A numerical simulation of the evolution of the low-level wind speed and rainfall in Hurricane Ivan's (2004) at landfall

Hurricane Ivan (2004) made landfall as a category 3 hurricane at approximately 0650 UTC on 16 September 2004 just west of Gulf Shores, Alabama. Strong surface winds occurred for a prolonged duration embedded within a strong convective region in the northeast quadrant of the storm. A swath of rainfall totals between 3 to 7 inches reached from Alabama and the Florida Panhandle into the eastern Tennessee Valley. A simulation using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model will be presented. Using WSR-88D imagery from the Mobile, AL radar (KMOB) and surface-based observations, the model and real storms will be compared. The evolution of the storm's low-level wind speed and rainfall distribution, as it reaches the Alabama coast and tracks inland into the state, will be described. Low-level wind speed maxima will be investigated and related to processes such as dry-air intrusion, convective down bursts, collapsing cores, and others. Potential processes forcing the storm's rainfall distribution will be similarly investigated.