TECHNICAL REPORT CERC-87-12 HURRICANE KATE STORM SURGE DATA Report 5 by Andrew W. Garcia, William S. Hegge Coastal Engineering Research Center DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY Waterways Experiment Station, Corps of Engineers PO Box 631, Vicksburg, Mississippi 39180-0631 DOCUIVShSN! I LIBRARY Woods Hole Oceanographic 'ISM Institution JppiBiaWw^ August 1987 Report 5 of a Series Approved For Public Release, Distribution Unlimited DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY Prepared for US Army Corps-of Engineers -P/5 Washington, DC 20314-1000 J4^cstc under Hurricane Surge Prototype Data Collection Work Unit 321-31662 When this reportis no longer needed return itto the originator. Thefindingsinthisreportarenottobeconstruedasan official Department of the Army position unless so designated by other authorized documents. Thecontentsofthisreportarenottobeusedfor advertising,publication,orpromotionalpurposes. Citation of trade names does not constitute an officialendorsementorapprovaloftheuseofsuch commercial products. —— SECURITYC[LIASaSdIFaIaCaATlIfOlNeOdf this> PAGIEN- REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE fOoMrBmNAopp0r7ov0e4d0188 la REPORTSECURITYCLASSIFICATION lb.RESTRICTIVE MARKINGS E«pPare Iun30.I$86 Unclassified 2* SECURITYCLASSIFICATIONAUTHORITY 3 DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITYOF REPORT 2b DECLASSIFICATION/DOWNGRADINGSCHEDULE Approved for public release; distribution unlimited. A PERFORMINGORGANIZATIONREPORTNUMBER(S) S.MONITORINGORGANIZATION REPORTNUMBER(S) Technical Report CERC-87-12 6a NAMEOFPERFORMINGORGANIZATION 6b.OFFICESYMBOL 7a.NAMEOFMONITORING ORGANIZATION USAEWES, Coastal Engineering (Ifapplicable) Research Center 6c.AODRESS(Ofy,Stite,indZIPCodt) 7b ADDRESS(City.Stite.indZIPCodt) PO Box 631 Vicksburg, MS 39180-0631 3a. NAMEOFFUNDING/SPONSORING 8b OFFICESYMBOL 9 PROCUREMENTINSTRUMENTIDENTIFICATION NUMBER ORGANIZATION (Ifapplicable) US Army Corps of Engineers 8c.ADDRESS(Ofy,Stitt.indZIPCode) 10 SOURCEOFFUNDING NUMBERS See reverse WORK UNIT Washington, DC 20314-1000 ACCESSIONNO See reverse 11 TITLE (includeSecurityClassification) Hurricane Kate Storm Surge Data 1G2arPEcRiSaO,NALAnAdUTrHeOwR(SC); Hegge, William S. 1R3aepToYrPtEO5FRoEfPORaTseries 13fbroTmIMEC1O9V8E5RED 1986 14 OATAEugOuFsRtEPO1R9T87(Yea Month,Oay) 15.PAGECOUNT 1A6.vSaUiPlPaLbElMEeNTfArRoYmNONTaATtIiOoNnal Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161. COSATICOOES 18.SUBJECTTERMS(Continueonreverseifnecessaryandidentifybyblocknumber) Hurricane Danny (LC) Storm surges (LC) Hurricanes (LC) Ocean waves (LC) 19 ABSTRACT{Continueonreverseifnecessityandidentifybyblocknumber) A summary of storm surge high-water mark, hydrograph, and wave data acquired during and subsequent to Hurricane Kate is presented. The data were obtained and assembled as part of a long-term research effort by the US Army Corps of Engineers to establish a quantitative data set with the objective of providing, in a series of documents, the data necessary for simulation and verification of numerical surge models. The data contained herein were obtained primarily by the US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station and the US Army Engineer District, Mobile, with supplemental data from contributing agencies and institutions. Additional information is included in the form of photographs and a descriptive narrative to aid investigators in assessing the degree of importance of an individual measurement for the purpose of model verification. 