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Re:Misinterpreting hurricane forecasts by timerol on Thursday August 29, 2019 @04:35PM (#20833404)
The bottom line of the article is that we should use better and more understandable metrics about a hurricanes path, like https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/174008.s..., which was referenced in the article
Re:Misinterpreting hurricane forecasts by thermonot on Thursday August 29, 2019 @04:49PM (#20833512)
Now go to the NYT main hurricane article and what do you see? The same misleading map that this article says people don't understand instead of the better wind speed probability alternative:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/29/us/hurricane-dorian-flori...

Re:Misinterpreting hurricane forecasts by dandelany on Thursday August 29, 2019 @07:21PM (#20834641)
This one? https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/27/us/hurricane-...

This is not the same cone map, the shaded area represents "50 percent or higher chance of experiencing wind speeds of at least 39 miles per hour" - ie. a simplified version of the map you recommend.

Re:Misinterpreting hurricane forecasts by krebby on Thursday August 29, 2019 @04:53PM (#20833554)
IMO this chart still doesn't adequately explain the data. That color scale reads to me like storm intensity.

The crux of the problem is that visualizing uncertainty is hard (remember the NYT 2016 election needles?) especially in a geospatial context where screen X and Y are meaningful. Animation can certainly help but interaction is even better.

Re:Misinterpreting hurricane forecasts by felideon on Thursday August 29, 2019 @04:50PM (#20833523)
Yes, that one is a good one to monitor, because even Tropical Force Storm winds, when sustained long enough, can wreak significant havoc.

This one is also quite informative. It gives you a better idea of when you should have your house ready: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/144746.s...