Gale Force Winds Research Articles

A Rare Tropical Cyclone Associated With Southwest Monsoon Over the Northern Part of the South China Sea—Tropical Storm Maliksi

AbstractThis study examines the characteristics and development of Tropical Storm Maliksi, which is a special case of tropical cyclone developed in the northwestern part of the South China Sea during a southwest monsoon outbreak. Detailed analyses were conducted using observational data and forecast products. Surface observations, radar wind profilers, aircraft data, and satellite products were used to evaluate Maliksi's wind structure, revealing multiple circulation centers and gale force winds. Vertical wind profiles, warm core structure, wind waves, and the influence of sea temperatures and salinity on Maliksi's intensification were investigated. Regarding forecasting, AI‐based models outperformed conventional numerical weather prediction (NWP) models in predicting Maliksi's initial development, though both struggled to capture the persistence of strong winds as the system moved inland. High‐resolution NWP simulations were employed to examine terrain‐induced wind variability around Hong Kong International Airport, revealing the mountain wake effect and uneven wind and turbulence distribution. These findings provide insights into the challenges of forecasting and monitoring such tropical cyclones, and highlight the need for enhanced observational platforms and forecasting tools along coastlines vulnerable to these systems.

A Comparative Study of Cloud Microphysics Schemes in Simulating a Quasi-Linear Convective Thunderstorm Case

An investigation is undertaken to explore a sudden quasi-linear precipitation and gale event that transpired in the afternoon of 30 May 2024 over Beijing. It was situated at the southwestern periphery of a double-center low-vortex system, where a moisture-rich belt efficiently channeled abundant warm, humid air northward from the south. The interplay between dynamical lifting, convergent airflow-induced uplift, and the amplifying effects of the northern mountainous terrain’s topography creates favorable conditions that support the development and persistence of quasi-linear convective precipitation, accompanied by gale-force winds at the surface. The study also analyzes the impacts of five microphysics schemes (Lin, WSM6, Goddard, Morrison, and WDM6) employed in a weather research and forecasting (WRF) numerical model, with which the simulated rainfall and radar reflectivity are compared against ground-based rain gauge network and weather radar observations, respectively. Simulations with the five microphysics schemes demonstrate commendable skills in replicating the macroscopic quasi-linear pattern of the event. Among the schemes assessed, the WSM6 scheme exhibits its superior agreement with radar observations. The Morrison scheme demonstrates superior performance in predicting cumulative rainfall. Nevertheless, five microphysics schemes exhibit limitations in predicting the rainfall amount, the rainfall duration, and the rainfall area, with a discernible lag of approximately 30 min in predicting precipitation onset, indicating a tendency to forecast peak rainfall events slightly posterior to their true occurrence. Furthermore, substantial disparities emerge in the simulation of the vertical distribution of hydrometeors, underscoring the intricacies of microphysical processes.

Fighting wind with wind to improve high-speed train aerodynamics near mountains

A look at the acceleration effect of gale-force winds on high-speed trains reveals how mitigation efforts might be designed.

Biogeochemical dynamics in a marine storm demonstrates differences between natural and anthropogenic impacts

This study explores the impact of a wind storm on sediment resuspension and marine biogeochemical dynamics. Additionally, the storm took place during an expedition researching bottom trawling, enabling the direct comparison of certain natural and fisheries-related disturbances. The storm was initiated by a decline in atmospheric pressure and a 2 h period of gale force winds, which was followed by over 40 h of elevated bottom currents. Storm induced turbidity, potentially a cumulative post-fishing impact, was remarkably higher compared to what was observed in a recent trawling event. Storm-induced mixing and movement of water masses led to decreased silicate and increased phosphate concentrations in the water column, accompanied by lower salinity and higher fluorescence. The erosion depth of the seabed averaged around 0.3 cm during the peak turbidity period. Trawl-induced erosion in the area has been measured at over twice that depth, and has been linked to intermittent reductions in near-bed oxygen levels. In contrast, storm-induced turbidity coincided with increased oxygen due to wave mixing, suggesting inherent differences in how trawling and storms can oxidize reduced substances. These findings suggest that storms have a greater regional impact, whereas the local impacts of bottom trawling on biogeochemistry can be more significant.

