Several 24 hr simulations with MM5 will be used to examine issues concerning the development and rapid intensification of Hurricane Bret (18-22 August 1998). By binning surface heat fluxes according to location relative to the storm's center at different stages in the development, relationships with synoptic or diurnal forcing will be examined. Experiments will also be run with different physical parameterizations and with different sea surface temperature (SST) datasets. In particular, it is expected that use of high resolution satellite-derived SSTs may be significant for this case since the storm is known to have passed over a particularly warm part of the Gulf of Mexico during its intensification.