Comparison of ADCIRC and SLOSH Model Simulations for Hurricanes Andrew and Irma near Miami, Florida

This paper compares the simulated storm surge levels near Miami, Florida, resulting from Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and Hurricane Irma in 2017, using two different computational models: ADCIRC (advanced circulation model) and SLOSH (sea, lake, and overland surges from hurricanes). When Hurricane Andrew made landfall in the Bahamas and Florida in August 1992, it was a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir/Simpson Hurricane Scale. It brought devastations along its path including the Bahamas, southern Florida, and south-central Louisiana. Hurricane Irma, while was categorized as a category 5 hurricane along its path, made landfall on the Key West coast as a category 4 hurricane. Hurricane Irma devastated areas along Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, and southern Florida in September 2017. This study investigates the storm surge levels from these two major hurricanes along the coastal area of Miami, the largest metropolis and growth center in southern Florida. The performance of two storm surge models are examined. The ADCIRC model is a two-dimensional, hydrodynamic circulation model developed by ADCIRC Development Group which included universities, consultants, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The SLOSH model is a two-dimensional operational storm surge model developed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The ADCIRC and SLOSH models results for storm surges caused by Hurricanes Andrew and Irma, at Miami coastlines are presented and compared against observations. The comparisons of model results and observations showed that model results should be interpreted with an understanding of the model capabilities and limitations. Utilizing the model results without understanding the limitations might lead to erroneous conclusions.