Limited Width of Tropical Cyclone–Induced Baroclinic Geostrophic Response

Abstract Despite the large radius (R17) of gale-force wind of a tropical cyclone (TC), the observed TC-induced effects on mesoscale and large-scale ocean via the baroclinic geostrophic response are found to have a limited cross-track width; this strange but important phenomenon is interpreted here. Driven by the wind stress curl (WSC), the TC-induced geostrophic response is in fact regulated by along-track integration of the WSC (AIWSC). Constrained by atmospheric TC dynamics, the violent winds outside the radius (Rmax) of maximum wind of any TC must have nearly zero WSC. Consequently, the AIWSC function can be fit as a boxcar function with an extraordinarily large positive value between ±Rmax about the track. Based on this boxcar function, the theoretical estimate of the cross-track length scale of the baroclinic geostrophic response, Ld + Rmax, is presented, where Ld is the first-mode baroclinic Rossby deformation radius. Further, this scale is validated by numerical experiments to well explain the width of the altimetry-observed geostrophic response induced by any TC. Evidently, Ld + Rmax is far smaller than R17 and thus the baroclinic geostrophic response generally has a limited width. This study implies that, although for a TC the violent winds outside Rmax are generally ∼90% of all winds, in an open ocean these winds may be useless to perturb the ocean interior due to the nearly zero WSC. Significance Statement Despite the large radius of gale-force wind of a tropical cyclone, the effects of a tropical cyclone on mesoscale and large-scale ocean are confined in a limited cross-track width; this strange but important phenomenon is interpreted here. In essence, the effects are exerted by the wind stress curl rather than by the wind stress. However, constrained by atmospheric dynamics, a tropical cyclone has most of the positive wind stress curl in the inner core and nearly zero wind stress curl far away from the inner core. Consequently, albeit violent, the winds outside the inner core cannot make an appreciable contribution to the physical processes below the mixed layer.

Effects of Background Synoptic Environment in Controlling South China Sea Tropical Cyclone Intensity and Size Changes in Pseudo–Global Warming Experiments

Abstract Assessing how global warming affects tropical cyclones (TC) is immensely important for climate change adaptation and hazard mitigation. However, projected intensity and size change can vary greatly among different individual storms, even under the same forcing in pseudo–global warming (PGW) experiments. Here we hypothesize that these variations are related to the historical environment in which each TC was embedded. Twenty-five TCs in the South China Sea (SCS) region were simulated using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model. Their changes in the near (2036–65) and far future (2075–99) following the representative concentration pathways 8.5 (RCP8.5) and 4.5 (RCP4.5) under phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) were investigated by the PGW technique. The mean changes in TC intensity and gale-force wind radius (R17) in the SCS were +6.4% and +1.5% for a 2°C warming, respectively. Multiple linear regression and stepwise regression analysis revealed that storm intensity variations were positively correlated with historical sea surface temperature and negatively with outer (i.e., outside the TC’s R17) atmospheric instability, while the R17 variations correlated positively with outer midtropospheric relative humidity (RH) and surface outer wind speed (OWS). Ertel potential vorticity (EPV) diagnostics further showed a moister SCS background can cause stronger diabatic heating and EPV production at the spiral rainbands under PGW, which increases R17. Additionally, stronger background absolute angular momentum (AAM) promoted stronger AAM influx, leading to larger R17. Implications were drawn to explain the uncertainties in projected TC intensity and size due to natural variability. Significance Statement Changes in the intensity and size of individual tropical cyclones in future climates are highly variable. This study aims to understand the environmental factors influencing these variations. We selected 25 storms that entered the South China Sea region and modeled them in both present and future climates. The mean intensity and size were projected to increase by 6.4% and 1.5% for a 2°C warming, respectively. We found that tropical cyclones embedded in historically warmer oceans and more stable atmospheres intensified more than the others, while historically wetter and windier environments promoted larger size growth. Our results suggest that certain tropical cyclones can exhibit a greater increase in intensity and size in a warmer climate under favorable environmental conditions.

Parameterizations of Boundary Layer Mass Fluxes in High-Wind Conditions for Tropical Cyclone Simulations

