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The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a joint United States Navy–United States Air Force task force located at Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The JTWC is responsible for the issuing of tropical cyclone warnings in the North West Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. The JTWC provides support to all branches of the U.S. Department of Defense as well as other U.S. government agencies. Their products are intended for the protection of primarily military ships and aircraft as well as military installations jointly operated with other countries around the world.
JTWC adheres to the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) rules for storm names and adheres to acknowledged guidelines for intensity of hurricanes and tropical storms, with the exception of using the U.S. standard of measuring sustained winds for 1 min instead of the 10 min span recommended by the WMO (see Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale).
JTWC monitors, analyzes, and forecasts tropical cyclone formation, development, and movement year round. Its area of responsibility covers more than 90% of the world's tropical cyclone activity.
The Center is currently manned by 32 U.S. Air Force and Navy personnel. The JTWC uses several satellite systems and sensors, radar, surface and upper level synoptic data as well as atmospheric models to complete its mission.
JTWC was originally established in 1959 at Nimitz Hill, Guam. It was relocated to Pearl Harbor on January 1, 1999 due to the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round.
See also
- National Hurricane Center
- Central Pacific Hurricane Center
- Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
External links
United States Navy | Tropical cyclone meteorology | North Indian cyclones | Pacific typhoons
"Joint Typhoon Warning Center"