Federal hurricane forecasts have a single purpose: Public safety. Nothing should take precedence over that goal, including business interests.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration introduced a five-day tropical storm forecast in the 2004 hurricane season, a significant change over the three-day forecast.

The longer forecast is less accurate, but it helps local emergency planners, including Beaufort County's William Winn. It was supposed to help those who need more than a three-day warning to evacuate, including the U.S. Navy.

But tourism leaders say the five-day forecast causes undue concern for potential visitors. It can scare tourists away from an area that ends up being two sunny states away from the hurricane landfall. The industry is urging NOAA to return to the three-day forecast.

NOAA should listen to many camps in evaluating its five-day forecast, including the tourism industry. But hotel occupancy rates is not data that NOAA has any business tracking.

The cat is already out of the bag. Technology has improved. Longer-range forecasts are here. NOAA should not, and perhaps cannot, hide that from the public. If NOAA can track the potential path of a storm over five days, it should not sit on it, and it should not dilute its public presentation by leaving key components off its maps.

All parties must deal with reality. That includes accepting that the best forecasts are an educated guess. One hurricane last year was barreling directly toward Tampa Bay, but roared ashore farther south, where many people were not properly prepared. Even the best forecasts can change, even when it is down to a one-day forecast.

Tourists and residents should see the NOAA maps for what they are: a look at possibilities. They should know that a five-day forecast is less accurate than a three-day forecast. But they also should be armed with the best and most complete information available.