Katrina went directly overhead - I'm about a mile west of her landfall point. Front side didn't have more than maybe 50mph sustained, but the backside sure seemed like sustained minimal Cat 1 to me for about three or four minutes at least (with plenty of hurricane force gusts as well). May have been a topographical effect, as the Biscayne Blvd. ramp at Ives Dairy would concentrate a south wind somewhat.
Wilma's eye missed me to the north by a few miles, not sure exactly how much.
I was in the South Miami area for Andrew. Center line of the track was 6 1/2 miles south of me, so the north edge of the eye probably passed 2 miles south or so.
Gotta say, those two near misses were a heck of a lot worse than the direct hit was.
How many experienced the eye of a hurricane
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Scorpion
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HeatherAKC
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- Location: Miami Lakes, Florida
Since you asked....
The hightlight of my hurricane chasing/tropical living life was going through the eye of Katrina in north Miami Dade.
I never brought it up here because I felt so bad for all that suffered Katrina's REAL wrath. I didn't think is was appropriate at the time.
However, I will tell you it was very exciting and was made all the much better because conditions were not too bad here and I could really experience it without the worry of damages and destruction.
I could see it approaching from my NE as the sky lightened. It wasn't the perfect eye. It was clouded over. My husband and I did go outside and "experience the eye" and wondered in amazment at Mother Nature.
I'm such a weather geek that I e-mailed several family members the NHC update that had my area's coordinates on it when the eye was over us.
Katrina was such an awesome storm for me. Clouded, however, by the fact that sooo many suffered later.
Now in 1992, being 6 miles North of Andrew's eye wall (not a true "eye" experience) is a whole different story...................................And by no means fun.
The hightlight of my hurricane chasing/tropical living life was going through the eye of Katrina in north Miami Dade.
I never brought it up here because I felt so bad for all that suffered Katrina's REAL wrath. I didn't think is was appropriate at the time.
However, I will tell you it was very exciting and was made all the much better because conditions were not too bad here and I could really experience it without the worry of damages and destruction.
I could see it approaching from my NE as the sky lightened. It wasn't the perfect eye. It was clouded over. My husband and I did go outside and "experience the eye" and wondered in amazment at Mother Nature.
I'm such a weather geek that I e-mailed several family members the NHC update that had my area's coordinates on it when the eye was over us.
Katrina was such an awesome storm for me. Clouded, however, by the fact that sooo many suffered later.
Now in 1992, being 6 miles North of Andrew's eye wall (not a true "eye" experience) is a whole different story...................................And by no means fun.
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hookemfins
- Tropical Storm
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HalloweenGale
- Category 1
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Most memorable eyes:
GLORIA: was on leave during the latter part o f her lifespan, was at fire island new york, expireienced TS HENRI just two days prior.
BOB: I was on Block Island at the time, There was a bright spot, but no blue skies, and the system basically went ET on me.
UNNAMED HURRICANE 1991:
I flew into this one, as it moved 180 miles east of Nantucket, it was a weak hurricane, and the eye was lame.
CHRISTMAS STORM 1994:
No matter what the NHC says about the system, it was definently tropical, and there was a very small eye, and below it, there was this beautiful stadium effect in the clouds.
These are my memorable eye expiriences.
GLORIA: was on leave during the latter part o f her lifespan, was at fire island new york, expireienced TS HENRI just two days prior.
BOB: I was on Block Island at the time, There was a bright spot, but no blue skies, and the system basically went ET on me.
UNNAMED HURRICANE 1991:
I flew into this one, as it moved 180 miles east of Nantucket, it was a weak hurricane, and the eye was lame.
CHRISTMAS STORM 1994:
No matter what the NHC says about the system, it was definently tropical, and there was a very small eye, and below it, there was this beautiful stadium effect in the clouds.
These are my memorable eye expiriences.
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Zackiedawg
- Tropical Depression
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- Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2005 10:46 am
- Location: Boca Raton, Florida
Hurricane Erin, 1995 - Staying with a friend for 4 days in Vero, I timed it beautifully for the oncoming Erin, a minimal Cat 1 as it came ashore. The storm was a very low 1, and the eye was disorganized and unclear...but it seemed to have passed over us as there was a noticeable lull in intensity for 15 minutes or so, then back up again. Overall, the storm wasn't too organized.
Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, 1999 - Here in Boca, Irene was technically the first storm to pass its eye over the city in more than 50 years. Irene came up through the bottom of the everglades after glancing through the Keys as a TS, and grew to a minimal hurricane over the straights and Florida Bay. It snuck up through the swamp, and drifted up the east coast of Florida...the eye first coming over populated space around western Boca Raton and Delray Beach, then drifting out to sea around Jupiter. The storm never brought sustained hurricane winds to populated areas, but apparently measured minimal hurricane winds just offshore, and therefore was classified a Cat 1 throughout its journey up Florida. Wind damage was restricted to several branches and leaves...but rain was intense and flooding was some of the worst we've ever had. Boca Raton received 7-10 inches in a few hours, and flooding was rampant...Boynton Beach received an amazing 17-19 inches.
Hurricane Frances - Well, here in central eastern Boca, we never quite made it into Frances' eye...as huge as it was. We pretty much lingered in the southwestern, southern, and southeastern eyewall for the miserable 2-3 days it took to pass through. We lost power on the Friday before the eye even made landfall, already losing branches...Saturday trees began to fall and rain and wind continued unabated. Sunday AM the eye finally drifted in and we caught the overnight pounding that took down many of the biggest trees and screen enclosures. It took 8 days for us to get power back, and another 2 weeks to clean up. Just in time for:
Hurricane Jeanne - Fortunately we never came near the eye...and the strongest of the southern eyewall was north of us. Still, we caught strong winds and some of the weakened trees that barely made it through Frances finally gave up and came down in Jeanne. I don't think Boca ever measured hurricane force during Jeanne...but gusts probably got close.
Hurricane Wilma - a Boca Raton direct hit. Upper Cat 1, lower cat 2, gusts to cat 3 - call it what you will, but it was the worst beating this town's had since the depression era. The eye, as mentioned, was not bright, sunny, and still as some idyllic hurricanes seem to be. It remained blustery, windy, and menacing...lasting a fairly lengthy 45-50 minutes. The back eye wall could be seen clearly approaching out of the southwest and west...not stadiumed...but clearly banded billows of fast-moving grey clouds, stacked high and blocking any view of sky behind. As these approached, winds picked up and everyone moved inside. The backside, also as mentioned, packed a stronger blow than the front. Some mentioned less rain, but we had at least two periods lasting 6-10 minutes which were complete white outs with rain blasted to a fine mist and obscuring almost everything. The whole back eye lasted maybe 50 minutes at its worst, then trailed off to TS strength winds and no more rain. The entire back eye wall was blowing cold, with the cold front already interacting with the storm to lower the temperatures even within the eye wall. By the time the back of the storm trailed off to the northeast, it was clear and cool.
I posted my album with lots of pics from Wilma I took here in Boca, during and after. I have my house equipped with hurricane glass, so I didn't shutter or board, and was able to watch the whole storm with video cam in hand and still cameras ready. During both eye walls, I ventured outside on either side of the house where the winds weren't blowing to capture clearer shots and get the sound of the howling winds and crunch of debris during the worst microbursts. Check out the album over in the 'Hurricane Recovery and Aftermath Forums":
http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=78256
That's it for me on hurricane eyes. I experienced Hurricane David in 1978 which just brushed Florida with tropical storm winds, Hurricane Florence in 1988 which came to New Orleans while I was going to college there, but had fallen to a tropical storm when it came into town, Tropical Storm Beryl in New Orleans that same year (both produced flooding, which was pretty common the 4 years I was there). And I went to St. Thomas a week after Hurricane Marilyn had hit them head-on...and they still had no roofs, sailboats sitting in the main streets in Charlotte Amalie, and no power in most of the island. And I was sideswiped by Hurricane Belle in New Jersey in 1976, which was my first ever hurricane experience (we probably didn't get much more than TS winds, but it did have a storm surge that flooded our coastal cottage with 2 feet of water!).
Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, 1999 - Here in Boca, Irene was technically the first storm to pass its eye over the city in more than 50 years. Irene came up through the bottom of the everglades after glancing through the Keys as a TS, and grew to a minimal hurricane over the straights and Florida Bay. It snuck up through the swamp, and drifted up the east coast of Florida...the eye first coming over populated space around western Boca Raton and Delray Beach, then drifting out to sea around Jupiter. The storm never brought sustained hurricane winds to populated areas, but apparently measured minimal hurricane winds just offshore, and therefore was classified a Cat 1 throughout its journey up Florida. Wind damage was restricted to several branches and leaves...but rain was intense and flooding was some of the worst we've ever had. Boca Raton received 7-10 inches in a few hours, and flooding was rampant...Boynton Beach received an amazing 17-19 inches.
Hurricane Frances - Well, here in central eastern Boca, we never quite made it into Frances' eye...as huge as it was. We pretty much lingered in the southwestern, southern, and southeastern eyewall for the miserable 2-3 days it took to pass through. We lost power on the Friday before the eye even made landfall, already losing branches...Saturday trees began to fall and rain and wind continued unabated. Sunday AM the eye finally drifted in and we caught the overnight pounding that took down many of the biggest trees and screen enclosures. It took 8 days for us to get power back, and another 2 weeks to clean up. Just in time for:
Hurricane Jeanne - Fortunately we never came near the eye...and the strongest of the southern eyewall was north of us. Still, we caught strong winds and some of the weakened trees that barely made it through Frances finally gave up and came down in Jeanne. I don't think Boca ever measured hurricane force during Jeanne...but gusts probably got close.
Hurricane Wilma - a Boca Raton direct hit. Upper Cat 1, lower cat 2, gusts to cat 3 - call it what you will, but it was the worst beating this town's had since the depression era. The eye, as mentioned, was not bright, sunny, and still as some idyllic hurricanes seem to be. It remained blustery, windy, and menacing...lasting a fairly lengthy 45-50 minutes. The back eye wall could be seen clearly approaching out of the southwest and west...not stadiumed...but clearly banded billows of fast-moving grey clouds, stacked high and blocking any view of sky behind. As these approached, winds picked up and everyone moved inside. The backside, also as mentioned, packed a stronger blow than the front. Some mentioned less rain, but we had at least two periods lasting 6-10 minutes which were complete white outs with rain blasted to a fine mist and obscuring almost everything. The whole back eye lasted maybe 50 minutes at its worst, then trailed off to TS strength winds and no more rain. The entire back eye wall was blowing cold, with the cold front already interacting with the storm to lower the temperatures even within the eye wall. By the time the back of the storm trailed off to the northeast, it was clear and cool.
I posted my album with lots of pics from Wilma I took here in Boca, during and after. I have my house equipped with hurricane glass, so I didn't shutter or board, and was able to watch the whole storm with video cam in hand and still cameras ready. During both eye walls, I ventured outside on either side of the house where the winds weren't blowing to capture clearer shots and get the sound of the howling winds and crunch of debris during the worst microbursts. Check out the album over in the 'Hurricane Recovery and Aftermath Forums":
http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=78256
That's it for me on hurricane eyes. I experienced Hurricane David in 1978 which just brushed Florida with tropical storm winds, Hurricane Florence in 1988 which came to New Orleans while I was going to college there, but had fallen to a tropical storm when it came into town, Tropical Storm Beryl in New Orleans that same year (both produced flooding, which was pretty common the 4 years I was there). And I went to St. Thomas a week after Hurricane Marilyn had hit them head-on...and they still had no roofs, sailboats sitting in the main streets in Charlotte Amalie, and no power in most of the island. And I was sideswiped by Hurricane Belle in New Jersey in 1976, which was my first ever hurricane experience (we probably didn't get much more than TS winds, but it did have a storm surge that flooded our coastal cottage with 2 feet of water!).
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Aslkahuna
- Professional-Met
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1967- Typhoon Emma-the eye passed overhead and we had calm winds while watching the clouds race around the horizon. I have some old 8mm movie film of Emma.
1974- Typhoon Irma-lost power in the weather station shortly after I took a radar ob of the 27 mile diameter eye east of Clark AB with the base in the right forward eyewall. The most amazing scene was seeing full sunshine on Mt. Arayat while we were still experiencing the wind and rain of the inner eyewall. Winds at Clark dropped to 12 mph in the eye while they were calm at my house 5 miles SE we also saw the Sun shine briefly at the house while in the eye.
