Secondary eyewall formation in WRF simulations of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina…

An analysis is presented of two high‐resolution hurricane simulations of Katrina and Rita (2005) that exhibited secondary eyewall formation (SEF). The results support the notion of vortex Rossby waves (VRWs) having an important role in SEF and suggest that VRW activity is a defining aspect of the moat. SEF occurs at a radius of ∼65 (80) km in Katrina (Rita), close to the hypothesized stagna…