HAZUS-MH MR3 FAQs: Hurricane Model Hazard/Scenario Definition

What are the typical ranges for the sotrm parameters?

Typical ranges for storm paramters are as follows:

Longitude - All values are in decimal degrees (East is positive).
Latitude -All values are in decimal degrees (North is positive).
Time - Elapsed time in hours at each point along the track. The first point should be zero.
Translation Speed - Typical translation speeds range from 5 to 25 mph.
Radius to Maximum Winds - Typical values range from 6 to 60 miles. Intense storms generally have smaller radii to maximum winds.
Radius to Hurricane Winds - These values are provided in Hurricane Forecast/Advisories. Typical values range from 10 to 200 miles.
Maximum Wind Speed - Maximum 1-minute sustained wind speed in miles per hour in the storm at the current location.
- Category 1: 74-95 mph
- Category 2: 96-110 mph
- Category 3: 111-130 mph
- Category 4: 131-155 mph
- Category 5: >155 mph
Profile Parameter - Values range from 0.5 to 2.5 with a typical value being 1.4.
Central Pressure - Surface level atmospheric pressure in mbar at the center of the storm at the current location.
- Category 1: >979 mbar
- Category 2: 965-979 mbar
- Category 3: 945-964 mbar
- Category 4: 920-944 mbar
- Category 5: <920 mbar

For more details see Section 9.3.2.1 in the Hurricane Model User's Manual.

For additional information, the HAZUS User's Manuals and guidance materials are available for download from HAZUS Resources on this site.

Need Additional Help?
Email: HAZUSGenHelp@nibs.org for general questions about HAZUS
HAZUSWindHelp@ara.com for Hurricane Model questions

Last Modified: Monday, 12-Nov-2007 18:08:21 EST