Practical Modeling of Hurricane Surface Wind Fields

Abstract

Approaches for recreating hurricane surface winds in relation to ocean wave, surge, and current modeling are reviewed. A discrete numerical wind field model, based on original developments at New York University in the early 1970s and used extensively by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CE) and others, is described in detail. Limitations of the model are also discussed. The CE model for hurricane surface wind fields has been a very useful tool in ocean response (OR) modeling for more than a decade. Recently, several aspects of the model were upgraded, including increased spatial resolution and capabilities for simulating a wider variety of radial pressure and wind profile forms. The upgraded features of the model are described, and their impact on hurricane simulations is illustrated with a hypothetical hurricane and with hurricanes Camille (1969) and Gilbert (1988). The upgrades are expected to lead to improvements in the accuracy of OR modeling, particularly for small, intense hurricanes and for well-documented storms with broad and/or multipeaked radial wind profiles.