Hurricane and Tropical Storm Watch/Warning Breakpoints

Coastal areas placed under tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings are identified through the use of "breakpoints." A tropical cyclone breakpoint is defined as an agreed upon coastal location that can be chosen as one of two specific end points or designated places between which a tropical storm/hurricane watch/warning is in effect. The U.S. National Weather Service designates the locations along the U.S. East, Gulf, and California coasts, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii. These points are listed here: Operational Breakpoints.

Individual countries across the Caribbean, Central America, and South America provide coastal locations for their areas of responsibility to the U.S. National Weather Service for the National Hurricane Center's use in tropical cyclone advisories when watches/warnings are issued by international partners. The National Hurricane Center maintains a list of pre-arranged breakpoints for the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts, Mexico, Cuba and the Bahamas. Other sites are unofficial and sites not on the list can be selected if conditions warrant.

In 2015, the NWS began conveying the approximate lateral extent of areas at risk for life-threatening storm surge in its text products using fixed 'communication points', similar to the breakpoints used to convey the tropical cyclone watches and warnings. The tropical cyclone warning breakpoints also serve as surge communication points, with additional surge communication points defined as shown below.

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Last Updated March 2024

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International Hurricane/Tropical Storm Watch/Warning Breakpoints	KMZ	Shapefile (.zip)
Additional US Storm Surge Watch/Warning Communication Points	KMZ	Shapefile (.zip)

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Last Updated March 2024

U.S. Gulf Coast	U.S. Southeast	U.S. Mid-Atlantic
U.S. Chesapeake Bay	U.S. Northeast	U.S. Puerto Rico
Caribbean	Cuba	Hispaniola
Mexico	Middle Americas	South America