Conditions in Galveston during Rita?

[Lindaloo]

jschlitz..... so by your logic above, we should not even have a scale. Let's call them all just hurricanes.

I never said such a thing and I really don't know what you're talking about.

jschlitz wrote:
There seems to be a common theme in this thread (and among others) that many just can't comprehend what a true Cat. 3 hurricane can do. The numbers don't lie folks. It does not take a Cat. 4 or 5 to cause massive devastation; that's why Cat. 3s are considered MAJOR hurricanes. I think Derek with his expertise knows a thing or two about this subject.

On the flip side, someone saying Katrina was a 4 just because the damage they witnessed was horrific doesn't pass the bar either, especially if they have no basis to compare it to. After Rita, my neighborhood sure looked like a Cat. 1 or 2 hurricane ripped through with all the downed trees, but we had TS winds (60-65 mph gusts) at the most. My neighbor looking out the window and yelling "gosh it was awful, this could not have been just TS winds" hardly can be backed-up with any data.


Um okay then.

[jasons2k]

jschlitz..... so by your logic above, we should not even have a scale. Let's call them all just hurricanes.

I never said such a thing and I really don't know what you're talking about.

jschlitz wrote:
There seems to be a common theme in this thread (and among others) that many just can't comprehend what a true Cat. 3 hurricane can do. The numbers don't lie folks. It does not take a Cat. 4 or 5 to cause massive devastation; that's why Cat. 3s are considered MAJOR hurricanes. I think Derek with his expertise knows a thing or two about this subject.

On the flip side, someone saying Katrina was a 4 just because the damage they witnessed was horrific doesn't pass the bar either, especially if they have no basis to compare it to. After Rita, my neighborhood sure looked like a Cat. 1 or 2 hurricane ripped through with all the downed trees, but we had TS winds (60-65 mph gusts) at the most. My neighbor looking out the window and yelling "gosh it was awful, this could not have been just TS winds" hardly can be backed-up with any data.


Um okay then.

Um Okay.......I said a Cat. 3 can cause massive devastation (which is correct) and TS winds can bring down a number trees (which is correct). What part of that says we should not have a scale? I'm really not trying to be difficult here, but you seem to persist in putting words in my mouth. Did I do something wrong to have a black X marked on my forehead? Geez.

[jasons2k]

Here is a Local Storm Report from Houston:

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
812 AM CDT SAT SEP 24 2005

..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..

0330 AM HURRICANE ANAHUAC 29.76N 94.68W
09/24/2005 CHAMBERS TX EMERGENCY MNGR

ESTIMATED WIND SPEED OF 100 MPH IN ANAHUAC.



0400 AM HURRICANE LIBERTY 30.05N 94.80W
09/24/2005 LIBERTY TX EMERGENCY MNGR

MEASURED SUSTAINED WIND SPEED OF 60 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 85
MPH.

0405 AM HURRICANE DEVERS 30.03N 94.59W
09/24/2005 LIBERTY TX LAW ENFORCEMENT

ESTIMATED WIND SPEED OF 80 TO 100 MPH IN DEVERS, LIBERTY
AND MOSS HILL.

0430 AM TROPICAL STORM COLDSPRING 30.59N 95.13W
09/24/2005 SAN JACINTO TX LAW ENFORCEMENT

NUMEROUS TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN. MANY ROOFS OFF HOMES
AND BUSINESSES ACROSS THE COUNTY.

0545 AM TROPICAL STORM LAKE LIVINGSTON DAM 30.62N 95.03W
09/24/2005 SAN JACINTO TX EMERGENCY MNGR

A MEASURED WIND GUST OF 117 MPH ATOP THE LAKE LIVINGSTON
DAM. THE ANEMOMETER IS MOUNTED 20 FEET ABOVE THE ROOF.

0630 AM TROPICAL STORM LIVINGSTON 30.71N 94.94W
09/24/2005 POLK TX LAW ENFORCEMENT

TREES ON HOUSE AND A ROOF OFF A HOUSE NEAR LIVINGSTON.

0645 AM TROPICAL STORM LAKE LIVINGSTON DAM 30.62N 95.03W
09/24/2005 SAN JACINTO TX EMERGENCY MNGR

MEASURED SUSTAINED NORTHWEST WINDS OF 66 MPH.

0645 AM TROPICAL STORM ONALASKA 30.81N 95.11W
09/24/2005 POLK TX EMERGENCY MNGR

ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS OF 60 TO 70 MPH ACROSS THE COUNTY.

0330 AM HURRICANE ANAHUAC 29.76N 94.68W
09/24/2005 CHAMBERS TX EMERGENCY MNGR

ESTIMATED WIND SPEED OF 100 MPH IN ANAHUAC.

[GalvestonDuck]

Good research...thanks, Jschlitz!

[jasons2k]

Good research...thanks, Jschlitz!

You're welcome!! I'm trying to find more, NWS HGX doesn't have its storm summary published yet. If I see it I will post it.

[jeff]

These are a few wind reports. The HGX post storm report should be out next week some time.

