Department of Chemistry, Physics, and Atmospheric Sciences
Jackson State University, Jackson MS 39217, USA
Hurricane Matthew reached its peak strength as a category 5 hurricane, and by the time it reached Haiti on October 4, 2016, it was an extremely powerful category 4 hurricane with torrential rain and winds up to 145 mph. Matthew caused catastrophic damage to Haiti, as well as widespread devastation in the southeastern United States. Matthew was the largest humanitarian emergency due to the death tolls. Hurricane Matthew was the first Category 5 Atlantic storm since Hurricane Felix in 2007. With an estimated 546 deaths and $1.9 million in damages. We developed the predictive model by using the ideal gas law and bulk model to calculate the large-scale heat fluxes associated with hurricane Matthew. Large-scale heat fluxes are the measurement of energy flow from the ocean to the atmosphere.We used NOAA Satellite, BUOY and RADAR data to collect wind speed, air temperature, and ocean temperature and precipitation. Our results show that the Hurricane Matthew reaching maximum strength heat fluxes 7170 J/m2, high winds maximum 140 mph and heavy precipitation variability during its path over the USA east coast. There is an inverse relationship between pressure and heat fluxes. This prediction serves as early warning system for rapid changes of hurricane intensity.
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