diff --git a/code/climada_tc_hazard_set.m b/code/climada_tc_hazard_set.m
index e56bdea..a62dc37 100644
--- a/code/climada_tc_hazard_set.m
+++ b/code/climada_tc_hazard_set.m
@@ -174,15 +174,21 @@
 
 % allocate the hazard array (sparse, to manage memory)
 hazard.intensity = spalloc(hazard.event_count,length(hazard.lon),...
-                     ceil(hazard.event_count*length(hazard.lon)*hazard_arr_density));
+    ceil(hazard.event_count*length(hazard.lon)*hazard_arr_density));
 
 t0       = clock;
 n_tracks = length(tc_track);
 msgstr   = sprintf('processing %i tracks',n_tracks);
-fprintf('%s (updating waitbar with estimation of time remaining every 100th track)\n',msgstr);
-h        = waitbar(0,msgstr);
-set(h,'Name','Hazard TC: tropical cyclones wind');
-mod_step = 10; % first time estimate after 10 tracks, then every 100
+if climada_global.waitbar
+    fprintf('%s (updating waitbar with estimation of time remaining every 100th track)\n',msgstr);
+    h        = waitbar(0,msgstr);
+    set(h,'Name','Hazard TC: tropical cyclones wind');
+    mod_step = 10; % first time estimate after 10 tracks, then every 100
+else
+    fprintf('%s (waitbar suppressed)\n',msgstr);
+    mod_step=n_tracks+10;
+end
+
 for track_i=1:n_tracks
     
     % calculate wind for every centroids, equal timestep within this routine  
@@ -221,7 +227,7 @@
     end
 
 end %track_i
-close(h); % dispose waitbar
+if exist('h','var'),close(h);end % dispose waitbar
 
 t_elapsed = etime(clock,t0);
 msgstr    = sprintf('generating %i windfields took %3.2f min (%3.2f sec/event)',length(tc_track),t_elapsed/60,t_elapsed/length(tc_track));