Advanced Dvorak Technique-Hurricane Satellite (ADT-HURSAT)

A Consistent Global Record of Tropical Cyclone Intensity

ADT-HURSAT is a comprehensive tropical cyclone dataset that offers consistent, high-quality storm intensity estimates and provides users with a record that can be used for long-term climate analysis, risk assessment, and hurricane preparedness. 

This dataset combines the globally homogeneous Hurricane Satellite (HURSAT) archive with the Advanced Dvorak Technique (ADT) to generate tropical cyclone intensity estimates from 1978 to 2024. Developed at the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison/Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (UW/CIMSS), this unique tool offers users a climate-quality record ideal for historical analysis, ensuring consistent storm intensity data across time and geography. This product is static, and no future updates are scheduled at this time.

A government vehicle drives through a flooded roadway as hurricane winds blow palm trees and rain sideways, making visibility difficult.
Credit: Flickr, National Museum of the U.S. Navy

How do I use and download ADT-HURSAT data?

NOAA Open Data Dissemination (NODD) Bucket

The NODD Bucket contains the ADT-HURSAT data in a netCDF4 format.

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Data Access Notebook

Use the Data Access Notebook, written in Python, for help with bulk data downloads, preliminary statistical analysis, and guidance on using the dataset.

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NCEI Data Access

This dataset is available as NetCDF files within the NCEI library.

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Documentation

  • Technical Documentation: Caveats, usage information, and other details about how to use and apply ADT-HURSAT data.
  • StormID List: List of StormIDs, matching International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS).

Dataset Identifiers

How do I cite this Dataset?

Knapp, Kenneth R.; Olander, Timothy L.; Velden, Christopher S.; Gahtan, Jennifer; Schreck, Carl J. (2025). Tropical Storm Wind Speed, Current Intensity Number, and other tropical storm related variables from the Advanced Dvorak Technique Hurricane Satellite (ADT-HURSAT) globally from May 30 1978 to December 31 2024 (NCEI Accession 0307249). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/n6va-0b18. Accessed [date].

References

The methodology for this dataset is similar to the following references:

  • J.P. Kossin, K.R. Knapp, T.L. Olander, & C.S. Velden, Global increase in major tropical cyclone exceedance probability over the past four decades, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117 (22) 11975-11980, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1920849117 (2020).
  • J. P. Kossin, T. L. Olander, K. R. Knapp, Trend analysis with a new global record of tropical cyclone intensity. J. Clim. 26, 9960–9976, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00262.1 (2013).

Release Information: v1

V1 is the first release of this data published [February 2026]

New Features in v1

  • Data released to public in netCDF format
  • Provides data on tropical cyclone (TC) intensity estimates using the ADT algorithm run on HURSAT B1 IR imagery

Known Issues

This dataset should not be used to determine actual storm intensities. Peaks and valleys in storm intensity behavior will not be accurately represented in individual cases due to the reduced spatiotemporal sampling of HURSAT imagery. Instead, the ADT-HURSAT represents a consistently derived, homogenized dataset that can faithfully represent trends in TC intensity over the period of the sampling.

For accurate data on an individual storm, use the International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) dataset. For more information on the known caveats, see the ADT-HURSAT Technical Documentation. 

To provide feedback that informs the ongoing availability of the ADT-HURSAT product and NCEI’s mission to deliver and disseminate information nationwide, please complete the survey by selecting the “Help improve this site” button at the bottom right of the screen. 

"NOAA data gives us a common operating procedure when there are so many disparate views of what weather could be... The data we pull from NOAA is invaluable. It is fundamental for how we visualize natural hazards and allows us to be efficient in emergency response."

Emergency Management Professional and NCEI Feedback Group Member


 

How is ADT-HURSAT helpful?

By offering dependable, consistent, historical storm intensity data, the ADT-HURSAT dataset helps improve risk analysis and hurricane preparedness. Feedback from several U.S. industries influenced the development of the Data Access Notebook, which includes the ADT-HURSAT dataset and instructions on how to access and use it for initial statistical analysis.

