12 years ago today..Hurircane Luis attacks St. Maarten

[msbee]

It was 12 years ago today that Hurricane Luis came visiting.
A strong Cat 4, it battered St. Maarten and Anguilla for over 24 hours and caused catastrophic damage.
We still remember and it still send chills up and down our spine thinking of it.
Check out my blog for some pictures and some of my personal experiences.
http://barcann.livejournal.com/

and this blog also shows pictures and recounts what it was like 12 years ago today here.
http://sxmcoconut-retriever.blogspot.com/

Barbara

[Stephanie]

I visited St. Maarten while on a cruise in May, 2007. We went on one of those cruise sponsored catamaran rides and the place that they would normally dock at still hadn't been repaired. We had to go to another beach and wade ashore.

We saw a lot of devastation left over - buildings that were still standing and not fixed after it happened even after 20 months later.

[EDR1222]

One interesting thing I remember about Luis was at the time, I was a surfer, and while the hurricane was nearing the Virgin Islands it was generating a ground swell that made it's way to East Central Florida which is a bit unusual for a storm to do while it is that far south.

I seem to recall that during that time, Luis had an unusually large area of hurricane force winds that extended out well beyond 100 miles from the center. Obviously, not the largest hurricane ever, but it did have a very large windfield.

[Scorpion]

I remember watching TWC and staring at Luis on the satellite loop. Can't believe its been 12 years...

[Category 5]

This happened just before I started tracking Hurricanes, I've seen videos though, Horrible storm.

[Ptarmigan]

Hurricane Luis was a large hurricane. It had hurricane force winds extending as far as 155 miles from the eye with TS winds extending 230 miles from the eye. Luis was larger than Katrina.


ZCZC MIATCPAT3 ALL
TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM
BULLETIN
HURRICANE LUIS ADVISORY NUMBER 35
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
11 PM AST TUE SEP 05 1995

...DANGEROUS HURRICANE THRASHING NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS...

HURRICANE WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLANDS OF THE NORTHEAST
CARIBBEAN FROM GUADELOUPE NORTHWARD TO PUERTO RICO. A TROPICAL
STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR DOMINICA.

AT 11 PM AST...0300Z...THE CENTER OF LUIS WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE
18.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 63.2 WEST OR ABOUT 55 MILES ...90 KM...NORTH
OF ST MARTIN.

LUIS IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH ...13 KM/HR...AND
THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ON WEDNESDAY.

THIS TRACK WILL BRING THE CENTER WITHIN ITS CLOSEST DISTANCE TO
PUERTO RICO AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS AND
WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL BE DETERIORATING OVERNIGHT IN PUERTO RICO
AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS. THE HURRICANE IS NOW BEGINNING TO MOVE AWAY
FROM THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS AND CONDITIONS SHOULD GRADUALLY
IMPROVE IN THESE ISLANDS EARLY WEDNESDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 125 MPH...205 KM/HR...AND LITTLE
CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS LIKELY DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 155 MILES...250 KM...
FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP
TO 230 MILES...370 KM.

LATEST AIR FORCE RECONNAISSANCE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 943
MB...27.85 INCHES.

STORM TIDES OF 6 TO 9 FEET...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER VALUES...CAN BE
EXPECTED ALONG THE PATH OF LUIS ALONG WITH BATTERING WAVE ACTION.

RAINFALL TOTALS OF TEN INCHES OR MORE CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG THE PATH
OF THE HURRICANE.

REPEATING THE 11 PM AST POSITION...18.8 N... 63.2 W. MOVEMENT
TOWARD...NORTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED
WINDS...125 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 943 MB.

AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
HURRICANE CENTER AT 2 AM AST FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT
COMPLETE ADVISORY ISSUANCE AT 5 AM AST...WEDNESDAY.

LAWRENCE

STRIKE PROBABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ADVISORY NUMBER CAN BE
FOUND UNDER AFOS HEADER MIASPFAT3 AND WMO HEADER WTNT73 KNHC.


NNNN

Link

Look under pal1395.035.

I don't want to even think about Gilbert. It had hurricane force winds extending up to 180 miles from the eye.

[Brent]

A slow-mover too, 8 mph. I don't really remember much about it.