Hurricane Wind Field Reconstruction

Group Members :
Jason Dunion
Shirley Murillo
Sean White

Collaborators :
Sam Houston (WFO Honolulu)
H. Winer (USACE)

H*Wind has proven to be an effective tool for retrospective hurricane studies to support a variety of applications. Observations from past hurricanes can be assembled and analyzed using the methods developed from hurricane landfall wind field reconstructions spanning 1979-present. Considerable time is spent in quality control and under some circumstances thewind observations are supplemented by using a wind field model such as that developed by Dr. Lloyd Shapiro of HRD. To date wind field reconstructions have been completed in support of Florida Bay ecosystem research with funding from NOAA's Coastal Ocean Program (Hurricanes Donna 1960 and the 1935 Labor Day Storm) and a Hurdat reanalysis (later stages of Hurricane Donna) funded by a grant to Dr. Landsea from the Risk Prediction Initiative of the Bermuda Biological Station. Presently, a reconstruction of 1965 Hurricane Betsy, and 2002 Hurricanes Isidore and Lili are in process with support grants from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans Office.

Accomplishments :
Houston, S. H., and M. D. Powell, 2003: Reconsturction of Significant Hurricanes affecting Florida Bay: The Great 1935 Hurricane and Hurricane Donna (1960). In press, J. Coastal Research.

Future Work :
Papers describing the Betsy, Lili, and Isidore reconstruction efforts will be produced. Analysis of additional storms affecting the New Orleans storm surge basin include Georges of 1998 and Andrew of 1992.

Last modified: 5/16/2003