NOAA IBTrACS Data

Overview

The International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) is the most complete global collection of tropical cyclone tracks. It provides a unified, publicly available dataset that merges storm information from multiple meteorological agencies, improving inter-agency comparisons.

Data Specifications

Provider: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Frequency: Event-based / Monthly updates
Data Latency: 2-5 days post-event
Data Type: Storm track data
Temporal Coverage: 1842 to present
Data Format: NetCDF, CSV
Coverage: Global

Variables Available

Storm position (latitude, longitude)
Maximum sustained wind speed
Minimum central pressure
Storm size parameters
Storm classification
Agency-specific parameters and metadata

Key Features

Most comprehensive global collection of tropical cyclone best tracks
Combines data from all available Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers (RSMCs)
Harmonized format for consistent analysis
Most common dataset used for backtesting of cyclone data in re-insurance

Use in Parametric Insurance

IBTrACS data is valuable for:

Tropical cyclone parametric insurance
Wind speed-based trigger mechanisms
Historical storm analysis for risk modeling
Post-event verification
Insurance industry standards for cyclone event definition