Abstract Development of accurate planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameterizations in high-wind conditions is crucial for improving tropical cyclone (TC) forecasts. Given that eddy-diffusivity mass-flux (EDMF)-type PBL schemes are designed for nonhurricane boundary layers, this study examines the uncertainty of MF parameterizations in hurricane conditions by performing three-dimensional idealized simulations. Results show that the surface-driven MF plays a dominant role in the nonlocal turbulent fluxes and is comparable to the magnitude of downgradient momentum fluxes in the middle portion of TC boundary layers outside the radius of maximum wind (RMW); in contrast, the stratocumulus-top-driven MF is comparably negligible and exerts a marginal impact on TC simulations. To represent the impact of vertical wind shear on damping rising thermal plumes, a new approach of tapering surface-driven MF based on the surface stability parameter is proposed, aiming to retain the surface-driven MF only in unstable boundary layers. Compared to a traditional approach of MF tapering based on 10-m wind speeds, the new approach is physically more appealing as both shear and buoyancy forcings are considered and the width of the effective zone responds to diurnal variations of surface buoyancy forcing. Compared to the experiments retaining the original MF components, using either approach of MF tapering can lead to a stronger and more compact inner core due to enhanced boundary layer inflow outside the RMW; nevertheless, the radius of gale-force wind and inflow layer depth are only notably reduced using the new approach. Comparison to observations and further discussions on MF parameterizations in high-wind conditions are provided.

Investigating the Characteristics of Tropical Cyclone Size in the Western North Pacific from 1981 to 2009

Tropical cyclone (TC) size is an important parameter for estimating TC risks, such as precipitation distribution, gale-force wind damage, and storm surge. This paper uses the TC size dataset compiled by the Shanghai Typhoon Institute of China Meteorological Administration (STI/CMA) to investigate the interannual, monthly variation in TC size, and the relationships between TC size and intensity in the WNP basin from 1981 to 2009. The results show that the annual mean TC size oscillated within the range of 175–210 km from 1981 to 2002, then decreased following 2003. For the monthly average TC size, there are two peaks in September and October. The TC size, overall, becomes larger with increasing intensity; the samples with an unusually large size are mainly concentrated near a 40 m s−1 intensity. After the TC intensity exceeds 40 m s−1, the number of unusually large size samples gradually decreases. About 60% of the TCs reach their maximum size after reaching the peak intensity, and the average lag time is 8.3 h.

Forecasting tropical cyclone tornadoes and impacts: Report from IWTC-X

This report synthesizes global tropical cyclone (TC) tornado research and operational practices to date. Tornadoes are one of the secondary (and lesser researched) hazards contributing to the devastation TCs leave in their wake. While gale-force winds and storm surge produce the majority of damage and fatalities globally, TC tornadoes also pose a fatal threat, complicating evacuation plans and protective actions as the storm moves inland. Climatological studies characterize TC-spawned tornadoes as usually weak and short-lived, primarily originating from miniature supercells in the outer rainbands. These tornadic features pose challenges to forecasting and radar detection. Additionally, TC tornadoes can pose a threat to communities 12 h prior to and beyond 48 h after a TC makes landfall.Research, both basic and operational, has increased globally over the last few years in efforts to move from a climatological to ingredients-based approach to detect and forecast TC tornadoes. While the United States has led the charge, given the increased exposure to tornadoes year round, other nations such as China, Japan, and Australia have increased their efforts to record and detect TC tornadoes. Despite these advancements, more work needs to be done globally to understand the TC environment conducive for tornadic activity. Recommendations for future forecasting and research for TC tornadoes include i) develop a comprehensive global tornado database to improve research and forecasting efforts; ii) apply innovative technology to detect tornadoes; and iii) conduct field campaigns to thoroughly sample TC tornado environments, particularly along coastlines.

Variations in the spring migration of Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola L.) in Hungary

Abstract We investigated the spatial and temporal patterns of migration of Eurasian Woodcock (n=23,539 specimens) collected in Hungary during spring sampling (2010–2019) in the framework of the Woodcock Bag Monitoring. There were differences in the temporal course of the spring migration of the species between the western and eastern regions of Hungary. In the western Hungarian counties, migration started earlier in all cases, while in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county the main migration period – i.e. the period between the 25% and 75% cumulative sampling thresholds – started on average one week later than in Somogy county. We investigated the influence of weather factors on the spatial and temporal pattern of migration, in addition to geographical causes, based on the distribution of Péczely’s macrosynoptic situations recorded the week before and after the migration peak. In years free of weather extremes, the migration period was characterised by neutral (80.0%) macrosynoptic situations, with unfavourable (9.5%) and favourable (10.5%) conditions occurring less frequently. In the years with weather anomalies (2013, 2016, 2018), unfavourable macrosynoptic situations (81.3%) determined the spring migration characteristics. Weather anomalies (macrosynoptic conditions with gale-force winds and heavy snowfall) affected the timing of spring migration, but regional differences were observed in all years regardless of weather conditions, suggesting that spring migration of Woodcock is phase-delayed in the southern Transdanubian and north-eastern regions of Hungary.

