2026 hurricane forecasts: NHC vs the models

Every forecast NHC issued, and every guidance model forecasters had in hand at the time, scored against the best track. Track error is the distance between forecast and actual position; intensity error is in knots of peak wind.

Errors are measured on the same cases as NHC's official forecast, so every model is compared fairly with NHC.

Track Leaderboard

nautical miles · lower is better · ranked by error relative to NHC at 48 h · click a column to sort

RkAid 24 h48 h72 h120 h vs NHC 48 hvs NHC 120 h Skill 48 h WinsCases

Track error by lead time

NHC and the best model in each league, others in grey · hover for all

Intensity error by lead time

mean absolute error, knots · hover for all

Busts of the Season

the biggest single misses by major guidance

Storm by Storm

winner = smallest average track error at 48 h and 120 h among aids that covered most of the storm

Verification notes