  • Insurance and reinsurance companies can incorporate ADT-HURSAT data into their risk models to better estimate potential losses and optimize coverage strategies.
  • Retailers and emergency management teams can incorporate insights on historical events into supply chain management strategies to minimize future impacts to communities.
  • Architects and engineers can use the dataset in scenario modeling to design weather-resilient buildings, bridges, and other structures in the face of future storms. 

By enabling data-driven decision-making, ADT-HURSAT supports proactive measures that protect the lives, property, and businesses in our communities. 

Please note this product is static, and no future updates are scheduled. 

Tracking Impacts for Operations and Logistics

ADT-HURSAT supports long-term analysis and operational decision-making by providing:

Data coverage from as far back as 1978, making it useful for short- and long-term business planning based on historic trends.

A comprehensive historical record of hurricane-related variables, including the radius of maximum winds, standardized wind speeds, and eye and cloud top temperatures.

A standardized comparison of intensities over time, empowering decision makers to make informed choices based on how intensity has changed over a given time period. 

Advanced Reliability and Standardization

ADT-HURSAT provides reliable, standardized data to evaluate risk and plan for future extreme weather events:

Standardized data delivery formats to facilitate compatibility across systems and ease of integration into existing workflows.

Access through Python and Jupyter notebooks, enabling custom analyses and repeatable workflows for modeling and risk assessments.

Data integration with current software and frameworks, enabling a seamless uptake of information.

Integrated and Easy to Use

ADT-HURSAT complements NCEI's collection of quick, flexible, and modern tools, by integrating ease of use with reliable, standardized data to evaluate risk and prepare for future extreme weather events:

A refreshed user interface and modular design for easier navigation and data access.

An easy-to-follow data access notebook that allows users to query the dataset, perform preliminary analysis, and compare data to other hurricane datasets.

Cloud-ready delivery, meeting the needs of scalable, high-performance federal infrastructure.

How can ADT-HURSAT be used?


These hypothetical personas are based on extensive collaboration with industry experts and demonstrate how different users might apply this product to answer questions and solve problems.

Use Case: Jane – Director of Store Operations, National Grocery Chain

Use Case: Jane – Director of Store Operations, National Grocery Chain

Jane uses the ADT-HURSAT tool to assess how past hurricane seasons have impacted customer foot traffic and disrupted supply chains across stores in the Southeastern U.S. Large storms that shut down vital resources can make it challenging for pharmacies to provide customers with specialized, life-saving medicine requiring refrigeration or limiting the ability of grocery stores to provide fresh, healthy produce to customers.

By looking at standardized comparisons of hurricane intensities over time, Jane can identify correlations between storm intensities and sales. With this analysis, Jane and her executive leadership can make informed decisions about emergency staffing protocols and inventory buffers, thereby supporting business continuity before, during, and after large storms.
Credit: via Chanakon, Adobe Stock

Use Case: Raj - Senior Catastrophe Risk Analyst, Global Reinsurer

Use Case: Raj - Senior Catastrophe Risk Analyst, Global Reinsurer

Raj integrates ADT-HURSAT’s long-term, climate-quality hurricane intensity data directly into his risk models via Python-based Jupyter notebooks. The tool’s standardized delivery and consistent data format allow him to compare historical storm behavior across decades and geographies with high confidence. 

Through this comparison, Raj not only improves his company’s property loss projections and pricing strategies for policies in hurricane-prone regions but also contributes to innovative solutions for his company’s internal tools, data processes and workflows. This enables more resilient portfolio planning and supports reinsurance negotiations with data-driven transparency. Ultimately, this provides analysts with more viable options for the risk management solutions they provide.
Credit: via Running opossum, Adobe Stock

Use Case: Maria - Lt. Commander with NOAA and Emergency Preparedness Officer

Use Case: Maria - Lt. Commander with NOAA and Emergency Preparedness Officer

Maria relies on ADT-HURSAT to support NOAA’s operational hurricane response planning. With cloud-ready access to storm intensity records, her team can analyze standardized historical storm patterns for future risk assessments and evaluate how previous events were handled. 

The flexible data format allows for seamless ingestion into federal systems, where the data are used to simulate evacuation scenarios and infrastructure stress tests. Local emergency preparedness teams work with these scenarios and tests to ensure community safety. 
Credit: via Flickr, NOAA Severe Storm Labs

International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS)

International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS)

The IBTrACS project is the most complete global collection of tropical cyclones (TC) available. 

