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It has been known for some time that two-dimensional numerical simulations of flow over nominally two-dimensional bluff bodies at Reynolds numbers for which the flow is intrinsically three dimensional, lead to inaccurate prediction of the lift and drag forces. In particular, for flow past a normal flat plate (International Symposium on Nckzsteady Fluid Dynamics, edited by JA Miller and DP Telionis, 1990, pp. 455-464) and circular cylinders [J. Wmd Eng. Indus. Aerodyn. 35,275 (1990)], it has been noted that the drag coefficient computed from two-dimensional simulations is significantly higher than what is obtained from experiments. Furthermore, it has been found that three-dimensional simulations of flows lead to accurate prediction of drag [J. Wind Eng. Indus. Aerodyn. 35, 275 (1990)]. Th e underlying cause for this discrepancy is that the surface pressure distribution obtained from two-dimensional simulations does not …