The WINX JIP (Joint Industry Project) provides a description
of the climate of extremes of surface wind, sea state,
vertically averaged currents and storm surge associated
with winter storms in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
A hindcast approach is followed using state-of-the-art
numerical surface wind, wave, surge and current hindcast
methods. The wave and surge/current models used, are
in fact the same as those used in the complimentary
study GUMSHOE, which derived
extremes associated with tropical cyclones.
Winter extremes in the study area are associated with
two types of storms: migratory extratropical cyclones
(mainly southeasters) and episodic outbreaks of cold
air behind cold fronts (northers). The historical
data base for the Gulf of Mexico allows identification
of the most severe storms which have affected the
area since 1957. A total of 34 storms were selected
for hindcasting, including 24 cyclones and 10 northers.
Wind fields in the selected storms were calculated
from products of a tedious hand-reanalysis of surface
weather charts and kinematic analysis of surface wind
fields using data gleaned from US and foreign sources.
The hindcast method was validated against wind and
wave measurements acquired by the network of NOAA
data buoys in three severe storms which occurred during
the winter of 1982/83, and against data gathered in
the ODGP (Ocean Data Gathering Program) in a severe
winter storm sampled in February, 1969.
