Tab - Fixed/Favorite Tracking Chart

This option causes the current screen to fill the entire screen. No operations are possible in this mode. Clicking anywhere on the screen will exit this mode.

This option removes the last change or all the changes made to the tracking chart.

Description: This tab displays one of the many fixed area system tracking charts. These include any custom maps created by the user. There are 3 "favorite" tracking chart tabs available to the system.. one of which is a "multiple storm" tracking chart. Many storm tracking and analysis functions are available from here including the ability to plot a track on a satellite image or a radar plot.

Tab Created by: Always there when a storm is loaded unless specified otherwise by User General Options.

The user can zoom in by rubber banding an area on the screen. Other pan and zoom options are available by right clicking anywhere on the map image.

Left Clicking on a tracking map will display either the current wind vector (arrow) for the mouse position or the forecast wind speed for that location. This is controlled by toggling a toolbar button which is located on the primary toolbar.

- In this mode, a left click will display the wind speed/direction at that point, at the current time.

- In this mode, a left click will display the forecast wind speeds (sustained and gusts) at the point.

Map list - This command will display the thumbnail sized images of all of the fixed tracking chart for your selection (dbl click). You can also select the chart from the dropdown list.

Satellite/Radar list – This command will display the thumbnail sized images of all of the satellite, sea surface temperature (SST) and Radar images that are available for overlaying storm tracks on top of. See example below

You can also select the image from the dropdown list. The selection of images is maintained by PC Weather Products and requires a HURRTRAK Online subscription to make active. Upon selection, the image is loaded from a 3^rd party Internet source and then storm tracks may be plotted on top of it. Note.. Any plots that floods an area with color.. such as a forecast track error or wind band analysis will overlay the image behind it. It is suggested that you do not use these type functions. See example of a Satellite Image chart.

Best Map - This option selects the smallest scale map that has the storm's latest position on it.

Using the Next or Prior Map command buttons after being on the BEST map, will display the first map in the sequence (full area map). The map dropdown list is the fastest way to get to the desired tracking chart.

You can specify how many favorite tracking charts you would like to have available in the user general options.

The multiple storm tracking chart tab is special in that it is NOT refreshed when a new storm or database is loaded. This allows the user to plot more than one storm track on it.

The satellite image and radar drop down list is maintained via HURRTRAK Online and may change during the hurricane season. The images are downloaded from 3^rd party internet sites which are generally very reliable.. but occasionally they may not be available.

The satellite and radar thumbnails are set to update via Hurrtrak Online every 3 hours. This can be controlled via the settings in general options. The age of the thumbnail has no affect on the image downloaded and displayed.. which is always the latest available.

You cannot add "your" favorite satellite image to the list of tracking chart satellite images. If you have a good source for satellite images and the images are in a Mercator map projection, please contact us.

Finally, since there are hours between NHC advisories, radar images will typically be for more current time than the hurricane observation data. i.e. Radar and hurricane data will not always be in sync.