Wednesday, March 26th, 2003 — The National Weather Service said it will start issuing longer-range hurricane forecasts this year, expanding the prediction from three to five-days.
This change would be the first forecast extension for the National Weather Service, which has had the responsibility of issuing timely and accurate hurricane forecasts, watches and warnings since 1964.
Frank Lepore, spokesperson for the National Hurricane Center at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the five-day projections on the movement and strength of tropical storms and hurricanes affecting the United States would begin June 1.
"This goes back to a 1999 request by the U.S. Navy for five-day forecasts, and the National Weather Service ran this forecast in the background, if you will, during the 2001 and 2002 hurricane seasons," Mr. Lepore said.