PRACTICAL MODELING OF HURRICANE SURFACE WIND FIELDS

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 Universit y in the early 1970s and used extensively by the U.S. Army Corps of En gineers (CE) and others, is described in detail. Limitations of the mo del 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, i ncluding increased spatial resolution and capabilities for simulating a wider variety of radial pressure and wind profile forms. The upgrade d features of the model are described, and their impact on hurricane s imulations is illustrated with a hypothetical hurricane and with hurri canes 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 an d/or multipeaked radial wind profiles.