National Hurricane Center updates cone graphics

The National Hurricane Center updated two of its most widely used storm graphics ahead of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, changing how inland wind risk and non-developing systems are shown to the public. The changes took effect for this season after testing and public feedback, according to National Hurricane Center and NOAA materials. One update adds inland hurricane and tropical-storm watches and warnings to the familiar forecast cone. Another changes the color used on the Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook so systems not expected to develop are marked in gray rather than yellow. ### What changed on the cone graphic people see during storms? The National Hurricane Center said its 2026 cone graphic now includes tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings for inland areas, not just along the coast. NOAA announced the change in a 2024 release describing the 2026 rollout, and the center’s 2026 products update says user feedback and social science research supported adding inland watches and warnings to better communicate wind risk. (nhc.noaa.gov) The cone itself still shows the probable track of a storm’s center, not the full area of impacts. The center’s graphics page says the product depicts the latest track forecast along with coastal and U.S. inland areas under hurricane warning, hurricane watch, tropical storm warning and tropical storm watch, plus a combined warning-watch pattern in some areas. ### Why does the inland addition matter? (noaa.gov) Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, said at the 2026 National Hurricane Conference that the update makes inland risk easier to see on the main forecast graphic, according to conference materials and contemporaneous coverage. The center’s change announcement for the earlier experimental version said research suggested inland watches and warnings would help communicate wind danger without adding too many layers to the map. (nhc.noaa.gov) USA Today reported on May 20 that the updated cone follows two years of testing. Orlando Sentinel also reported that the 2026 changes were designed to make inland risks easier to understand, especially because hazardous conditions can extend beyond the coastline and beyond the cone itself. ### What is the gray change on tropical outlook maps? (nhc.noaa.gov) The National Hurricane Center’s 2026 update says the Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook now uses a gray “X” for disturbances in which development is not expected. That replaces the previous use of yellow for systems with no chance of tropical development, a change also described in conference materials reviewed by the center. (usatoday.com) The center’s current tropical outlook pages already reflect that presentation. On May 20, NHC outlook products for the Atlantic and eastern Pacific stated that tropical cyclone formation was not expected during the next seven days, matching the no-development category now shown in gray on the graphic version. ### Does the cone now show the full danger area? (nhc.noaa.gov) The National Hurricane Center says no single cone graphic shows every hazard. Its graphics pages state that hurricane-force winds and tropical-storm-force winds can extend well beyond the white cone area, and separate wind-history or wind-field graphics are used to show the broader distribution of winds. The center’s long-standing cone description also says the cone represents the probable track of the center of a tropical cyclone. (forecast.weather.gov) That means rainfall, storm surge, tornadoes and damaging winds can affect places outside the cone, even with the new inland warning overlays. ### Where will people see the new graphics this season? June 1 marks the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, and the updated products are now listed on the National Hurricane Center website for the 2026 season. (nhc.noaa.gov) The cone graphic appears with NHC advisories, while the Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook is posted on the center’s tropical outlook pages and hurricanes.gov materials. (nhc.noaa.gov 1) (nhc.noaa.gov 2)