Tsunamis can be devastating – as seen this week in American Samoa and nearly five years ago around the Indian Ocean. NOAA’s National Weather Service is helping to keep the nation’s coastline safe through observations and warnings

NOAA has completed implementation of the final phase of a nine year contract by installing the newest generation of IBM supercomputers for weather and climate prediction. The supercomputers allow NOAA to run more complex models in an effort to improve forecast accuracy and extend watch and warning lead times for severe weather, including hurricanes, tornadoes, air quality, wildfires, floods, tsunamis and winter storms.

At 5 AM EDT the Tropical Storm Watch for the North Carolina coast has been discontinued. The remnants of Danny were located about 80 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras North Carolina. Large swells from the extratropical low are expected to produce dangerous surf conditions and life-threatening rip currents along the U.S

According to its August Atlantic hurricane season outlook, NOAA now expects a near- to below-normal Atlantic hurricane season, as the calming effects of El Niño continue to develop.

Dangerous seas (waves and swells) and rip currents are expected along parts of the U.S. East Coast through the weekend as powerful Hurricane Bill moves north across the western Atlantic Ocean. Local National Weather Service forecast offices will issue appropriate outlooks and advisories as warranted

Latest advisories on Atlantic and eastern Pacific tropical systems are available from the National Weather Service National Hurricane Center web site

At 700 AM CDT the center of Tropical Depression Claudette was located about 15 miles north-northwest of Brewton Alabama and about 85 miles southwest of Montgomery Alabama. Movement was toward the northwest near 12 MPH. The remnants of Claudette will move across southwestern Alabama today and into northeastern Mississippi tonight

The tropical Atlantic has become more active with Tropical Storm Ana and Tropical Storm Bill forming on Saturday. The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on both systems. Latest advisories, satellite images, and buoy reports are available from NOAAWatch tracking pages.

NOAA forecasters say a near-normal Atlantic hurricane season is most likely this year. However, as with any season, the need to prepare for the possibility of a storm striking near you is essential. Forecasters say there is a 70 percent chance of having nine to 14 named storms, of which four to seven could become hurricanes, including one to three major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5).

NOAA hurricane experts will visit five East Coast cities aboard a NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft to raise awareness about storm threats and the danger of being caught without a personal hurricane plan. The five-day tour begins May 4 with visits to Newington, N.H., Farmingdale, N.Y., Raleigh, N.C., Wilmington, N.C., and Key West, Fla