IBTrACS merges TC storm track datasets from agencies around the world to create a global, best track TC database.
Source: NCEI IBTrACS

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Hurricane Satellite (HURSAT) Data

Hurricane Satellite (HURSAT) Data

The HURSAT project provides tropical cyclone-centric satellite data in gridded netCDF format to create an easy-to-use database of small, portable storm data.

The HURSAT methodology involves merging tropical cyclone track data with satellite imagery to create a dataset of centered hurricane imagery.
Source: NCEI HURSAT 

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Historical Hurricane Tracks

Historical Hurricane Tracks

The Historical Hurricane Track tool allows users to track the paths of historic hurricanes from as far back as 1851. 

This tool allows users to search by place name, storm name or year, or latitude and longitude points. With the search results, users can generate a map showing the track of the storm or storms accompanied by a table of related information.
Source: NOAA Historical Hurricane Tracks 

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The Advanced Dvorak Technique (ADT) is an algorithm used to estimate the intensity of tropical cyclones (TC) using geostationary satellite infrared imagery (Olander and Velden, 2007). This algorithm was developed in the mid-1990s at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has been widely used for operational TC analysis by forecasters and scientists. 

This technique utilizes the primary cloud pattern and measured TC cloud top parameters to derive an initial intensity estimate. It employs an objective storm center determination scheme and cloud pattern determination logic to eliminate subjective aspects of intensity estimates. This results in consistent estimates of TC intensity for use in global studies. 

Version 9.0 of this algorithm is used in the ADT-HURSAT product. It is currently available for real-time estimates via the UW-CIMSS Tropical Cyclone web page.

Citation: Olander, T. L., & Velden, C. S. (2007). The Advanced Dvorak Technique: Continued Development of an Objective Scheme to Estimate Tropical Cyclone Intensity Using Geostationary Infrared Satellite Imagery. Weather and Forecasting, 22(2), 287-298. https://doi.org/10.1175/WAF975.1

The Hurricane Satellite (HURSAT) B1 dataset contains raw satellite observations derived from the ISCCP B1 data centered on historical tropical cyclones (TC). This dataset can be used for reanalysis of TCs through the standardization of satellite imagery collected from as far back as 1978.

The satellite imagery is collected from the following satellites:

This data is then merged with IBTrACS data, using the best track records to find storms. For more information, see the HURSAT data page. 

Users rely on ADT-HURSAT to provide consistent storm intensity data on a global and long-term scale. This high-quality data can be used for long-term climate analysis of tropical cyclone behavior. It is a homogenized dataset that represents trends in TC intensity from 1978 to 2024. See the About tab for more information on use cases. 

Based on current scientific literature, here are some questions that users have been able to answer with this product:

  • How have tropical cyclone intensities changed historically?
  • Are there any correlations between changing tropical cyclone intensities and global meteorological teleconnection patterns?
  • What is the intraseasonal variability of tropical cyclone activity, both temporally and spatially?
  • How do TCs vary by decadally (in terms of hurricane category or wind speed by decade)?  
  • Can we identify any correlations between tropical cyclone intensity and other changing meteorological conditions?
     

HURSAT is a collection of satellite imagery that focuses on tropical cyclone-centric satellite data converted into a netCDF format, allowing the database to be easier to work with and access. HURSAT should be used when satellite imagery of a storm is desired. See the HURSAT data page for more information.

ADT-HURSAT uses HURSAT data with the ADT algorithm applied to provide tropical cyclone intensity data whose methodology is consistent across the records. This dataset is in a netCDF format, containing cells of information regarding intensity, location, time, and more. See the Technical Documentation for the full list of variables. ADT-HURSAT should be used for analysis and comparison of tropical storm intensities, with the aim of reducing biases from changes in methods of best tracking over time.

The International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) is a best-track dataset that merges historical and recent tropical cyclone data from multiple agencies into one robust, publicly available dataset. This data is available through the IBTrACS page in netCDF, CSV, and shapefile formats for various applications. IBTrACS also supplements the Historical Hurricane Tracks product from NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management. IBTrACS should be used for the most accurate storm information for any given tropical storm.