203DIUSNTCRLIABSUSTIIFOINE/DA/VUANILLIAMBIITLEIDTYODFASBASMTERAACSTRPT DOTICUSERS 21 AUBnScTRlAaCsTsSiEfCiUReIdTY CLASSIFICATION 22a.NAMEOFRESPONSIBLEINDIVIDUAL 22b TELEPHONE(IncludeAreaCode) 22c OFFICESYMBOL ODFORM1473.84MAR 83APReditionmaybtuseduntilexhausted. SECURITYCLASSIFICATIONOF Tn,<jPAGE Allothereditionsareobsolete Unclassified 0301 00115b5 5 Unclassified SECURITYCLASSIFICATIONOFTHISFAO« 10. SOURCE OF FUNDING NUMBERS WORK UNIT ACCESSION NO. (Continued). Hurricane Surge Prototype Data Collection Work Unit 321-31662 TTnrlassifiP.d SECURITYCLASSIFICATIONOFTHISPAGE PREFACE The information and data presented herein were assembled and analyzed during 1985 to 1986 by authorization from the Office, Chief of Engineers (OCE) , Coastal Engineering Area of Civil Works Research and Development, as a mission requirement of the Hurricane Surge Prototype Data Collection Work Unit 321-31662. Messrs. John H. Lockhart, Jr., and John Housley are the OCE Technical Monitors for the Coastal Engineering Research Area. The work unit is a multiyear project of the Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC) US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station (WES), under , general supervision of Dr. James R. Houston, Chief, CERC; Mr. Thomas W. Richardson, Chief, Engineering Development Division; and Dr. Dennis R. Smith, former Chief, Prototype Measurement and Analysis Branch (CD-P). Dr. Charles L. Vincent is CERC Program Manager. Mr. Andrew W. Garcia, CD-P, is the Principal Investigator of the Hurricane Surge Prototype Data Collection work unit, and Mr. William S. Hegge, CD-P, is the engineer in charge of data collection activities. This report was prepared by Messrs. Garcia and Hegge and edited by Ms. Jamie W. Leach, Information Products Division, Information Technology Laboratory, WES. A special acknowledgment is due Messrs. Geary McDonald and Harold Doyal of the US Army Engineer District, Mobile, for their cooperation in acquiring and assembling the high-water mark data and for providing interpretive guidance thereon. This report is fifth in a series. Reports 1-4 provided similar data on Hurricanes Chris, Alicia, Elena, and Danny, respectively. Commander and Director of WES during report publication was COL Dwayne G. Lee, CE. Technical Director was Dr. Robert W. Whalin. CONTENTS Page PREFACE 1 CONVERSION FACTORS, NON-SI TO SI (METRIC) UNITS OF MEASUREMENT 3 PART I: INTRODUCTION 4 PART II: METEOROLOGICAL DISCUSSION 5 PART III: FIELD ACTIVITIES 8 PART IV: HYDROGRAPHIC DATA 9 PART V: POSTSTORM SURVEY 12 PART VI: CONCLUSION 14 PHOTOS 1-16 PLATES 1-10 APPENDIX A: HIGH-WATER CONTOUR MAPS Al CONVERSION FACTORS, NON-SI TO SI (METRIC) UNITS OF MEASUREMENT Non-SI units of measurement used in this report can be converted to SI (metric) units as follows: Multiply By To Obtain feet 0.3048 metres knots (international) 0.5144444 metres per second miles (US statute) 1.609347 kilometres millibars 100.0000 pascals HURRICANE KATE STORM SURGE DATA PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. This report is the fifth in a series* providing a data base directed toward verification of numerical storm surge models. As such, the emphasis is on quantitative measurements of the hydrodynamic and meteorologic parameters of Hurricane Kate rather than documentation of structural damage or changes in coastal morphology. Photos 1-16 show areas which experienced significant surge effects and are included to assist investigators in assessing the appli- cability of individual high-water marks in verifying a particular numerical model. 2. Contained herein are coastal and inland hydrographs and basic meteo- rological data associated with Hurricane Kate. These data have been compiled from a variety of sources; consequently, they cannot be guaranteed to be absolutely accurate. Nevertheless, every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the data are as consistent and complete as possible. * Thomas H. Flor. 1983 (Jul). "Poststorm Reconnaissance of Tropical Storm Chris," Miscellaneous Paper HL-83-5, US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss. Andrew W. Garcia and Thomas H. Flor. 1984 (Nov). "Hurricane Alicia Storm Surge and Wave Data," Technical Report CERC-84-6, US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss. Andrew W. Garcia and William S. Hegge. 