US center's tropical storm forecasts are going inland, where damage can outstrip coasts

The National Hurricane Center will add inland predictions to its forecast of the location and ferocity of tropical storms. The Miami-based hurricane center said Thursday on the social media platform X that the new, experimental forecast tool will be ready around Aug. 15, just before the traditional peak of the hurricane season that begins June 1. The center's so-called cone of uncertainty prediction will now also look at areas where wind and flooding are sometimes more treacherous than damage to the coasts.