Marine Cyclones Over South Atlantic Ocean During 1999 Winter. Part II: The Surface Waves Generated Along the Brazilian Coast.

The period from April to September 1999 was marked by an unusual cyclogenesis with surface winds greater than 16 m/s, in an extense area, directed to the Brazilian Coast during more than 24 hour. At least 5 cyclones exhibiting these features were observed over South Atlantic. The surface waves generated by the exceptional fetch disrupted the offshore human activities and reached regions very close to the coastline causing several damages at Rio de Janeiro City and other regions. This research describes the evolution of the wave activity hindcasted by two limited area wave models, and the NOAA global wave model for these cyclones. The model results are compared with a buoy moored near the Rio de Janeiro Coast reporting SH greater than 6 m.