Jan 18 2023
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New HURREVAC Display Settings For 2023

By HURREVAC Support

HURREVAC has a new look for 2023. This update features new color options for the interface, redesigned tool icons and more options for viewing latitude and longitude. Display Mode Display Mode is a new tab in the User Preferences window. There, users can choose one of these options to set as a default: Light Dark Blue Classic (this is how HURREVAC has looked for the past few seasons) Click a tile to preview the option. The selected display mode is used whenever HURREVAC is opened. To try out another look, just reopen User Preferences. The program has the same features and functionality with each color theme, but the layout may change slightly in certain parts of the workspace. The display mode does not affect the colors used for the map layers, storm tracks, or other live weather data. New Icons HURREVAC also has dozens of revamped icons to go with the new display modes. This is the second phase of a project to optimize the user interface. The redesign began with the new HURREVAC logo and toolbox icons in 2022. The new look is rolling out for the storm tools, map tools and utilities bar icons in 2023. All tools and layers will work the same way as before. Hold the pointer or mouse over an icon to see its name in a tooltip. Latitude and Longitude Settings HURREVAC users now have more control over the appearance of latitude and longitude on the tracking map. These options are found in the Map Settings tab of User Preferences. By default, Latitude and Longitude Display is set to Lines Only. To add 1-degree tick marks between the lines, choose Lines and Tick Marks from the list. If you want a clean map view, choose None. These line and tick mark settings are applied to whatever basemap is displayed, which is still a separate selection. Previously, the 1-degree tick marks were only available by choosing the Classic basemap. Users who want the Classic appearance together with tick marks will need to make this one-time selection in User Preferences. We encourage you to explore the new Display Modes, Map Settings and basemaps to create your custom HURREVAC workspace. The HURREVAC team is already working on more upgrades and new features ahead of the next hurricane season.  If you have feedback about the changes described in this post, comments about how you used the program in 2022, or suggestions for what you would like to see in the future, please reach out to us at support@hurrevac.com.

Nov 07 2022
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Time change reminder for users tracking Nicole

By HURREVAC Support

The recent change from daylight saving time to standard time means that products from the National Hurricane Center and other forecast agencies are available one hour earlier. Users tracking Tropical Storm Nicole from the Eastern Time Zone should get these changes automatically in HURREVAC. Regular advisory packages (complete with new forecast tracks and discussions) are now issued at 4 a.m., 10 a.m., 4 p.m., and 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. (In Atlantic Standard Time: 5 a.m., 11 a.m., 5 p.m. and 11 p.m.) Intermediate advisories are issued at 1 a.m., 7 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. EST while watches and warnings are in effect. (Or 2 a.m., 8 a.m., 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. AST) Tropical Weather Outlooks are issued at 1 a.m., 7 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. EST. By default, HURREVAC’s time display matches the system setting of your computer or device. There is no need to change any HURREVAC settings to account for the end of daylight saving time unless you manually set a custom time zone (UTC offset) in User Preferences. Additional reminder unrelated to the time change:The Potential Storm Surge Flooding layer requires more processing time by the NHC and may be issued at least one hour after the valid time of the regular advisory. If you check HURREVAC immediately after a new advisory issuance, (for example, right at 4 p.m.) the Potential Storm Surge Flooding layer will show a message that it does not exist. Check back one to two hours later. The surge layer from the previous regular advisory may still be viewed, but always refer to the legend to avoid discrepancies. If you have additional questions or encounter an issue, write to support@hurrevac.com for assistance.

Aug 01 2022
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ENHANCEMENTS TO TRACK AND SWATH OPTIONS

By HURREVAC Support

HURREVAC’s Track and Swath Options interface has been redesigned to give users more choices for how to display storm tracks and forecasts. The existing capabilities are unchanged. The most significant new feature is the ability to plot Previous Forecast Tracks for either the last 3 advisories or the last 6 advisories (not including intermediate advisories). This lets users see trends in a storm’s track forecast over the past 24 to 36 hours with minimal clicking. Once the setting is turned on, the color-coded previous forecast tracks are automatically plotted for any actively displayed storm and advisory. This feature replaces the need to select individual advisory points to show the trend in a storm’s previous forecast tracks. But creating a custom or manual display in that manner is still possible. Other notable changes include the following: Actual Track Ahead settings are clarified Actual Track Behind (Past Track) has the added option to be plotted as a simple track line only Forecast Track also has a new option to be shown for official forecast positions only, which hides the hourly plot points Labels for Saffir-Simpson Category are no longer shown as “Cat 0” for track or forecast points that are not of hurricane strength The Save these preferences for future sessions button is more prominent