The average error in the NHC forecasted position of a hurricane three days in the future has shrunk to a third of what it was in 1990--a staggering accomplishment. However, as you may have gathered, forecasts of future storm *strength* have proved more difficult to improve.
The Atlantic hurricane season normally runs from June to November. Randall is imagining the situation in the National Hurricane Center when the 2005 season was extended more than a month by the appearance of Hurricane Epsilon and Tropical Storm Zeta. He imagines the situation as NOAA meteorologists watch with amazement (and increasing annoyance as they were presumably unable to move off to other things such as post-season analysis) as Hurricane Epsilon and Zeta continued to exist far beyond the normal end-of-season date (November 30).
The monospaced text in most of the panels is material taken from actual NHC reports from that season. The commentary has been edited to fit the comic's format, but it's otherwise faithful to the actual reports. While the only change to Forecaster 1 is when he's celebrating New Year's Eve, Forecaster 2 is visibly losing it after the appearance of Zeta in late December, with unkempt hair and an unshaven beard.
The last report of the 2005 season was issued on January 6, 2006.
A full analysis of the 2005 hurricane season can be found here.
NHC reports on Epsilion and Zeta:
- 10 AM EST TUE NOV 29 2005 (Panel 1)
- 10 PM EST WED NOV 30 2005 (Panel 2a)
- 4 PM EST THU DEC 01 2005 (Panel 2b)
- 4 AM EST FRI DEC 02 2005 (Panel 3a)
- 10 AM EST FRI DEC 02 2005 (Panel 3b)
- 4 PM EST SAT DEC 03 2005 (Panel 4)
- 10 PM EST SAT DEC 03 2005 (Panel 5a)
- 4 AM EST SUN DEC 04 2005 (Panel 5b)
- 10 AM EST SUN DEC 04 2005 (Panel 6,7)
- 4 PM EST MON DEC 05 2005 (Panel 8)
- 10 PM EST MON DEC 05 2005 (Panel 9)
- 4 AM EST TUE DEC 06 2005 (Panel 10)
- 10 PM EST TUE DEC 06 2005 (Panel 11a)
- 4 AM EST WED DEC 07 2005 (Panel 11b)
- 10 AM EST THU DEC 08 2005 (Panel 12)
- NOON EST FRI DEC 30 2005 (Panel 14)
- 4 PM EST FRI DEC 30 2005 (Panel 15)
- 10 PM EST SAT DEC 31 2005 (Panel 16)
- 10 PM EST SUN JAN 01 2006 (Panel 17)
- 4 AM EST MON JAN 02 2006 (Panel 18a)
- 4 PM EST MON JAN 02 2006 (Panel 18b)
- 10 PM EST MON JAN 02 2006 (Panel 19a)
- 10 AM EST WED JAN 04 2006 (Panel 19b)
- 4 AM EST THU JAN 05 2006 (Panel 20)
- 10 AM EST THU JAN 05 2006 (Panel 21)
- 10 PM EST THU JAN 05 2006 (Panel 22)
- 4 PM EST FRI JAN 06 2006 (Panel 23)
Randall has discussed the seemingly erratic nature of hurricanes before. This may, however, have been a response to the recent Hurricane Sandy.
The text also seems to be a parody of horror stories/movies, and their theme of writing.