1987. "Hurricane Elena Storm Surge Data," Technical Report CERC-87-10, Report 3, US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss. Andrew W. Garcia and William S. Hegge. 1987. "Hurricane Danny Storm Surge Data," Technical Report CERC-87-11, Report 4, US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss. PART II: METEOROLOGICAL DISCUSSION 3. Hurricane Kate was first identified as a weak tropical wave located northeast of the Virgin Islands on 13 and 14 November 1985.* The system strengthened rapidly and already had attained tropical storm intensity when first investigated by reconnaissance aircraft on 15 November 1985. Atmo- spheric conditions in the area favored further development, and Kate reached hurricane intensity by the afternoon of 16 November while located just north of the Virgin Islands. During the next 48 hr, Kate moved on a track just north of due west and continued to intensify. By late afternoon on 19 November, the eye of Kate had moved onshore the north-central coast of Cuba. The eye of Kate remained overland during the next 12 hr emerging just east of Havana at about 0000 hr Greenwich mean time (Gmt) . During the passage over Cuba, the central pressure of Kate had risen from 967 to 976 mb.** 4. After crossing Cuba, the eye of Kate passed within about 90 miles of Key West. Maximum sustained winds recorded at Key West were about 47 mph. Coincident with entering the Gulf of Mexico, Kate intensified very rapidly during the following 24 hr with the central pressure dropping nearly 1 mb per hour from 972 mb, reaching the lowest recorded pressure of 953 mb at 2000 Gmt on 20 November. During this period, the center of Kate passed very close to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data buoy located near latitude 26.0 deg N, longitude, 85.9 deg W which reported a peak wind gust of 135 mph. 5. Shortly after entering the Gulf of Mexico, Kate began to turn toward the north where it encountered the late season, cooler surface waters of the Gulf which, combined with unfavorable atmospheric conditions, caused Kate to weaken as it passed latitude 27° N. Upon landfall near Mexico Beach, Fla., early on the evening of 21 November, the central pressure of Kate had risen to 967 mb, and maximum winds had decreased from 121 to 98 mph. Kate moved inland in the vicinity of Tallahassee, Fla., and was downgraded to a tropical storm * The meteorological discussion and information contained in Table 1 are taken from the preliminary report on Hurricane Kate provided by the National Hurricane Center. ** A table of factors for converting non-SI units of measurement to metric (SI) units is presented on page 3. Table 1 Preliminary Best Track - Hurricane Kate 15-23 November 1985 Time Position, deg Pressure Wind Date Gmt Latitude Longitude mb knots Stage 11/15 1800 21.1 63.0 999 35 Tropical storm 11/16 0000 21.6 63.9 998 45 Tropical storm 11/16 0600 21.7 64.2 996 50 Tropical storm 11/16 1200 21.5 64.8 993 55 Tropical storm 11/16 1800 21.1 65.3 987 70 Hurricane 11/17 0000 20.7 66.0 981 75 11/17 0600 20.4 66.4 984 75 11/17 1200 20.7 67.3 982 75 11/17 1800 21.1 68.8 977 80 11/18 0000 21.4 70.8 976 80 11/18 0600 21.6 71.8 975 80 11/18 1200 21.6 73.3 975 80 11/18 1800 21.9 75.1 972 85 11/19 0000 22.1 76.0 967 95 11/19 0600 22.1 78.4 968 95 11/19 1200 22.7 80.2 971 90 11/19 1800 23.2 81.9 976 80 11/20 0000 23.9 83.5 972 85 11/20 0600 24.6 84.5 968 95 11/20 1200 25.2 85.3 956 105 11/20 1800 26.0 86.0 955 105 11/21 0000 26.8 86.5 954 105 11/21 0600 27.5 86.6 961 100 11/21 1200 28.3 86.5 965 95 11/21 1800 29.2 86.1 967 85 11/22 0000 30.2 85.1 975 80 11/22 0600 31.5 83.5 983 65 ' 11/22 1200 32.5 81.5 990 50 Tropical storm 11/22 1800 33.7 79.2 996 45 11/23 0000 34.7 76.2 1003 40 Tropical storm 11/23 0600 34.4 73.5 1005 35 Tropical storm 11/23 1200 34.0 72.0 1006 35 Tropical storm 11/23 1800 33.5 70.5 1006 35 Extratropical Minimum Pressure 11/20 2000 26.2 86.2 953 105 Hurricane Landfall 11/21 2230 30.0 85.4 967 85 Hurricane