Wilma top sustained winds below 85 mph in Dade, Broward

[wxmann_91]

We should build buildings as strong as the buildings in Cancun and Cozumel. Many of them survived the relentless pounding of at least Cat 3 winds for several hours, and at least of hurricane force for 12 hours.

[Derek Ortt]

not much can survive real cat 4 winds. Charley had its way with re-enforced concrete buildings, as did Wilma at Cozumel


Cat 4 or 5 winds simply level anything in their path

[weatherwindow]

Derek, in terms of sustained winds, what do you think Miami received in the 1926 hurricane?

.....just jumping in, the highest "officially credited" sustained wind (2min, i believe) was 138 mph on the roof of the allison hospital in the northern eye wall ~6:20am 9/17/26 ......rich

[Recurve]

Yeah, can't believe all of us, myself included, who used to be like, "well, I'd stay for a cat 3, but 4 or 5 I'd leave."

If it's a cat 1-2 and you get the eyewall, you are in for serious hurt, and a terrifying experience. If it's a 3, 4 or 5 and you are within a hundred miles (except for a freakin midget like Andrew), you are going to be crawling out of wreckage if you don't get killed by falling timbers.

As to those shutter locks, I always assumed they were about as strong as the trunk lock on my former toyota tercel -- you could twist it open with a screwdriver. And if the winds had been any stronger, I bet many thousands of expensive accordion shutters would have blown down the street, because I suspect many are not properly installed. I still think nothing beats strong steel storm panels with an H-header and a bolt track at the bottom, with big long tapcon screws deep into masonry every six inches.

And as to what surge can do, oh my. I think we had about 80 mph winds and maybe higher gusts here, and the destruction to docks and marinas on the bayside is pretty impressive, and complete.

[Scorpion]

Although Wilma was by no means terrifying for me, more like fun, I will not venture outside during Cat 3 or above winds. Cat 1 or 2 winds are strong enough.

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

Just think if Miami got hit with Wilma at her peak...WOW!!!

[fci]

Although Wilma was by no means terrifying for me, more like fun, I will not venture outside during Cat 3 or above winds. Cat 1 or 2 winds are strong enough.

I think Jupiter got less in Wilma than areas south of the center got.
That may be why it was fun.
Not fun down here in East Central Palm Beach County!!

Why is it that Hurricanes were fun for me when I was little kid; Betsy, Cleo...
and SUCK as an adult?????!!!???

[Derek Ortt]

miami likely received cat 4 winds from the 1926 cane

[THead]

Sorry, the roof damage and other structural damage is not in line with the 85mph and less sustained wind theory. I really hope we have some good data from broward, n. dade and WPB counties, and that it will eventually ALL be reviewed. I believe we had areas of 100+ mph SUSTAINED winds, in Lauderhill, Sunrise, Plantation, Margate, Tamarac areas. And also I'd like to know what wind crumpled the MASSIVE FPL transmission line support on US 27 just west of Tamarac. I finally got my power back on last night, more later from me........had to come to work to get on the net.

[Vandora]

I'm going to jump on the bandwagon and say... It's hard to swallow. I've talked to my friends and family around here, and they all agree... If Wilma was a Cat 1, she was the strongest Cat 1 anyone's ever experienced. Katrina (here, as a Cat 1) was a walk in the park compared to Wilma. My windows never bowed with Katrina, but they did nearly non-stop through much of Wilma (we rent, have no say in shutters/boards unless we want to buy them and pay for the damage putting them up might cause, and I can't afford that). The sounds were on whole different scale around here, with Wilma. My building shook a lot, never happened with Katrina. Things that held up perfectly fine with Katrina weren't so lucky with Wilma, though I guess they could have been weaker because of Katrina?

I guess what I don't understand is that we didn't get a direct eyewall with Wilma (just the corner, if I understand correctly), yet we did with Katrina, and the damage wasn't half as bad. How does that work? All storms are different, of course, but I'm just not understanding it. What made Wilma so much worse, if she was in the same sort of league (in the Catagory sense) as Katrina?

I can't argue with facts, but I can say... They're a bit fishy. I don't want to argue with anyone, but I would like to understand better.

[Brent]

Miami didn't experience a Cat 1 in Katrina... the hurricane force winds were confined to the beachfront. Buildings and trees cause the winds to decrease. That's why Wilma was worse.

Maybe now I won't hear people saying "Oh it's only a Cat 1, I'm not going to do anything". I experienced a fast-moving Cat 1 in 1995 200 miles inland(Opal) and it was not fun at all, especially in the middle of the night.

[boca]

I still think N Broward and S Palm Beach counties received CAT 2 sustained with Cat 3 gusts. North Broward looks a little worse than Boca but I think these areas received the worst of Wilma.

[Seele]

Could it be possible that the higher gusts were more frequent in this storm causing more strain on structures than normal?

[boca]

They were alot of gusts in Wilma especially around the eye.I can't compare this storm to anything else because I never expierenced the eye before in a storm. I think the gusts were working in the damage caused by Wilma.

[Vandora]

I understand that the gusts could be higher, etc. I'm just saying what I - and many others in SEFL - feel. I won't argue what she was or wasn't, I am simply stating what it seems like to some of of us here. Take it for what you will. I know what I experienced with Wilma here, so I can only imagine what others to the north felt.

Miami didn't experience a Cat 1 in Katrina...

Is this map incorrect, then? I believe it shows Katrina making landfall at the Miami-Dade/Broward line, then moving SW, through Miami-Dade country where - the next day after landfall - she falls to a TS in Monroe Country, before becoming a hurricane again. Is that wrong? I'm asking here. Her hurricane-force windfield was small, I know, but that doesn't discount the fact that the map has her as a Cat 1 through Miami-Dade County.

[f5]

remember the structural damage chart Dr.Steve Lyons shows on the TWC if you look at the chart the structure damage potential zooms up in the CAT 4 range

[Derek Ortt]

there likely was a small swath of cat 2 winds in Broward. However, for cat 3 winds, you need to look at Grand Bahama Island, where they did experience a real major huricane, and the reports there said it was worse than Jeanne

[sponger]

Glad to see you are on board Derek!

[Brent]

I understand that the gusts could be higher, etc. I'm just saying what I - and many others in SEFL - feel. I won't argue what she was or wasn't, I am simply stating what it seems like to some of of us here. Take it for what you will. I know what I experienced with Wilma here, so I can only imagine what others to the north felt.

Miami didn't experience a Cat 1 in Katrina...

Is this map incorrect, then? I believe it shows Katrina making landfall at the Miami-Dade/Broward line, then moving SW, through Miami-Dade country where - the next day after landfall - she falls to a TS in Monroe Country, before becoming a hurricane again. Is that wrong? I'm asking here. Her hurricane-force windfield was small, I know, but that doesn't discount the fact that the map has her as a Cat 1 through Miami-Dade County.

The hurricane force winds were over water. Yes... it can be inland but the strong winds be confined to offshore where there's nothing to block the winds. This has happened many times.

[THead]

I'm sure people from alot of those areas I mentioned above aren't back on the board yet.....I'm sure they'll be chiming in on this thread when they finally get power back on. Also forgot to mention Coral Springs and Parkland, who were also whacked. Most of those areas I mentioned back right up to the glades. Not much of anything between the landfall coast and these cities, other than swamp and sawgrass.