Application of a Three-Dimensional Wind Field from a Phased-Array Weather Radar Network in Severe Convection Weather

In 2019–2020, an array weather radar (AWR) network consisting of seven X-band phased-array radars (PARs), with a detection spatial resolution of 30 m and a temporal resolution of 30 s, was built in the city of Foshan in China’s Guangdong Province. The detection time deviation in the same space is within 5 s. Through variational data assimilation, the three-dimensional wind field inside the storm can be obtained. This study selected instances of hail, thunderstorms, strong winds, and short-duration heavy precipitation in 2020 to conduct a detailed analysis. The results show the following: (1) The fine detection ability enables phased-array radars to detect the complete evolution process of convective storms, including development, strengthening, and weakening, providing a useful reference for judging the future variation trends of convective storms. (2) Through evolutionary analysis of the three-dimensional wind field, the dynamic mechanisms of storm strengthening and weakening could be obtained, which could serve as a reference to predict the development of storms. The gust wind index and convection index calculated based on the three-dimensional wind field could provide advanced warning for nowcasting. When the gust wind index was greater than 263, the probability of gale-force wind (above 17.0 m/s) was determined to be high. Moreover, the warning could be provided 10–20 min in advance. A convection index greater than 35 and the presence of concentrated contour lines were found to be conducive to the strengthening and formation of a convection, and the warning could be provided 20 min in advance. These results show that the application of PAR can provide important technical support for nowcasting severe convective weather.

Cat's Meow, and: The Rain

Cat's Meow, and: The Rain Richard Weaver (bio) Cat's Meow made friends with a morose wire-haired terrierwho barked himself Zeke, but never answeredwhen called. He'd fetch sticks and faded tennis ballsthrown by a two-legged creature with no collarand no name who muttered to himself with breatha maggot might envy. Typical lame dog-ass couple.A perfect pair of matched a-holes. Cat's meowpromptly coughed up a hairball shaped like a bone,just to see if Zeke would bite. And how hard. Notthat it mattered. The game was not apaw. It was over.He knew the wolf within a dog was a dominant trait,and didn't need obedience school to learn what waswhat. He admitted to being a whiskbroom, onemuch sought after due to his muzzle whiskers.His vibrissae are if metaphors may be mangle,the bee's knees. The duck's quack and a frog's eyebrows.He is not someone often full of feathers, unless an obligingbird has insisted on nesting in his teeth, but admitsdogs are often as not shy of what passes for brains.That said, he is willing to befriend those who diglike undertakers during a plague, who may be dumbbut are droolingly happy and open to sharing. [End Page 24] The Rain began again its annoying staccato trying to drive nailsbelow the surface of wood and tin, convinced thatstainless steel would weather eventually, and rustwould always overcome the most stubborn metals.Nevermind the vagaries of sun and wind, and theirdistant cousin time, who always arrives after the fact.Rain it was, laying down its unkissed stranger's beat.The roof, of course, has no awareness of moistureor desire. It may live above but it always drains below.NMP it concludes. Not my problem. I do what I can.I take the brunt of it all. I accept the embrace of galeforce winds and driven rain that has no respect forarchitectural boundaries and human design. Not evennew-fangled above ground concrete bunkers. No respectfor money they have. Never a desire to compromise.Always the hard push. The eastern wedge of wind.The final shifting to catch the Insurance companieswho foolishly gamble with house chips. Rain refusesto leave home. Everywhere is its last location, andpermanent forwarding address. Turn away if you must.In uninsurable fear. If you imagine a nudge or a scintillamake a difference to any or all. All rivers will overflow.All land will freeze. They will meet in the great between. [End Page 25] Richard Weaver Post-COVID, richard weaver has returned as the writer-in-residence at the James Joyce Pub. Among his other pubs: conjunctions, Louisville Review, Southern Quarterly, Free State Review, Hollins Critic, Little Patuxent Review, Loch Raven Review, The Avenue, and New Orleans Review. He's the author of The Stars Undone (Duende Press, 1992), and wrote the libretto for a symphony, Of Sea and Stars (2005). Recently, his 190th prose poem was published. He was a finalist in the 2019 Dogwood Literary Prize in Poetry. Copyright © 2023 University of North Dakota

