Wind gust from Vero Beach!!!

[Matthew5]

122 mph gust reported on Fox news....This is a cat3 there is no other word for it.

[Scorpion]

122 mph gust doesnt exactly mean Cat 3, however I still believe it did indeed hit with 115 mph winds.

[Matthew5]

But a reported 122 mph gust means that there is gust higher then this. Remember Charley or Ivan?

[Guest]

122mph gust is actually just cat 1

[bahamaswx]

But a reported 122 mph gust means that there is gust higher then this. Remember Charley or Ivan?

Likely higher, but not necessarily.

[drudd1]

Remember, the strongest winds are not on the west side, and that is what is being measured in Vero right now.

[Tri-State_1925]

Sometimes I think people have bets placed on this stuff. Have mercy...

[Matthew5]

I would not be surprized if there is gust in this storm of over 130 to 135 mph...(I better not say what I'm going to say or I will be banned!!!)

[Brent]

WOW... western eyewall too. Probably some gusts in Cat 4 range in the NE eyewall.

[Guest]

130-135mph gusts would be cat 2. i agree.

[tampastorm]

I will say it again totally agreed, cat 2 sorry just dont see it.

[Sean in New Orleans]

It will be obvious tomorrow from damage reports tomorrow that this is a category 3, IMO. Not only are hurricanes categorized by reported winds, but, they are also categorized by damage reports afterwards. Remember for some time Andrew was considered a category 4 until extensive research on the damage raised the hurricanes rating to a 5 upon landfall.

[NorthGaWeather]

Mayfield confirms 115 plus surface winds in the NE Quad.

[drudd1]

I dont think us in Florida will care much about the label Jeanne gets, the damage will be with us for a long time to come irregardless.

[Terry]

Local met confirmed "verified' cat 3 at landfall.

[SouthernWx]

130-135mph gusts would be cat 2. i agree.

Hurricane Alicia has been rated cat-3 at landfall since 1983...and the highest surface wind gust measured in Galveston was 127 mph.

The peak surface gust recorded during hurricane Elena's landfall was 132 mph at Dauphin Island, Alabama....and it's been a cat-3 on the NHC site since it occurred...19 years ago.

See, you don't rate a hurricane by the peak surface gust measured....because in most intense hurricanes, most or all of the anemometers are destroyed or damaged in the max wind core region. Even mighty Andrew's peak "official" gust was 164 mph before the anemometer was destroyed....but friend, that was atop a 200' foot high building...where NHC was located at that time (Gables One Tower). At nearby U. of Miami, an anemometer at the standard 10 meter level measured a 130 mph gust....yet Andrew is rated a cat-5...

I can assure you Jeanne is a cat-3 at landfall...and the damage images you see the next few days will confirm what the KMLB and KAMX nexrad dopplers and NOAA P-3 aircraft are telling me tonight...