~Floydbuster wrote:I hear some people telling me data says Ivan hit at 110-115 mph...
Well, IMO the people telling you that don't know what they're talking about.
I've researched tornadoes and wind damage for many years....using the Fujita scale to rate damage (F1, F2, F3, F4, etc). I've seen wind damage in the Pensacola and adjacent beachfront areas consistent with F3 tornado damage....meaning wind gusts in that area east of where Ivan crossed the coast were AT LEAST 160 mph or higher. In some cases, I've seen wind damage that is consistent with wind gusts of 170-180 mph. I've observed video of two hi-rise structures along the beachfront...in the Perdido Key/ Pensacola Beach area with large sections of exterior walls missing on the middle and upper floors. That isn't storm surge damage 50-150' feet in the air...it was caused by the extreme winds...just like the winds of a F3 tornado.
You don't get 160, 170, or 180 mph wind gusts from a 110-115 mph hurricane. IMO sustained winds in the eastern eyewall area reached at least 130 mph...and more likely 135.
The wind damage I've seen associated with Ivan at landfall is WORSE than during hurricane Frederic in 1979....and I know Frederic was a 125-130 mph cat-3 at landfall. IMO Ivan was even stronger.
Just my .02 cents worth...
PW