Peak wind Gust:

SH 35/ Brazos River: 41.82
SH 6/ HWY 290 (Hempstead): 48.46
I-10/Brazos River: 39.18
I-45/Hardy Toll Rd: 56.57--3:17am
US 59 @ Peach Creek: 41.62---6:14am
FM 1097 @ Lake Conroe: 56.91--6:35am



Sustained Winds:

Laporte: 26.40
Pasadena: 33.90
Kemah (top of 146 bridge): 43.50
Houston Transtar building: 25.10
Reliant Park: 25.10

NWS is reviewing the NWS ASOS sites.

[jasons2k]

These are a few wind reports.

Hey Jeff, thanks for the data! Is there a link where I can find these wind reports? I've seen the guage at I-45 & Hardy and always wondered how/if I can access its data. There is a similiar guage near Hardy & 1960. Thanks!

-JS

[susan]

From the looks of a few places in La Porte, I am thinking that 26 MPH sustained must have had one heck of a gust somewhere. One neighborhood had lots of shingle damage..I lost a pretty big tree and some siding off my house. Sonic's sign was bent in half..There are lots of ripped off gutters and fences blown down everywhere...A big uprooted tree...I saw someone's shed blown all over the guy's front field and a decorative lamp bent in half....Power was out all over town too...

[jasons2k]

From the looks of a few places in La Porte, I am thinking that 26 MPH sustained must have had one heck of a gust somewhere. One neighborhood had lots of shingle damage..I lost a pretty big tree and some siding off my house. Sonic's sign was bent in half..There are lots of ripped off gutters and fences blown down everywhere...A big uprooted tree...I saw someone's shed blown all over the guy's front field and a decorative lamp bent in half....Power was out all over town too...

Hey Susan:

Glad u made it back OK and you are safe!

[timNms]

These are a few wind reports. The HGX post storm report should be out next week some time.

Peak wind Gust:

SH 35/ Brazos River: 41.82
SH 6/ HWY 290 (Hempstead): 48.46
I-10/Brazos River: 39.18
I-45/Hardy Toll Rd: 56.57--3:17am
US 59 @ Peach Creek: 41.62---6:14am
FM 1097 @ Lake Conroe: 56.91--6:35am



Sustained Winds:

Laporte: 26.40
Pasadena: 33.90
Kemah (top of 146 bridge): 43.50
Houston Transtar building: 25.10
Reliant Park: 25.10

NWS is reviewing the NWS ASOS sites.

Interersting info there. Wish I could find some info on Katrina from my area but haven't had any luck yet. Our local met emailed me a few days ago and said that the wind speed in Hattiesburg was between 85-95 mph sustained with gusts to near 120. I know it looks like a bomb went off in this area. I even saw one of those billboards in Hattiesburg that was placed on steel beams. The wind was blowing so hard that it bent the beams and the sign was lying on the ground. There were some weird sites to see after Katrina!

[susan]

"Hey Susan:

Glad u made it back OK and you are safe!"




Thanks....It has been one heck of a week...but so glad it was not way worse...

[jeff]

These are a few wind reports. The HGX post storm report should be out next week some time.

Peak wind Gust:

SH 35/ Brazos River: 41.82
SH 6/ HWY 290 (Hempstead): 48.46
I-10/Brazos River: 39.18
I-45/Hardy Toll Rd: 56.57--3:17am
US 59 @ Peach Creek: 41.62---6:14am
FM 1097 @ Lake Conroe: 56.91--6:35am



Sustained Winds:

Laporte: 26.40
Pasadena: 33.90
Kemah (top of 146 bridge): 43.50
Houston Transtar building: 25.10
Reliant Park: 25.10

NWS is reviewing the NWS ASOS sites.

Interersting info there. Wish I could find some info on Katrina from my area but haven't had any luck yet. Our local met emailed me a few days ago and said that the wind speed in Hattiesburg was between 85-95 mph sustained with gusts to near 120. I know it looks like a bomb went off in this area. I even saw one of those billboards in Hattiesburg that was placed on steel beams. The wind was blowing so hard that it bent the beams and the sign was lying on the ground. There were some weird sites to see after Katrina!

So many of the obs sites were either daamged or had power failures during Katrina that most of the wind obs we have are well befor ethe onset of the worst conditions. Values will have to be estimated from damage surveys

[jeff]

From the looks of a few places in La Porte, I am thinking that 26 MPH sustained must have had one heck of a gust somewhere. One neighborhood had lots of shingle damage..I lost a pretty big tree and some siding off my house. Sonic's sign was bent in half..There are lots of ripped off gutters and fences blown down everywhere...A big uprooted tree...I saw someone's shed blown all over the guy's front field and a decorative lamp bent in half....Power was out all over town too...

The above LaPorte gage is located at Fairmont Parkway near 8th St. A second gage located about 1.5 miles SW of 225 and HWY 146 intersection recorded sustained winds of 33.40mph. We are still going over the data and we may be able to pull some peak gust in this region.

The USGS gage at Clear Creek and HWY 146 had sustained winds around 43.50 mph however the consensus is that there may have been a wind blocking effect by a building to the N and NW. Peak gust across this area were likely in the 60-70mph range with a few gust upwards of 80mph.

[Derek Ortt]

good point about Lake Charles not even seeing cat 2 winds, or Beaumont not even seeing hurricane winds

The sad thing is most in these areas will think that they rode out a major hurricane, when they really went through a strong tropical storm or a weak cat 1