Coastal Meteo-marine Parameters of Hurricane Matthew along the Colombian Caribbean Coast: Establishing a Baseline of Knowledge.

Ortiz Royero, J.C.; Henriquez Cera, S., and Gomes, H., 2022. Coastal meteo-marine parameters of Hurricane Matthew along the Colombian Caribbean coast: Establishing a baseline of knowledge. Journal of Coastal Research, 38(1), 66–76. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The hurricanes on the Colombian continental coast have been lower in intensity and number than in other areas of the Caribbean Sea. Thus, given the lack of knowledge about the hurricane parameters in this area, the protocols to deal with a hurricane emergency on the Columbian continental coast are not clear. This work analyzes the meteo-marine parameters caused in Colombia by the passage of Hurricane Matthew to establish a baseline of knowledge. Further progress in understanding the effects the hurricane may have had on several coastal areas, particularly in the areas of hydrology, morphological changes, storm surge, and flood, is expected in future work. The results show that the most significant meteo-marine parameter was the swell generated by the hurricane; although it followed a NW trajectory toward the coast, the swell reached up to 4.5 m of significant wave height and a peak period of 14 seconds. Also, the accumulated rainfall in only 3 days significantly exceeded the average monthly values of October (the rainiest month of the year). This effect is of particular interest given that recent modeling studies established an increase in precipitation rates associated with tropical hurricanes. The wind was not significant with respect to typical values in the zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]