Know the facts
Download the data from NOAA.
With its projection centered on the South Pole, this Story Map completely reimagines how to visualize hurricane data on a map. Many hurricane maps have been made. This one takes a fresh perspective, and the result is a powerful visual that jumps off the page. You see the warm ocean basins that spawn hurricanes along with predominate storm tracks. We love how this basic map packs some cartographic punch. Yet, it’s super simple to make yourself.
A story map shows how to recreate this hurricane map, revealing the key creative steps in the workflow. This map works because uses an intuitive and beautiful combination of color, size, and transparency to build up the overall patterns. We see the largest, most powerful storms emerging from this mass of historic data. But, we also see that these storms are relatively rare. The use of a dark, muted satellite basemap is key to creating the map’s overall striking, glowing appearance.
Map Author
I have way too much fun looking for ways to understand and visually present data, engage others, and write about it. Otherwise, I’m chasing around toddlers and wrangling chickens. Life is good.
If you liked this map, check out these other Maps We Love that explore similar topics.