1976- Typhoon Olga- a clear calm center passed overhead at night. The leading edge was mostly rain while the backside was a deluge with strong winds as the storm cranked up while stalled offshore just to our west.
1977- Typhoon Kim- eye passed over Clark during the day with calm winds after nearly 12 hours of TS to typhoon force winds. Backside winds came in very strong but dropped off quickly and rain became torrential.
In addition, I've had the centers of several Tropical Storms pass close to overhead with two, Raymond and Lester, being here in SE AZ.
Steve
1974- Typhoon Irma-lost power in the weather station shortly after I took a radar ob of the 27 mile diameter eye east of Clark AB with the base in the right forward eyewall. The most amazing scene was seeing full sunshine on Mt. Arayat while we were still experiencing the wind and rain of the inner eyewall. Winds at Clark dropped to 12 mph in the eye while they were calm at my house 5 miles SE we also saw the Sun shine briefly at the house while in the eye.
1976- Typhoon Olga- a clear calm center passed overhead at night. The leading edge was mostly rain while the backside was a deluge with strong winds as the storm cranked up while stalled offshore just to our west.
1977- Typhoon Kim- eye passed over Clark during the day with calm winds after nearly 12 hours of TS to typhoon force winds. Backside winds came in very strong but dropped off quickly and rain became torrential.
In addition, I've had the centers of several Tropical Storms pass close to overhead with two, Raymond and Lester, being here in SE AZ.
Steve
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bvigal
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natmicstef wrote:The eye came over us in Lenny..it was extremely still and quiet for about 30 minutes. Went outside, turned the gas on to make something hot quickly and get prepared for the back side of the storm. It seemed to go from 0-70 in seconds. In Luis, though we didn't get the eye, the back side of the storm was worse, in Lenny it was about the same or slightly easier. No idea why.
Just curious, where do you live that you describe your experiences with these two storms?
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weatherwindow
- Category 4
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- Location: key west/ft lauderdale
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Tampa Bay Hurricane
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Wow...I don't think Tampa
Bay has seen the eye of a hurricane for many many years....
Frances was a strong TS when its eye crossed....
I hope this post of mine doesn't jinx my luck...
But...
Even a storm from far away always seems to send a rainband
that causes moderate damage to my pool screen area (pool area damage
took place during Dennis, Frances, Jeanne, Katrina- yes a rainband from this storm as it exited sw fl did some on the pool screen though nothing
compared to what it did to the Gulf Coast, Rita, Wilma, Charley, Gabrielle,
Gordon)
yup they always give a lashing to my pool screen...
Bay has seen the eye of a hurricane for many many years....
Frances was a strong TS when its eye crossed....
I hope this post of mine doesn't jinx my luck...
But...
Even a storm from far away always seems to send a rainband
that causes moderate damage to my pool screen area (pool area damage
took place during Dennis, Frances, Jeanne, Katrina- yes a rainband from this storm as it exited sw fl did some on the pool screen though nothing
compared to what it did to the Gulf Coast, Rita, Wilma, Charley, Gabrielle,
Gordon)
yup they always give a lashing to my pool screen...
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Blown Away
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1979 - David - 2 hours of calm during the day. Actually drove to the beach w/ parents. Blue skies and birds.
1999 - Irene - No true eye, but about 30 minutes of no winds.
2004 - Frances - 4-5 hours of calm during the night. Saw the moon and stars for hours.
2004 - Jeanne - 2 hours off and on calm during the night. It would be calm for 10 minutes then the winds would blow 20-40 mph. I'm no expert but I think Jeanne was doing a eye wall replacement as it moved on shore.
2005 - Wilma - 1-2 hours of calm. It was neat lots of high thin clouds with some blue skies for a few mintues. Then an ominous dark gray wall moved in from the SW.
1999 - Irene - No true eye, but about 30 minutes of no winds.
2004 - Frances - 4-5 hours of calm during the night. Saw the moon and stars for hours.
2004 - Jeanne - 2 hours off and on calm during the night. It would be calm for 10 minutes then the winds would blow 20-40 mph. I'm no expert but I think Jeanne was doing a eye wall replacement as it moved on shore.
2005 - Wilma - 1-2 hours of calm. It was neat lots of high thin clouds with some blue skies for a few mintues. Then an ominous dark gray wall moved in from the SW.
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