Hurricane Camille Satellite Image

[Ptarmigan]

Here are some satellite images of Hurricane Camille.





Looks like the eye of Camille is quite small. Also the cloud base is quite large, despite the fact that Camille was smaller than Katrina. From what I have read, Camille had hurricane force winds extending around 50 to 60 miles, while Katrina was around 125 miles.

[KWT]

Whats really interesting is the presentation on the later image seems worse then Camille in the middle of the gulf with that tight eye seemingly going, wouldn't call that a cat-5 presentation but then again looks can decieve!

[Derek Ortt]

Whats really interesting is the presentation on the later image seems worse then Camille in the middle of the gulf with that tight eye seemingly going, wouldn't call that a cat-5 presentation but then again looks can decieve!

tends to confirm my suspicion that Camielle was NOT a cat 5 at landfall. Then again, we could have used that info on August 28, 2005

[KWT]

Indeed that image only suggests around a higher end of cat-3 to me, certainly doesn't look like a category-5 hurricane I have to admit!

[Derek Ortt]

It almost looks like a concentric eyewall, though we'd need microwave to confirm (which of course, we did not have then)

[Ed Mahmoud]

Where did the estimate of 26.61 inches ( 901 mb) on August 17th at 4 pm come from? That had to be aircraft data, no?

[CrazyC83]

The 901mb is aircraft data. It seems they didn't consider it valid but I personally believe that it was. (The previous pass was about 16 hours earlier and had a 905 pressure, so it probably was stronger in between - I am guessing between 895 and 898mb was Camille's minimum pressure).

I believe that Camille also had 165 kt winds at flight level at that point, which would be 150 kt at the surface (since I believe the flight was at 700mb). It was probably 155-160 kt at peak intensity between flights.

[Sanibel]

Good symmetry.

Looks like it drew all the way down to the Pacific with its southern inflow. (Caribbean too)

[margiek]

The appearance of Camille in the 2nd (VIS) image does not rule out a Cat 5. It shows a clear well-formed small eye with sunlight reflecting off the eastern side of the upper eyewall, and a very bright CDO. The image graininess and lower resolution hides details that we are used to seeing, such as the radial outflow pattern on the CDO, and the cirrus transverse banding (which can just be made out on the outermost wave of outflow to the northwest). The grey scale also seems to be a little different than today's images, giving a slightly different, more opaque appearance to the high-level clouds.

The image is similar to other Cat 5s with small eyes. This is the only one I could get my hands on quickly during lunch:

http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/tcdat/tc04/W ... -1368E.jpg

The image also shows the strong outflow patterns into the Caribbean and poleward.

[wxman57]

There are more Camille images here:

http://www.tropmet.com/gallery/hurrican ... amille.htm

And all archived images are available on the NCDC site here at the link below. In fact, you'll find quite a number of interesting old satellite pictures on NCDC's server:

http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/images

For example, here's a comparison of Katrina vs. Camille using the same map background:



The Camille images are under a variety of names - "camille...", "hurr-camille", "hurricane-camille".

Here's a big shot:


Celia is in there, too:

[MGC]

There is also a radar picture of Camille taken from New Orleans out there somewhere. It shows a intact eyewall with about a 8 mile diameter eye. The barometer that measured the landfall pressure of 909mb was checked by the weather service in a chamber and the reading was accurate. How many hurricanes with a 8 mile closed eye and 909mb pressure are anything but a Cat-5. Can someone direct me to an example?....MGC

[KWT]

I could well believe that Camille was below 900mbs given it was probably going over the loop current and had a very impressive presentation. Rita proved you can go sub 900mbs in a similar region.

[Normandy]

Couple things I've noticed about Camille from this post:

1) Looking at the slideshow on the first site Wxman57 posted, Camille looks like it went under deep intensification in the middle of the gulf, then started to undergo an ERC while approaching the coast. The image of it near the coast are similar to these IMO.

http://www.stormcenter.com/media/enviro ... 020_01.jpg
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gifs/1988gilbert.gif


2) Looking at Katrina and Camille side by side, its is painfully clear which is the better developed hurricane (IE which is the more intense hurricane). Katrina's asymmetry is clearly evident, while Camille is pretty healthy in all quads.

