2004 Atlantic Hurricane Season

Lee County, Florida, located approximately two hours south of Tampa, had not been hit by a major hurricane since Hurricane Donna in 1960. During the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, Hurricane Charley came ashore in Lee County as a fast-moving category 4 hurricane, the first in a highly active cycle of hurricanes predicted for many years to come.

The 2004 Atlantic Hurricane Season map was created to show seasonal hurricane tracks and storm categories. Every three hours during each storm, a new advisory is posted with coordinate location and storm strength. These coordinates are added to the master hurricane advisory GIS layer, and the map is created and posted for anxious hurricane watchers.

Use of the WorldSat imagery is an extremely effective tool to immediately capture one’s attention. This map has become an instant geography lesson and now a requirement for each subsequent hurricane season.