Andrew's Florida landfall downgraded to Category Four?

[MiamiensisWx]

This HAS to be an error in this article...

Link

From article...

Andrew hit Miami-Dade County in the early morning of Aug. 24, 1992, cutting a devastating swath through thousands of homes and businesses. Until Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast last year, Andrew -- first measured as a Category 5 storm when it hit South Florida but later downgraded to a Category 4 -- was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

Isn't the portion in bold an error, as Andrew was upgraded at Florida landfall from a Category Four to a Category Five? Shouldn't that be an error in the article?

[mtm4319]

Gotta be a typo/mixup.

[Cyclenall]

If that was true, then we have a flip-flopper on our hands!

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

It could be true?

[Normandy]

Typo

[all_we_know_is_FALLING]

That wouldn't make sense, because Andrew was FIRST deemed a Cat 4 only to be upgraded to a Cat 5.

[WindRunner]

It was initially a four, and posthumously upgraded to a five IIRC.

[MiamiensisWx]

Yep... it has to be a typo/mixup, which was my first assumption due to the reasons stated in this thread and because it was upgraded from a Category Four to a Category Five at Florida landfall/peak intensity in 2002.

[Derek Ortt]

ERROR


In fact, the data suggests that Andrew may have been more intense than the 145KT in BT. HRD (the same agency so criticized here for putting Ivan as a cat 2 and Katrina as a 3), had an HWIND analysis of 153KT

[28_Storms]

Andrew's wind damage speaks for itself.

[Normandy]

Wow 153 kts is 175 mph+

[StormScanWx]

ERROR


In fact, the data suggests that Andrew may have been more intense than the 145KT in BT. HRD (the same agency so criticized here for putting Ivan as a cat 2 and Katrina as a 3), had an HWIND analysis of 153KT

I thought Ivan was a Category 3 at landfall?

[vacanechaser]

thats the media for you... they just cant get anything right... you want facts, and they dont do that most times.. then when they try to give you the facts, they srew them up... nothing new..

correct it is wrong... andrew was a cat 4 until a few years ago when it was upgraded to a cat 5 at landfall.... some 10 years later...



Jesse V. Bass III
http://www.vastormphoto.com
Hurricane Intercept Research Team

[MiamiensisWx]

Here are some rare pictures likely from where Andrew's highest sustained winds occurred (on sparsely-populated Elliott Key and surrounding area and over Florida Bay near/just south of Cape Florida on tip of Key Biscayne).

This image is from Elliott Key... this is likely close to where a small pocket of Category Four/Category Five sustained winds occurred...



Besides Katrina and some other storms that produced these effects from storm surge, this is the first time I've seen a picture of a building reduced to sawdust and debris partly by surge AND - believe it or not - wind. Based on tree hardiness and where Andrew's small area(s) of highest sustained Category Five winds occurred, this picture is likely near one of Andrew's small Category Five sustained wind pockets. Tree bark is darker from salt from the large storm surge on Elliott Key; look at the wind damage in the image, too.

Here are two images from Ragged Key near Elliott Key both before and after Andrew...





The concrete structure to the left of the home/building appears to have been nearly completely destroyed by wind damage and partly by surge.

Here are two more before and after images from Soldier Key vicinity, also in the vicinity of Elliott Key...





Incredible storm surge destruction and wind damage is quite evident.

I think these pictures give a better idea of why I still believe Andrew was a Category Five at Florida landfall... the highest sustained winds simply occurred on the upper Keys in Florida Bay (Soldier/Elliott/Ragged/Sand) where few, if any, people lived/live.

Source of images

[Normandy]

^Well if Andrew had 175 mph sustained winds, then he might have brought some low-end Cat5 winds inland.

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

Andrew could of been as strong as Katrina at her peak at landfall. See thats what Katrina could of done over a much larger area.

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

I can't believe the death toll in Andrew was as low as it was. But yet Katrina killed over 1,300 people.

[Normandy]

http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/imag ... -radar.gif

Actually, Elliot Key was dead center in the eye, so it didn't go through the Northern eyewall which is where the strongest winds would be with Andrew.

[MiamiensisWx]

http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/images/hurricane-andrew-radar.gif

Actually, Elliot Key was dead center in the eye, so it didn't go through the Northern eyewall which is where the strongest winds would be with Andrew.

I already stated that Andrew's highest sustained winds occurred in small pockets on Elliott Key and the sparsely-populated surrounding vicinity AND in the northern eyewall over Florida Bay near and just south of the tip of Key Biscayne/Cape Florida. Those Category Five sustained winds also likely occurred on the mainland near the Burger King headquarters and in the Fender Point/Turkey Point area near and just south of Coral Gables and near Homestead.

[Derek Ortt]

thats because the area where Andrew hit is not very surge prone. Parts of Biscayne Bay had 17 feet, but the ocean side probably did not even see 10.

A hurricane on Miami Beach would mainly be a wind event due to the lack of surge (the Katrina surge stayed on the beach)