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University of Florida researchers are assisting a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) investigation into the impacts of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

UF researchers used a wind tunnel to create scale models of Puerto Rican terrain and hospitals to study wind effects and structural loads.

Preliminary findings from NIST indicate that wind speeds exceeded 200 mph in some areas due to topography and that most weather stations failed during the hurricane.

As Floridians brace for hurricanes amid the wild weather of 2025, some University of Florida researchers have their eyes on 2017’s Hurricane Maria, the deadly Category 4 storm that pummeled Puerto Rico.

Engineering professor and natural hazards researcher Brian Phillips is leading UF’s efforts in a

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