An Intensity and Size Phase Space for Tropical Cyclone Structure and Evolution

AbstractIntensity and size are important to characterize a tropical cyclone (TC), but there are a wide variety of ways that both metrics are defined. TC intensity can refer to either a maximum sustained wind speed at some height level or central surface pressure minimum, and TC size may refer to the radius of maximum wind, the radius of gale force wind, or be based on other criteria. While different definitions of TC intensity and size have useful applications, there are varying amounts of redundant information and covariations between some size and intensity variables that make investigating physical relationships more challenging. In this study, we use aircraft observations and Best Track information to calculate an empirical orthogonal function analysis that yields new, orthogonal metrics of TC intensity and size. The new, linearly independent metrics reduce a seven‐dimensional space of co‐varying parameters into a simplified, two‐dimensional phase space in which key TC structural changes can be visualized and historically contextualized. Additionally, our analysis introduces a new parameter that is a simplified measure of the wind decay outside the radius of maximum tangential velocity. We show that this decay parameter is nearly orthogonal to the new intensity and size metrics and is useful for identifying TC maturity. We demonstrate the utility of the new phase space by first comparing the structural evolution of the large Hurricane Rita (2005) and small Hurricane Charley (2004) using observations, as well as comparing two modeling simulations of Hurricane Rita with different initial conditions in the phase space.

Study of Extreme Cold Surges in Hong Kong

Temperatures over Hong Kong have shown a marked increasing trend since the 1970s due to global warming and urbanization, but outbreaks of intense winter monsoon can bring very low temperatures in Hong Kong at times. This study aims at establishing criteria of extreme cold surges that suit the climatological characteristics of Hong Kong. Surges in this study were selected through percentile ranking of three weather attributes of each cold event: the lowest temperature, the largest temperature drop and the maximum sustained wind speed. Out of 152 cold events in 1991–2020, only four significant cold events in 1991, 1993, 2010 and 2016 met the most extreme 10th percentile of the three attributes concurrently and could be classified operationally as “extreme cold surge”. Very cold temperatures (at or below 7.0 °C), a temperature drop of at least 8.0 °C in two days and gale force wind speed (at or above 17.5 m/s) were recorded in all four surges. The results of classification are illustrated by selected cases. As ensemble products of some numerical weather prediction models tend to have a stable indication of extremity of cold events, the potential applications of cross-referencing the forecast and actual extremity in operational forecasting are also discussed.

Rapid Growth of Tropical Cyclone Outer Size over the Western North Pacific

The concept of rapid growth (RG) of tropical cyclones (TCs) in the north Atlantic basin was recently proposed. RG can represent a dangerous change in TC structure because it can rapidly ramp up the TC destructive potential. However, the nature of RG behaviour remains obscure over the western north Pacific (WNP), where nearly one third of global TCs occur. In this study, TC RG in the WNP is investigated using TC best-tracks and reanalysis of data. We first define TC RG in the WNP as an increase of at least 84 km in the radius of a gale-force wind within 24 h, corresponding to the 90th percentile of all over-water changes. Monte Carlo experiments demonstrate the robustness of the threshold. Similar to that occurring in the north Atlantic, RG in the WNP is associated with the highest level of destructive potential. In addition, RG over the WNP occurs closer to the coast than for TCs in the Atlantic and more RG events in the WNP are accompanied by rapid intensification, which may significantly increase their destructive potential in a worst case scenario. Composite analysis shows that certain dynamic processes, such as radial inflow, may play an important role in the occurrence of RG. This study suggests that, apart from rapid intensification, TC RG is another important factor to consider for TC-related risk assessment in the WNP.

Assessment of Tropical Cyclone Risk to Coral Reefs: Case Study for Australia

In this study, we attempt to expand tropical cyclone (TC) risk assessment methodology and build an understanding of TC risk to Australia’s natural environment by focusing on coral reefs. TCs are natural hazards known to have the potential to bring destruction due to associated gale-force winds, torrential rain, and storm surge. The focus of TC risk assessment studies has commonly centred around impacts on human livelihoods and infrastructure exposed to TC events. In our earlier study, we created a framework for assessing multi-hazard TC risk to the Australian population and infrastructure at the Local Government Area level. This methodology is used in this study with coral reefs as the focus. TC hazard, exposure, and vulnerability indices were created from selected coral-related datasets to calculate an overall TC risk index for the Ningaloo Reef (NR) and the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) regions. The obtained results demonstrate that the northern NR and the southern GBR had the highest risk values within the study area; however, limitations in data quality have meant that results are estimates at best. The study has shown the potential benefits of such a TC risk assessment framework that can be improved upon, as coral data collection becomes more readily available.

