The NC State-NWS Raleigh CSTAR project was noted in recommendation 54 of the NWS Hurricane Irene Service Assessment. The full text of the recommendation is shown below along with a link to the entire service assessment.
Recommendation 54 (Strategic): In addition to the need for better estimates of surface wind speeds/intensity in tropical cyclones prior to landfall (see Recommendation 43), WFOs in close collaboration with NHC and their neighboring and backup offices, should apply meteorologically appropriate inland surface wind speed reductions as opposed to a blanketed wind reduction. NWS should support research such as the NOAA Collaborative Science, Technology, and Applied Research (CSTAR) project, “Improving Understanding and Prediction of Hazardous Weather in the Southeastern United States: Landfalling Tropical Cyclones and Convective Storms.” This change will likely require the development of a more robust and scientifically sound smart tool that applies spatially varying wind reductions that more appropriately account for boundary layer meteorology and topography.
NWS Hurricane Irene Service Assessment -
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/assessments/pdfs/Irene2012.pdf
