Hurricane Carla Wind Analyses

[Ptarmigan]

Here is a wind analyses map for Hurricane Carla. According to it, the strong winds in Carla were 91 knots or 106 mph. Hurricane Carla is listed as a Category 5 hurricane at its peak and made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 mph.

http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Storm_page ... /wind.html

All are 8 degre maps.
9/10/1961 1800Z
ftp://ftp.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/pub/hwind/1 ... tour08.png

9/10/1961 2100Z
ftp://ftp.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/pub/hwind/1 ... tour08.png

9/11/1961 0000Z
ftp://ftp.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/pub/hwind/1 ... tour08.png

[CrazyC83]

Given its pressure and size, that doesn't seem all that unrealistic. It was bigger than Katrina after all.

I figured that either the pressure was much lower (like near 920) at landfall, or the winds were lower. To get to 150 kt in that region with that size, the pressure needs to be around 900mb. Personally, I think the pressure was lower in the ocean and it was around 910mb (or a bit lower).

Even still, with a landfall pressure of around 928mb (thinking there might have been some wind at the time of the 931mb recording), it still only translates to about 105-110 kt for a landfall intensity.

[HurricaneBill]

I think a wind gust of 178 mph was measured in Carla. That translates to a 1-min sustained wind of around 127 mph. So maybe 110-115KT would be a better estimate of Carla's landfall intensity.

[Derek Ortt]

Carla is one I am fairly convinced was a cat 4 at landfall. I have not heard of any issues with the recorded wind gusts

[hurricanetrack]

Yikes. A large cat-4 is scary. Charley was bad enough and it was apparently a cat-4 at landfall. I did record cat-3 gusts in Charley and cannot imagine a true, solid and large cat-4. Holy Cow! Katrina was close though. I imagine that in Waveland, just looking at the tree damage there, that winds were probably close to 135 mph in gusts. Some HUGE pine trees were laid over and snapped in most of Hancock county- well within the eye wall of Katrina. This is the closest I have been to a large cat-4 at landfall. Carla was a monster. Forget that- would just assume never see that kind of hurricane. Does no one any good. They can move heat out of the tropics without getting so large and strong. Fine by me.

[MGC]

Yes, the winds were quite stong in eastern Hancock County. In Bay St. Louis I can bring you to a spot where every tree was snapped. Strong straight line winds, likely a downburst had to do it. The wind damage was simular to what I observed after Hugo......MGC

[hurricanetrack]

Exactly. I saw the same kind of damage after Hugo too- it was amazing. The Francis Marion Forest was almost entirely laid to waste in areas where the strongest winds from Hugo were. That was an enormous hurricane- it put a 22 foot surge in to Bulls Bay- nearly drowning people who had taken shelter at McClellanville H.S. not knowing that it would flood badly there.