HWRF

The Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) model is a specialized version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and is used to forecast the track and intensity of tropical cyclones. The model was developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, the University of Rhode Island, and Florida State University. It became operational in 2007.

The HWRF is a new computer model that will be the operational backbone for hurricane track and intensity forecasts by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The model will use data from satellite observations, buoys, and reconnaissance aircraft, making it able to access more meteorological data than any other hurricane model before it. The model will eventually run at an even higher resolution which will allow smaller scale features to become more discernible.

— The model is a nested grid system with an outermost domain and a nested grid with resolutions of 27 and 9 km respectively and 42 vertical levels. The HWRF vortex initialization uses the 6 hour forecast as the first guess, then uses regional GSI 3DAR data assimilation to produce the initial hurricane vortex that matches the intensity and structure parameters provided operationally by NHC. The HWRF is coupled to a high-resolution version of the Princeton Ocean Model for the Atlantic Basin. The ocean initialization system uses observed altimeter observations to provide a more realistic Loop Current and Gulf Stream conditions.

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