MM5 Simulation of Hurricane Diana Genesis

This simulation marks the first time a cloud-resolving simulation has been able to reproduce the formation of a tropical cyclone, given only information about atmospheric conditions on a scale much larger than that of the cyclone.n a key step toward improving the prediction of hurricanes, NCAR scientists have reproduced in a computer model the fine-scale structure that drives the birth and strengthening of tropical cyclones. The simulation marks the first time a cloud-resolving simulation has been able to reproduce the formation of a tropical cyclone, given only information about atmospheric conditions on a scale much larger than that of the cyclone. To resolve the eyewall and precipitation bands within a tropical cyclone, the MM5 model was used. With a horizontal distance as small as 1.2 km between the model's computation points, MM5 is one of the world's highest-resolution models for reproducing storm-scale weather across a large area. Diana was chosen because of ample surface data and because a well-defined nontropical low preceded its formation.