An analysis of the rapid intensification of Hurricane Wilma from the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Wilma obtained the lowest central pressure ever recorded in the Atlantic basin, and deepened more rapidly than any other Atlantic system. These characteristics designate Wilma as a hurricane worthy of additional study. The Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) and the Unidata Program Center (UPC) have combined resources to create a case study on the rapid intensification (RI) of Hurricane Wilma. The Unidata Integrated Data Viewer (IDV) and Repository for Archiving, Managing and Accessing Diverse Data (RAMADDA) are the client and publishing application of choice due to their robust ability for managing multiple and diverse types of data. Observations from surface networks, imagery from various satellite and radar platforms , output from WRF and other models, and learning objects from the Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training (COMET) program are aggregated within the RAMADDA to allow future research, analysis, and contributions back to the case study. This can be in the form of products, supplementary data, or anecdotal evidence from Hurricane Wilma. The desired outcome is to illustrate the end-to-end capabilities of Unidata software to perform detailed analysis of an event and create research level educational content and curriculum.