What cat #cane would you ride out?

[Derek Ortt]

What data is there to support cat 3 in Key West. I have a hard time supporting even cat 2 for the keys as the highest sustained wind was 81KT at Marathon

[Southernmost Weather]

There is no official data for a Cat 3 in Key West. NWS EYW had Georges listed as Cat 2. Boaters in Key West Harbor on the southwest side of the island registered Cat 3 sustained winds.

[Derek Ortt]

At what height were the anemometers. From looking at many dropsondes, there is a significant dropoff in winds from 25m down to 10m. If the anemometer was at the top of the sails, the winds would be much higher than at the standard 10m level

[Stormsfury]

Anything stronger than Cat 2 would have me thinking of an escape route (evacuation) ... I rode out Hurricane Hugo and even though it was Category 4 with 135 mph winds, those winds were confined NE of the eyewall...here, where I'm at, the strongest winds on the NW side ripped thru this area (NHC wind chart depicted this - with up to 110 mph winds) and THAT was scary enough. Interestingly enough, the Charleston WFO peak wind gust from Hugo was 98 mph. Downtown Charleston, 100 mph sustained with gusts to 118 mph (reported at the Post and Courier Newspaper Office).

Hugo was an amazing storm in which despite the devastation, it could have been a HELL OF A LOT WORSE! ... first of all the forward speed of Hugo...it made landfall with a forward speed of 25 mph and sped up after landfall ... average forward speed of a hurricane is 10-15mph. By the time Hugo made landfall, the forward speed increased to almost 30 mph.
Therefore, Hugo's effects were lessened by 50% ---- 50% less rainfall, and 50% wind duration ... and believe me, 4 hours of the persistent howling and screaming winds were quite enough for me that night!

[Southernmost Weather]

At what height were the anemometers. From looking at many dropsondes, there is a significant dropoff in winds from 25m down to 10m. If the anemometer was at the top of the sails, the winds would be much higher than at the standard 10m level

Yes, boaters I've talked with had their anemometer mounted at the top of the mastl. I wasn't suggesting NWS or NHC made in error in their classification of Georges. Merely passing on anectdotal information.