Documentation of Eyewall Replacement Cycle Completion during Hurricane Maria

Eyewall replacement cycles (ERC) are typical of mature tropical cyclones, and occur through the life of the storm. While a storm is undergoing an ERC, parameters such as radius of max winds, max wind velocity, and integrated kinetic energy (IKE) are affected. Often when a major hurricane exhibits concentric eyewall structure, it is labeled as undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle without confirming or documenting the cycle in process. This study aims to analyze one of the eyewall replacement cycles attributed to Hurricane Irma, to document the completion of the cycle in the different stages and determine how these parameters were affected during each stage. Multiple platforms are compared to see if they all suggest the presence of an eyewall replacement, and if the cycle completed or if there was only concentric eyewall present. Platforms included are be satellite, radar, SFMR and flight level measurements. These platforms will be analyzed using the HWind application to verify the stages of the eyewall replacement and document how the given parameters are affected.