONI, ONI, AMO, NPGO, SAM, IOD…), per-pixel correlation maps, and 13,500+ IBTrACS tracks overlaid. A featured-views gallery jumps you straight into TC-relevant scenes.
May 5, 2026
TC-RADAR Explorer enhancements: TC center marker with lat/lon on hover across the plan view, aircraft Lat/Lon hover in flight-level overlays on all three TC pages, slimmer FL hover cards, and a Wind/W toggle on the FL time-series with TDR vertical-velocity interpolated to flight-level points.
Apr 27, 2026
ERA5 Reanalysis Globe extracted into its own dedicated page with a new Index Correlation panel (ACE per basin, sliding-30 anomalies, p-value masking) and improved Composite Builder with synthetic-field support.
Apr 16, 2026
Home page refresh: live activity strip, "Popular starting points" quick-start row, and featured-case onboarding on the TC-RADAR Explorer. Refined visual hierarchy and role-based color palette across the site.
Apr 15, 2026
IR Hovmöller diagrams (time × radius brightness-temperature) added to every storm in the Global Archive + Compare pages, with adjustable coverage thresholds, colormap sync, and PNG export.
Apr 14, 2026
Objective IR eye-center finding — automated center estimation with symmetry-based quality gates; rejected candidates now rendered as orange crosshairs for full diagnostic transparency.
Apr 13, 2026
Real-time NEXRAD 88D ground-radar overlay on the Real-Time Monitor and Storm Satellite views, with storm-relative reflectivity, velocity, and animated GIF export.
Apr 11, 2026
ASCAT surface-wind barbs overlaid on the Real-Time Monitor map for verified radar/microwave cross-comparison with scatterometer winds.
Apr 7, 2026
Real-time microwave Tb overlay on the Real-Time Monitor map (89 GHz PCT + 37 GHz color) pulled from TC-PRIMED overpasses.
View full commit history on GitHub →

How to Cite

If you use TC-ATLAS or the underlying TC-RADAR dataset in your research, please cite the relevant publications below.

TC-RADAR Dataset

Fischer, M. S., P. D. Reasor, R. F. Rogers, and J. F. Gamache, 2022: An updated tropical cyclone radar database. Mon. Wea. Rev., 150, 2255–2278, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-21-0223.1.

Vortex Tilt & Precipitation Structure

Fischer, M. S., P. D. Reasor, J. P. Dunion, and R. F. Rogers, 2024: An observational analysis of the relationship between tropical cyclone vortex tilt, precipitation structure, and intensity change. Mon. Wea. Rev., 152, 203–225, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-23-0089.1.

Anomaly-Based Vortex Diagnostics

Fischer, M. S., P. D. Reasor, J. P. Dunion, and R. F. Rogers, 2025: An anomaly-based framework for evaluating tropical cyclone vortex structure. Mon. Wea. Rev., 153, 857–875, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-24-0101.1.

TC-ATLAS Web Tool

TC-ATLAS: Tropical Cyclone Analysis Tool for Live and Archived Structure. Available at https://michaelfischerwx.github.io/TC-ATLAS/

Get in Touch

Questions about TC-ATLAS? Contact the developer.

Dr. Michael Fischer

TC-ATLAS Developer · University of Miami

mike.fischer@miami.edu