Advances in Hwind Real-Time Analysis From 2015 Events

Hwind has an extended history of providing real-time tropical storm wind analyses to decision makers; from 2014 to present, Hwind has continued this practice through Risk Management Solutions, the world’s leading catastrophe modeling company. The objective, observation-based data produced by Hwind are of keen interest to the insurance industry for claims reporting, claim response centers, parametric insurance transaction triggers, and hazard modeling. Here we examine the modern presence of Hwind and the advancements Hwind has undergone through two case studies: Hurricane Jaoquin in the Atlantic and Hurricane Patricia in the Pacific. These two events were analyzed in real-time for a total of fifty-seven separate times of which we will examine six analysis times. The analyses chosen for this study include the 4-hour interval leading to landfall for Patricia and the 9-hour interval prior to passing the Bahamas for Jaoquin. Advancements examined include the addition of datasets not used or available before 2014, improved methodology employed in quality controlling data for both raw wind values as well as roughness and terrain improvements, precise care in analysis parameters used, and the improved resolution of the gridded fields. Results show that the 2015 real-time edition of Hwind has improved substantially since 2013.