Can't really say whether it was a 5 or not (My only objection is the lack of severe tree damage, but surge could have covered the trees). Surely could not have been anything less than a 140-145 mph cane, and surely could not have been a 190 mph cane. Definitely somewhere in between. Also, pressure doesn't prove whether or not Camille was a Cat 5. Wilma and Rita had pressures lower than Camille with Cat 4 winds. Katrina had a similar pressure to Andrew, and the difference in winds between the two was astronomical. JMO.

[CrazyC83]

There is also a radar picture of Camille taken from New Orleans out there somewhere. It shows a intact eyewall with about a 8 mile diameter eye. The barometer that measured the landfall pressure of 909mb was checked by the weather service in a chamber and the reading was accurate. How many hurricanes with a 8 mile closed eye and 909mb pressure are anything but a Cat-5. Can someone direct me to an example?....MGC

Based on satellite and radar shots I have seen, it appears Camille had concentric eyewalls at landfall from my guess.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/cdmp/

Black - recon pressure
Red - surface pressure
Blue - best track estimate (my guess, not official)

14/1200 - 1002
14/1559 - 999
14/1800 - 997
15/0000 - 994
15/0140 - 991
15/0600 - 984
15/1100 - 970
15/1200 - 969
15/1232 - 969
15/1519 - 964
15/1800 - 963
15/2200 - 961 - Cuba landfall
15/2317 - 966
16/0000 - 966
16/0600 - 965
16/1200 - 949
16/1800 - 923
16/2004 - 908
17/0000 - 907
17/0108 - 905
17/0600 - 899
17/1200 - 895 - Minimum pressure
17/1800 - 901
17/1957 - 901
17/2300 - 904 - Closest approach to Louisiana
18/0000 - 906
15/0330 - 909 - Mississippi landfall

[wxman57]

Found this Camille radar shot from Pensacola radar near landfall. Just did a Google image search for Camille Radar:

[CrazyC83]

Definitely looks like it is entering an ERC at that point.

[Derek Ortt]

There is also a radar picture of Camille taken from New Orleans out there somewhere. It shows a intact eyewall with about a 8 mile diameter eye. The barometer that measured the landfall pressure of 909mb was checked by the weather service in a chamber and the reading was accurate. How many hurricanes with a 8 mile closed eye and 909mb pressure are anything but a Cat-5. Can someone direct me to an example?....MGC

Wilma right before its EWRC. Was 892 and a small eye... yet cat 4

[Ptarmigan]

Wilma right before its EWRC. Was 892 and a small eye... yet cat 4

Wasn't the ambient pressure lower that time when it was at 892 mb and 155 mph? It was 1003 millibars. I know at the time, Wilma had hurricane force winds extending up to 60 miles at the time.

[Ptarmigan]

There is also a radar picture of Camille taken from New Orleans out there somewhere. It shows a intact eyewall with about a 8 mile diameter eye. The barometer that measured the landfall pressure of 909mb was checked by the weather service in a chamber and the reading was accurate. How many hurricanes with a 8 mile closed eye and 909mb pressure are anything but a Cat-5. Can someone direct me to an example?....MGC

Based on satellite and radar shots I have seen, it appears Camille had concentric eyewalls at landfall from my guess.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/cdmp/

Black - recon pressure
Red - surface pressure
Blue - best track estimate (my guess, not official)

14/1200 - 1002
14/1559 - 999
14/1800 - 997
15/0000 - 994
15/0140 - 991
15/0600 - 984
15/1100 - 970
15/1200 - 969
15/1232 - 969
15/1519 - 964
15/1800 - 963
15/2200 - 961 - Cuba landfall
15/2317 - 966
16/0000 - 966
16/0600 - 965
16/1200 - 949
16/1800 - 923
16/2004 - 908
17/0000 - 907
17/0108 - 905
17/0600 - 899
17/1200 - 895 - Minimum pressure
17/1800 - 901
17/1957 - 901
17/2300 - 904 - Closest approach to Louisiana
18/0000 - 906
15/0330 - 909 - Mississippi landfall

I looked at the link and I saw what is suppose to be TS Claudette radar image. It is not really that clear. Here is a satellite image I found of TS Claudette in 1979.

[KWT]

I think there is little doubt that Camille was a cat-5 in the gulf, it really looks amazing on the first image on this page, the main debate has to be whether it was a cat-5 upon landfall?