On the Origin and Impact of a Polygonal Eyewall in the Rapid Intensification of Hurricane Wilma (2005)

Abstract

Abstract An analysis of a high-resolution dataset from a realistic simulation of Hurricane Wilma (2005) was performed to understand the mechanism for the formation of a prominent polygonal eyewall and mesovortices during the rapid intensifying stage of the hurricane. The impact of these asymmetries on the intensity change of the hurricane vortex was assessed using the empirical normal mode (ENM) method and Eliassen–Palm (EP) flux calculations. The results indicated that the eyewall of Wilma exhibited an early azimuthal wavenumber-4 (m = 4) asymmetry followed by a transition to lower-wavenumber asymmetries. The simulated reflectivity and the spatial structure of potential vorticity (PV) anomalies strongly suggest that barotropic instability is the most likely driving mechanism for these asymmetries. From the ENM analysis, it was found that the dominant modes for m = 4 and m = 3 asymmetries are vortex Rossby waves (VRWs) that possess characteristics of unstable modes, supporting the importance of barotropic instability. The EP flux calculations associated with these modes indicate that the VRWs act to decelerate the flow at the initial radius of maximum wind while they act to accelerate the flow radially inside and outside of this location, suggesting that VRWs may provide a positive impact to the intensification of the vortex. The present results complement previous findings of theoretical and highly idealized numerical studies that a polygonal eyewall and mesovortices are the result of barotropic instability, thereby furnishing a bridge between idealized studies and observations. The work also provides new insight on the role of asymmetries and VRWs in the intensification of hurricanes.