Largest eye at landfall in the United States

[Ptarmigan]

I wonder what is the largest eye at landfall in the United States.

[Ed Mahmoud]

Might want to edit the thread title...

[Ptarmigan]

Might want to edit the thread title...

Done and done.

[Cyclone1]

I know of Typhoon Carmen (I think, I forget the year), it had an eye with a 200-or-so mile diameter at landfall.

Unfortunately, there's no satellite image I know of.

But, the thread is about US storms.

I would say maybe Wilma.

[Category 5]

Wilma and Frances had large eyes.

So did Ophelia but she never actually made landfall.

[Cyclone1]

Yeah, I would say Ophelia counts.

Hugo had a giant eye didn't he?

[MiamiensisWx]

1. 1960 (Donna) - 100 mi/87 nmi (Long Island, NY) at Cat 2
2. 2004 (Frances) - 69 mi/60 nmi (Sewall's Point, FL) at Cat 2
3. 2005 (Wilma) - 52 mi/45 nmi (Cape Romano, SW FL) at Cat 3
3. 2005 (Katrina) - 35 mi/30 nmi (Buras, LA) at Cat 3
4. 1989 (Hugo) - 32 mi/28 nmi (Bulls Bay, SC) at Cat 4
5. 1926 (Storm 6) - 25 mi/22 nmi (Coral Gables, FL) at Cat 4
6. 1928 (Storm 4) - 25 mi/22 nmi (Palm Beach Shores, FL) at Cat 4
7. 2004 (Jeanne) - 25 mi/30 nmi (South Hutchinson Island, FL) at Cat 3

There's other large ones, too...

[Ed Mahmoud]

Not sure if it ever officially made landfall, but there was a time with Hurricane Kyle a few years back where the cloud tops weren't that cold, and the eye was pretty big. No idea how big.


But it had an eye, was a hurricane, and on the AVN satellite color scheme, was mostly blue, very little yellow.

[Derek Ortt]

Isabel would be up there

[Cyclenall]

Hurricane Wilma, Frances (2004), Ophelia, and Katrina first come to mind.

Does anyone know if an Annular hurricane has ever hit North America while it was still Annular? This can include both the EPAC and Atlantic.

[MGC]

Betsy at landfall in Louisiana as a Cat-4. According to recon eye diameter was on the order of 60-80 miles and contracted to 45 miles after landfall. Pressure fell all the way to landfall (946mb) so not all NGOM hurricanes do not weaken as they approach the coast....MGC

[Cyclenall]

Betsy at landfall in Louisiana as a Cat-4. According to recon eye diameter was on the order of 60-80 miles and contracted to 45 miles after landfall. Pressure fell all the way to landfall (946mb) so all NGOM hurricanes do not weaken as they approach the coast....MGC

The sentence should say; "so not all NGOM hurricanes weaken as they approach the coast".

[Derek Ortt]

Ophelia never made landfall... does not qualify

[Ed Mahmoud]

I don't think Camille weakened much/at all approaching the Mississippi coastline, but the discussions I've seen have always suggested the shallow water offshore Texas has lower heat content, another reason why Texas, as would be expected for a state with a lot of coastline, has a fair number of TCs, but the Alicia's, Bret's and near-miss Rita (which was weakening as it approached the Louisiana coast) are the exception, rather than the rule.



Now, I don't know whether they were weakening or strengthening, but the 1960s had two strong and large storms, Beulah and Carla, that did a fair spot of damage on the Texas coast.

[Category 5]

Betsy weakened to Category 3 before landfall.

Camille certainly did slightly.

[Ed Mahmoud]

On vacation in Florida?

I used to live in Orlando, FL 32813.


My brother married his first wife in Pasaiic, so I have been buzzed in New Jersey, as well.

[brunota2003]

Isabel's eye was 40 nm in diameter at the time of landfall (putting it as #4 on the list above, between Katrina and Wilma).

[HurricaneRobert]

Was Donna fully tropical when that occurred?

[Recurve]

For Betsy 1965 Cat 3, landfall at Key Largo, the eye was reported as "large...around 40 miles" according to NHC advisory.

[MGC]

Betsy didn't weaken as it approached the Louisiana coast. On the contrary, Betsy's CP dropped from 953mb on Sept 9th at 1800Z out in the GOM to 948mb at Houma La well inland. HRD recently reanalyzed Betsy and concluded she was at 125KTS at landfall near Grand Isle, La......MGC