highest gusts

[mako]

Does anybody know what the highest recorded gusts were during Katrina? The highest I can find is 113mph in Grand Isle, LA and I cannot imagine that that is anywhere near correct.

[Brent]

118 mph at Pascagoula, MS, according to the 8am Monday NHC advisory. That was before the worst of the storm arrived...

I also saw somewhere that a 136 mph gust occurred in Biloxi...

[HurricaneBill]

Due to a number of reasons, the highest sustained winds and gusts in a landfalling hurricane are rarely recorded. I think Katrina will be no exception to this.

The main reasons are that there is no weather station where the most intense winds are or the equipment fails before the peak winds are recorded.

[hurricanetrack]

I recorded 137 miles per hour as my peak wind gust in a well exposed area near my hotel in Gulfport. The anemometer is an RM Young model and was 9 feet off the ground. I am now trying to determine when the gust took place based on video data from my remotely operated camera. This gust is 4 mph higher than I recorded in Charley last year.

[Huckster]

I recorded 137 miles per hour as my peak wind gust in a well exposed area near my hotel in Gulfport. The anemometer is an RM Young model and was 9 feet off the ground. I am now trying to determine when the gust took place based on video data from my remotely operated camera. This gust is 4 mph higher than I recorded in Charley last year.

I cannot remember the exact height official anemometers are set at, but I think its 10 meters or 30 something feet. A gust of 137 mph at 9 ft would probably be higher measured at 30 ft.

[Aslkahuna]

Yes, but it's hard to put a 10m tower on a vehicle. Nine feet is about where the wind sensors on my chase vehicle are at. Based upon our experience when we raised our mesonet sensors from 8m to 10m, I would say that the 10meter gust would have probably been possibly as much as 10 mph higher.

Steve

[senorpepr]

However, remember that 137 mph was a gust... not a sustained wind.

[BamaMan]

123 mph gusts are the highest I heard recorded here at Dauphin Island

[Trader Ron]

If winds were 130-140MPH at landfall, why were the gusts only 137 MPH?

I thought you add 25% to the maximum sustained winds?

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

Why because there was no reporting at any time near the time of the highest winds. In two don't look at a hourly report to find the strongest winds.

[Trader Ron]

Why because there was no reporting at any time near the time of the highest winds. In two don't look at a hourly report to find the strongest winds.

140 MPH winds equate to 172 MPH gusts. Even being conservative, i believe gusts were at least 150 MPH. For all we know, sustained winds might have been at least 145-150.MPH.

This has nothing to do with "minute by minute" winds.

[vacanechaser]

Yes, but it's hard to put a 10m tower on a vehicle. Nine feet is about where the wind sensors on my chase vehicle are at. Based upon our experience when we raised our mesonet sensors from 8m to 10m, I would say that the 10meter gust would have probably been possibly as much as 10 mph higher.

Steve

Thats true.. And as Mark was saying, they had it in a well exposed area.. Stacey Stewart also said that it would be exceptable if we turn the tail end of the vehicle, where the Young is located, into the wind which would allow for less up sloping off the side or windshield of the vehicle...

Jesse V. Bass III
http://www.vastormphoto.com
Hurricane Intercept Research Team

[Anonymous]

Well...those gusts impress me as much as Charley. Charley was 150 mph, Katrina was 140 mph. 137 mph is a Category 4 force gust well away from where the Cat 4 core made landfall.

[wxmann_91]

000
ACUS74 KLIX 022055
PSHLIX

POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORT...HURRICANE KATRINA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
355 PM CDT FRI SEP 2 2005

THIS REPORT COVERS THE PERIOD AUGUST 28-29 2005 WHEN HURRICANE
KATRINA MOVED THROUGH THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO BEFORE MAKING
LANDFALL NEAR NEW ORLEANS DURING THE MORNING OF AUGUST 29. THIS DATA
IS VERY PRELIMINARY AND WILL BE UPDATED AS NEW INFORMATION BECOMES
AVAILABLE.

A. HIGHEST WINDS...

ASOS....2 MINUTE SUSTAINED WINDS

LOCATION DIR/SPEED KT TIME ON AUGUST 29 2005

PASCAGOULA PQL ....DATA INCOMPLETE DUE TO POWER OUTAGE
SUSTAINED 080/38 KT 0953 UTC
PEAK 090/44 KT 0933 UTC

BILOXI-KEESLER AFB
SUSTAINED 110/47 KT 1355 UTC
PEAK 110/78 KT 1355 UTC

GULFPORT GPT SUSTAINED 070/40 KT 1025 UTC
PEAK 090/55 KT 1008 UTC

SLIDELL KASD SUSTAINED 030/32 KT 1243 UTC
PEAK 030/44 KT 1243 UTC

BOOTHEVILLE KBVE SUSTAINED 040/26 KT 2137 UTC
PEAK 040/39 KT 2137 UTC

NEW ORLEANS ARMSTRONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT KMSY
SUSTAINED 040/29 KT 0305 UTC
PEAK 050/38 KT 0255 UTC

NEW ORLEANS LAKEFRONT AIRPORT KNEW
SUSTAINED 040/60 KT 1153 UTC
PEAK 060/75 KT 1153 UTC


COASTAL OBSERVATIONS...NOAA NDBC BUOY...CMAN
NOAA SW PASS CMAN...BURLI WIND EQUIPMENT HEIGHT 30.5 M / 100 FT
SUSTAINED 080/64 KT 0446 UTC
PEAK 080/88 KT 0446 UTC

