Case Study: National Hurricane Center achieves earlier, life-saving hurricane landfall forecasts with AccuWeather For Business

The U.S Congress Recognized Only One Weather Company, AccuWeather, in Its Reports Surrounding Hurricane Katrina

The National Hurricane Center faced the challenge of accurately forecasting Hurricane Katrina’s landfall and the scale of flooding risk to New Orleans during late August 2005. AccuWeather For Business — via its long-range forecasting service (AccuWeather Long-Range) — provided clients with early warnings as the storm developed, while initial NHC briefings underestimated the flooding threat.

AccuWeather For Business issued detailed long-range forecasts and client alerts on August 22, 26 and 28 that warned of catastrophic landfall and life‑threatening flooding with breached levees, predicting 50–70% of New Orleans could be flooded. AccuWeather’s forecast identified the target of Katrina’s landfall nearly 12 hours before the National Hurricane Center’s first warning; the company was the only weather firm cited by U.S. Congress in reports around Katrina, and AccuWeather has argued that the earlier warning window could have aided evacuations.

National Hurricane Center

Max Mayfield

Director