92nd American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting (January 22-26, 2012)

Tuesday, 24 January 2012: 3:45 PM
Estimation of 3-Dimensional Winds During Hurricane Katrina Landfall Event
Room 338 (New Orleans Convention Center )
Felisha R. Lawrence, Howard University, Brandywine, MD; and A. E. Reynolds and E. Joseph

On August 28, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, a devastating strong Category 3 hurricane, made landfall in southeastern Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina caused over $80 billion in property damage, and nearly 1,400 deaths resulting from the actual storm, and subsequent floods. Most deaths were indeed caused by the failure of the New Orleans levees, but the storm itself caused a significant amount of damage and loss of life in itself throughout the Gulf Cost, particularly Mississippi, and Alabama. To perform a dual Doppler analysis, two NEXRAD Weather Surveillance Radar – 1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) were chosen: KLIX in New Orleans/Baton Rouge and as KMOB in Mobile, Alabama. Doppler radars detect radial velocities, however the dual-Doppler technique allows for 3-dimensional wind field detection. In this study, Hurricane Katrina will be analyzed at various altitudes. In analyzing the 3-D wind structure of Hurricane Katrina, the dual-Doppler technique performed in the manner suggested will provide a beneficial estimation of wind speeds inside the hurricane, which are significantly harder to obtain in near real time. This is relevant to society, as more accurate detection of wind speeds, particularly near the surface,can significantly reduce the loss of life, and property in future hurricanes.

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