Hurricane question...

[Anonymous]

This is something I never thought about. Say this is happening...

Hurricane Irene is heading into the Georgia coast and makes landfall at 105 mph, and then one hour later an advisory comes out that has it at 115 mph? But it is alreadly inland, HOW DOES THAT GO???

[Anonymous]

Any thoughts?

[ColdFront77]

Someone may have something to comment, if not answered in due time. It's only been 31 minutes since your asked/posted it.

[HURAKAN]

I don't know exactly what would be the answer but what I really know is that hurricanes doesn't intensify when they are overland. Even when tropical systems are over Florida they also tend to decrease in intensity although Florida is mostly flat and has water all around it, except for the north.

[sea oat]

depends on where it hits but it sounds to me like your meterologist is screwed up or can read the wind speed off a tornado. no offense.

[Anonymous]

Think about it. Andrew did. It was starting to intensify so rapidly it peaked after it hit land. Would that be counted as a major hurricane landfall?

[sea oat]

no i would think where it hit land would be landfall. i don't find it suprising that it picked up speed down there as it's low wetlands. just like a dust devil out west. given the ingredients to fuel the pressure. it will be what it will. that's the beauty of nature there are no givens other than life and death

[wxman57]

It would be classified as a major hurricane making landfall. No doubt about it.

[The Dark Knight]

I agree with wxman57...

[bahamaswx]

Of course. If it's an intense hurricane at any time while the LLC is over land, it's a major hurricane making landfall.

[Anonymous]

Im not sure what u are asking...IMHO, only way this could happen is if the NHC had made a mistake on the 105mph...Once a cane crosses the coast, It is downhill from there... will weaken rapidly but I could be wrong

[Anonymous]

Not true. They said Andrew actually got a tiny bit stronger after landfall.

[MWatkins]

This is something I never thought about. Say this is happening...

Hurricane Irene is heading into the Georgia coast and makes landfall at 105 mph, and then one hour later an advisory comes out that has it at 115 mph? But it is alreadly inland, HOW DOES THAT GO???

The good news that landfall advisories at the time they are issued are not final.

The TPC/NHC employs a method called best track. After all of the advisories are written...at the end of the year...they go back...and through a committee (I think)...determine the best track based on all of the post storm data available.

So even though the fix to fix intensity was too low...they would no doubt revise the intensity if something reliable could be used to make the case...and at that windspeed ground measurements would probably make the case.

MW

[Anonymous]

Yeah.

[Anonymous]

When isabel first hit, i saw the damage i said that it might have been 115 mph. I found out it was 100 mph. And with gusts up to 105 mph, it may have been more towards 95 mph... AND ALL THAT DAMAGE! Imagine a category 4 like Isabel.

[Wnghs2007]

When isabel first hit, i saw the damage i said that it might have been 115 mph. I found out it was 100 mph. And with gusts up to 105 mph, it may have been more towards 95 mph... AND ALL THAT DAMAGE! Imagine a category 4 like Isabel.

That would be catestrophic and I would not wish that on anyone

[Janie34]

Once tropical cyclones cross a major landmass, they lose the energy source necessary for their continued strengthening. Even Hispanola and Cuba have been the doom of many storms.

Thats not to say that there aren't revisions of a cyclone's intensity at landfall. Andrew received a posthumous promotion 10 years after the fact, for example. So, a storm striking the St. Simon's Island area may very well have winds of 115 mph and only be recognised as a 100-105 mph storm. Estimations are often revised. The hypothetical TC could also have been much stronger at landfall than estimated (which would be nightmarish for people trying to prepare for a storm) and then could still have 115 mph winds one hour later.

OTOH, you might have the local chapter of the Explorers on duty at the television station that day. That wouldn't be a good thing.

[HurricaneBill]

In 2003, advisories had Claudette making landfall with sustained winds of 80 mph. However, Claudette had been undergoing a period of intensification and the winds were later increased to 90 mph.

Also, Erika was initially said to have made landfall with sustained winds of 70 mph. However, at the end of the year, data was provided that showed Erika had sustained winds of 75 mph. Thus Erika was posthumously upgraded to a hurricane.

[HURAKAN]

In 2003, advisories had Claudette making landfall with sustained winds of 80 mph. However, Claudette had been undergoing a period of intensification and the winds were later increased to 90 mph.

Also, Erika was initially said to have made landfall with sustained winds of 70 mph. However, at the end of the year, data was provided that showed Erika had sustained winds of 75 mph. Thus Erika was posthumously upgraded to a hurricane.

But Claudette and Erika reached the intensity stipulated above before reaching mainland, after crossing mainland of Mexico and Texas both systems deteriorated in a continued pace.

[Stormsfury]

Think about it. Andrew did. It was starting to intensify so rapidly it peaked after it hit land. Would that be counted as a major hurricane landfall?

Andrew entrained so much energy and was in a rapidly intensifying stage just before landfall that it continued to intensity after landfall for another hour or so ... so this is correct. The minimum central pressure was observed about 30-50 miles inland (921 mb and the accepted BP). The reason is, Andrew was "winding up" and when it made landfall, it just wasn't going to stop immediately increasing. This, however, also was a rare case as well ... but remember, TC's still maintain SOME ability to tap into its heat source and life's blood just after landfall (it's still feeds).

It's all about lag time.

When storms make landfall, they don't just immediately weaken or weaken rapidly (unless in the case of say, Lili, they were already falling apart due to eyewall replacement, excessive shear, etc.)

But generally, a storm steadily or rapidly intensifying (which is the worst time with a storm making landfall) will continue to hold steady or slightly increase even an hour after landfall.

Storms holding steady will generally slowly weaken for the first few hours and then as the storm is firmly inland when it begins to rapidly weaken.

Storms weakening or rapidly weakening just before landfall die an even quicker death.

I can't speak for others, but I, myself thought that this was quite an interesting question.

In 2003, advisories had Claudette making landfall with sustained winds of 80 mph. However, Claudette had been undergoing a period of intensification and the winds were later increased to 90 mph.

Also, Erika was initially said to have made landfall with sustained winds of 70 mph. However, at the end of the year, data was provided that showed Erika had sustained winds of 75 mph. Thus Erika was posthumously upgraded to a hurricane.

But Claudette and Erika reached the intensity stipulated above before reaching mainland, after crossing mainland of Mexico and Texas both systems deteriorated in a continued pace.

Andrew was a much deeper and already established storm ... plus, had much more in the way of a heat source vs. Erika and Claudette ... remember, Andrew was still able to tap some moisture from the GOM and also the southern end of the storm was feeding off of the Florida Straits, whereas, Claudette and Erika couldn't do that ... and in Erika's case, weakening was much more rapid due to the fact that Mexico's land goes from flat to very mountainous in a matter of just about a hundred miles or so ... the death for any LLC crossing/moving into there.

Also, remember, Florida is very flat, and also Andrew crossed the moisture rich Everglades which also seemed to delay a normal rate of weakening along with its constant barreling across like a chainsaw rate of about 17 mph-20 mph forward movement, which only kept it inland for what, about 12 hours if that.

SF