SpatialKat version 6.0 includes new models for US straight-line wind and tornado. An update was made to the US hail model. The North America inland flood model now includes Mexico, Central America, and Caribbean inland flood (licensed separately from the US and Canada). All other existing inland flood, storm surge, and tropical cyclone wind models are unchanged.
In addition to new models and model updates, software functionality updates have been included to improve and expand upon current functionality. Detailed descriptions of the new software features can be found in the updated SpatialKat user documentation.
New Models:
- US Severe Convective Storm:
- US straight-line wind
- US tornado
- US hail updates
- Mexico, Central America, and Caribbean Inland Flood
New Software Functionality:
- Additional SQL database configuration options
- New Diagnostics tab to track disk space on specified drives
Model and Data Updates:
- FEMA data update
- Historical event updates
Requirements
Upgrading to SpatialKat version 6.0 requires reimport of all exposures. For customers with Linux installations, Ubuntu 22.10 or greater is required.
New Models
US Severe Convective Storm
New models have been developed for US tornado and straight-line wind, and updates were made to the existing US hail model. Straight-line wind, like hail, is modeled at the 1-kilometer resolution. It captures wind gusts arising from all modes of thunderstorms, from isolated supercells to large expansive derechos. Tornados are modeled at a 100-meter resolution. The SCS models ensure that straight-line wind, tornado, and hail events cluster in time, preferentially occurring in the same regions. Hail vulnerability and events were updated for Version 6.0.
Mexico, Central America, and Caribbean Inland Flood
The Mexico, Central America, and Caribbean 50,000-year inland flood event set is now available in SpatialKat. These regions are modeled at 30m resolution and can be run as part of the North America inland flood model, if licensed. The SpatialKat implementation includes all customization features previously available for the US and Canada. The historical event set has been updated to include select major events in these regions.
New Software Functionality
Additional SQL database configuration options
Exposure and analysis SQL databases can now be created directly from the Import Exposure and Create Profile windows. The database configuration (DBMS Configuration) tab in SpatialKat has also been updated to allow users to create new SQL exposure and analysis databases. Please note that using the SpatialKat SQL functionality requires additional installation steps and a separate add-on license fee.
New Diagnostics tab to track disk space on specified drives
A new Diagnostics tab under SpatialKat configuration shows the available and total space for any specified drives.
Model and Data Updates
FEMA data update – FEMA floodzone tiles have been updated based on the latest FEMA data.
Historical event updates – Inland flood and tropical cyclone wind and surge historical events have been updated. This included adding 2023 and 2024 events, as well as Hurricane Stan (2005), Hurricane Wilma (2005), Hurricanes Ingrid/Manuel (2013), and Hurricane Maria (2017). Hurricane Helene was updated with a modest increase for the inland flood portion only.