Hurricane Beulah (1967)

[Ptarmigan]

I happen to look at old records of Hurricane Beulah and it turns out it had hurricane force winds extending up to 80 miles and tropical storm force winds extending up to 250 miles from the eye. Quite a large hurricane right there.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_w ... m2007z.gif

Here is where I got it from.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_w ... m2007z.gif

I could not find any on Hurricane Carla, which would be cool. However, I did find that when Carla was out in the Caribbean it had hurricane force winds extending up to 90 miles and tropical storm force winds extending up to 275 miles.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_w ... p0710z.gif

[CrazyC83]

I happen to look at old records of Hurricane Beulah and it turns out it had hurricane force winds extending up to 80 miles and tropical storm force winds extending up to 250 miles from the eye. Quite a large hurricane right there.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_w ... m2007z.gif

Here is where I got it from.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_w ... m2007z.gif

I could not find any on Hurricane Carla, which would be cool. However, I did find that when Carla was out in the Caribbean it had hurricane force winds extending up to 90 miles and tropical storm force winds extending up to 275 miles.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_w ... p0710z.gif

Because of such, I think the pressure data for both storms are suspect and both had considerably lower pressures than believed at peak intensity (especially Carla). I wouldn't be surprised if Carla was down in Katrina territory (I estimate around 904-908mb) and Beulah was also around 912-915mb at peak.

[Squarethecircle]

It's interesting how those hurricanes back in the day had high pressure readings. Of course, there are some that are obviously accurate or even more intense than they should be, like the Labor Day 'cane, but those are not common. It probably had to do with the lack of omnipresent, accurate, and official barometers.

On the topic at hand, it always seems to be satisfying to look back through the archives at storms past. It's almost like watching the real thing.

[CrazyC83]

While pressures in the 930s with a Cat 5 are certainly not impossible (i.e. Felix), they don't happen with such large storms. The highest-pressure Category 5 storms are typically in the deep tropics (either the southern Caribbean or the open Atlantic east of the Windwards), that are small with the eye taking up a fair amount of the circulation (i.e. not a pinhole eye). I personally think (of all the storms I have taken a look at that are confirmed or possible Cat 5's), Edith was the "shallowest" Cat 5, with my guess of a peak pressure around 933mb at peak, which was also landfall (based on a 145 kt estimate in a small circulation).

[Derek Ortt]

actually, a large storm can support cat 5 winds with a pressure in the 930s. Isabel showed this quite clearly.

It is the pressure gradient with the ambient environment, not so much with the eye. All you need is a strong ridge

[Ptarmigan]

actually, a large storm can support cat 5 winds with a pressure in the 930s. Isabel showed this quite clearly.

It is the pressure gradient with the ambient environment, not so much with the eye. All you need is a strong ridge

I do remember reading somewhere that there was a ridge of high pressure that made Carla go over Matagorda Bay. It would not surprise me if that high pressure made the gradient tighter, which would likely explain why Carla had 150 mph winds and 931 millibars. As for Wilma, when it had 892 millibars and 155 mph winds, the ambient pressure was much lower due to the fact that it came from a monsoon trough, which is the most common tropical cyclone formation.