Nearshore Hurricane Intensity Change And Post-Landfall Dissipation Along The United States Gulf And East Coasts

Intensification and dissipation of a hurricane before and after landfall, respectively, are crucial for coastal and inland risk potential. This study examines the relationship between intensity change prior to landfall and post-landfall dissipation. The relative difference of 24 h accumulated cyclone energy generated before and after landfall is defined as the landfall dissipation rate (LFDR). This study focuses on the continental United States and shows that the 24 h hurricane LFDR is significantly negatively related to the 24 h intensity change before landfall. This implies hurricanes undergoing rapid intensification before landfall weaken at a slower rate after landfall. The decay rate is also positively correlated with landfall intensity but is less certain for Category 4-5 hurricanes (>112 kt). The relationship between near-shore wind change and post-landfall decay is not equally distributed along the U.S. coast, with pre-landfall intensification more common along the Gulf Coast and a LFDR that varies.