Uncovering the Intrinsic Intensity–Size Relationship of Tropical Cyclones

Abstract The central theme of this study is to explore if and how the intensity of a tropical cyclone (TC) is related to its size. This subject has puzzled atmospheric scientists since the work of Deppermann, but the existence of this relationship still remains elusive. The improved understanding of the intensity–size relationship of TCs will help coastal communities to prepare for the maximum potential damage as both the intensity and size have important impacts on wind damages, storm surges, and flooding. This study considers 33 years (1988–2020) of TC records of maximum surface winds and radii of maximum and gale-force winds over the North Atlantic basin derived from the Extended Best Track Dataset. Analysis of these TC records reveals a robust positive correlation between loss of Earth and relative angular momentum. This finding together with the inspiration from the seminal work of Emanuel and his collaborators leads us to combine absolute angular momentum and its frictional loss as a radially invariant quantity, referred to as “effective absolute angular momentum” (eAAM), for radial profiles of TC surface winds. It is demonstrated that the eAAM model can reproduce the observed complex intensity–size relationship of TCs, which can be further reduced to a quasi-linear one after factoring out the angular momentum loss and the radius of maximum surface winds. The findings of this study would not only advance our understanding of the complex TC intensity–size relation, but also allow for operational assessments of TC severity and potential damage just using its outer wind information.

A statistical analysis of the distribution of convective windstorms and their radar characteristics in Hubei Province, China. Part 2

A statistical analysis of the distribution of convective windstorms and their radar characteristics in Hubei Province, China. Part 2

An analytic model of the tropical cyclone outer size

There are simple conceptual models of tropical cyclone intensification and potential intensity. However, such a framework has been lacking to describe the evolution of the outer circulation. An analytic growth model of the tropical cyclone outer size is derived from the angular momentum equation. The growth model fits a full-physics idealized tropical cyclone simulation. The lifecycle composite of the best-track outer size growth shows a strong super-linear nature, which supports an exponential growth as predicted by the growth model. The climatology of outer size growth measured by the radius of gale-force wind in the North Atlantic and Eastern Pacific during the period 2004–2017, can be understood in terms of four growth factors of the model: the initial size, the growth duration, the mean growth latitude, and the mean top-of-boundary-layer effective local inflow angle. All four variables are significantly different between the two basins. The observed lifetime maximum size follows a lognormal distribution, which is in line with the law of the proportionate effect of this exponential growth model. The growth model fits the observed outer size well in global basins. The time constant of the exponential size growth is approximately equal to the product of the Coriolis parameter and the mean effective inflow angle above the boundary layer. Further sensitivity experiments with the growth model suggest that the interannual variability of the global lifetime maximum size is largely driven by the variation of growth duration.

Evaluation and Improvement of a TKE-Based Eddy-Diffusivity Mass-Flux (EDMF) Planetary Boundary Layer Scheme in Hurricane Conditions

Abstract Accurately representing boundary layer turbulent processes in numerical models is critical to improve tropical cyclone forecasts. A new turbulence kinetic energy (TKE)-based moist eddy-diffusivity mass-flux (EDMF-TKE) planetary boundary layer scheme has been implemented in NOAA’s Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System (HAFS). This study evaluates EDMF-TKE in hurricane conditions based on a recently developed framework using large-eddy simulation (LES). Single-column modeling tests indicate that EDMF-TKE produces much greater TKE values below 500-m height than LES benchmark runs in different high-wind conditions. To improve these results, two parameters in the TKE scheme were modified to ensure a match between the PBL and surface-layer parameterizations. Additional improvements were made by reducing the maximum allowable mixing length to 40 m based on LES and observations, by adopting a different definition of boundary layer height, and by reducing nonlocal mass fluxes in high-wind conditions. With these modifications, the profiles of TKE, eddy viscosity, and winds compare much better with LES results. Three-dimensional idealized simulations and an ensemble of HAFS forecasts of Hurricane Michael (2018) consistently show that the modified EDMF-TKE tends to produce a stronger vortex with a smaller radius of maximum wind than the original EDMF-TKE, while the radius of gale-force wind is unaffected. The modified EDMF-TKE code produces smaller eddy viscosity within the boundary layer compared to the original code, which contributes to stronger inflow, especially within the annulus of 1–3 times the radius of maximum wind. The modified EDMF-TKE shows promise to improve forecast skill of rapid intensification in sheared environments.