NOAA GRAND ISLE CMAN...GDIL1
SUSTAINED 040/62 KT 0747 UTC
PEAK 030/99 KT 0838 UTC

NOAA BUOY 42007
SUSTAINED 260/60 KT 1535 UTC
PEAK 110/74 KT 1354 UTC

TERREBONNE BAY (TAML1)
SUSTAINED 340/55 KT 1000 UTC

GDIL1
SUSTAINED 040/62 KT 0747 UTC
PEAK 030/99 KT 0838 UTC

LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN - NWS INSTRUMENTATION
MID LAKE SUSTAINED 320/78 KT 1500 UTC
PEAK 320/99 KT 1500 UTC


B. LOWEST PRESSURE
PRES MB TIME UTC
ON AUGUST 29 2005 UNLESS NOTED

SLIDELL NWS............. 934.1 1438 UTC
REST OF STATIONS STOPPED BEFORE BEING USEFUL

C. STORM TOTAL RAINFALL


08/29/2005 08/30/2005 48 HOUR
1200UTC 1200UTC TOTAL

RADAR ESTIMATES ACROSS SOUTH LOUISIANA AND SOUTH MISSISSIPPI
5-7 INCHES 7-9 INCHES 12-16 INCHES
SLIDELL NWS 11.63

D. STORM SURGE

SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA

STORM SURVEY BY LAKE CHARLES NWS
GRAND ISLE...........12.0 FT MLLW
PORT FOURCHON........ 8.0 FT MLLW

LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN
NOAA MID LAKE PONTCH. 6.8 FT NGVD 1500 UTC

OTHER SITES
PONTE A LA HACHE (BGNL1) 14.14 FT
LAKE MAUREPAS (MAUL1) 3.05 FT

MISSISSIPPI COAST
PASCAGOULA (PSCM6) 12.16 FT
GREEN PASS (GRPL1) 11.27 FT
HANCOCK EOC (30 FT ABOVE MSL BUT HAD 1 FOOT OF WATER IN THE OPS
AREA AND HAD TO EVACUATE)
BILOXI RIVER AT WORTHAM 26.00 FT

E. BEACH EROSION
MAJOR

F. FLOODING OR FLASH FLOODING
MAJOR STORM TIDE FLOODING FROM NEW ORLEANS TO EAST OF PASCAGOULA.
WATER WAS UP TO THE ROOFS OF NUMEROUS HOMES...WITH MANY HAVING THE
FLOOD WATERS COVERING THEM. THE NEW ORLEANS AREA HAD MAJOR FLOODING
A COUPLE OF DAYS AFTER KATRINA MOVED INLAND WHEN THE LEVEE SYSTEM
BREACHED IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS PUTTING WATER ACROSS ORLEANS AND
PLAQUEMINES PARISHES.

G. TORNADOES
UNKNOWN

H. STORM EFFECTS
KATRINA HAS TO BE ONE OF THE STRONGEST HURRICANES TO EVER HIT THIS
AREA. TOTAL DESTRUCTION WAS SEEN ALONG AND UP TO 60 MILES EAST OF
THE CENTER OF KATRINA. STORM SURGE VALUES WERE PROBABLY HIGHER IN
KATRINA ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI COAST THAN THEY WERE DURING CAMILLE.
ALMOST TOTAL DESTRUCTION WAS OBSERVED IN HANCOCK AND HARRISON
COUNTIES IN MISSISSIPPI ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST AND EXTENDED
INLAND TO NEAR I-10. MOST BUILDINGS WERE TOTALLY DESTROYED. MANY
PEOPLE WHO REFUSED TO EVACUATE WERE TRAPPED IN THEIR HOMES AND HAD
TO SEEK SHELTER IN THEIR ATTICS AND THEN SOMEHOW GET ON THEIR ROOFS
TO AVOID BEING TRAPPED. MANY DID NOT MAKE IT. DUE TO MULTIPLE
FAILURES OF THE LEVEE SYSTEM AROUND LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN...NEW ORLEANS
HAD HIGHER WATER VALUES AFTER KATRINA HAD MOVED INLAND. SOME PLACES
IN NEW ORLEANS HAD WATER DEPTHS UP TO 20 FEET...DAYS AFTER THE
STORM. AS OF FRIDAY...WATER STILL COVERED MANY PARTS OF NEW
ORLEANS. PEOPLE WHO ESCAPED THE SURGE ENDED UP STRANDED AS THE
WATER ROSE. MANY HAD TO TAKE REFUGE ON ROOFS OR INTERSTATES. THE
SUPERDOME...WHICH WAS HOUSING EVACUEES...HAD ROOF DAMAGE AND ENDED
UP BEING EVACUATED AFTER THE STORM DUE TO THE RISING WATERS FROM THE
BREECHES IN THE LEVEE. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 185 PEOPLE HAVE DIED
FROM THE STORM IN MISSISSIPPI AND MAYBE THOUSANDS DEAD IN SOUTHEAST
LOUISIANA. THIS WILL LIKELY END UP BEING THE COSTLIEST NATURAL
DISASTER TO STRIKE THE UNITED STATES.

BEELER/CULLEN

$$

[Jim Cantore]

Alot of equipment was most likely smashed before the highest gusts in the hardest hit areas

[LaBreeze]

One of the local mets said tonight that winds were 155 mph near Empire and Port Sulphur, Louisiana. I don't have proof of this, just reporting what was stated on tv.