Intersting Info from Slidell...

[timNms]

People, people, people, why do we continue to try to second guess /argue something we were not there to witness? How many times do we/I have to say it. Just because and area was not devastated/totally wiped off the map doesn't mean the aforementioned winds did not happen. Winds are very capricious. They can occur on one block and not the next and we are talking a difference of possibly 30 mph difference or more and that makes a huge difference in damage at that level of wind. I don't know if those winds occurred or not-it is not for me to judge. But I am willing to consider the fact that it was possible since there was at least one report of it that at least initially appeared official-NOT ONE OF THOSE OFFICIALS WOULD GAIN ANYTHING BY MAKING THIS UP!!! Winds in a hurricane DO NOT NECESSARILY OCCUR OVER A LARGE AREA, BUT RATHER IN BURSTS IN SMALL AREAS OF THE HEAVIER STORMS WITHIN THE EYEWALL AND NEARBY. That is why it is possible that this happened. Unfortunately we will never be able to prove it since we do not have indestructible anemometers every block or so along the coast and 50 miles inland.

VB, this is quite possibly the most intelligent post I've read on this subject in quite a while. My hat's off to you.

[Audrey2Katrina]

Im sorry I wasnt trying to upset anyone here. I know it was a horrible year for all of you on the gulf coast.

George nothing at all was aimed your way, and I'm sure you didn't "upset" anyone. Mine was only a generalized statement. I know how much the area means to you, and your feelings for it.

A2K

[timNms]

It was infact a full force cat5 no more then 6 hours before landfall.

And beginning about 4 hours after landfall and coninuing for what seemed like an eternity, she was a....what's a nice clean word to use instead of the "B" word that keeps coming to mind??? ....at my house! As bad as she was here, I wouldn't want to go through what those along the coast went through...cat 2, cat3, cat4, cat5 or whatever she was.

[MGC]

Granted, I have not been all over Slidell, but from what I have seen in numerous trips to Slidell I have not noticed any wind damage that would correlate to Cat-5. I was over in Slidell perhaps a month after the hurricane. I may not be an expert, but I have have the oppertunity to witness the damage of an many a intense hurricane since 1964. If someone could direct me to the Cat-5 damage in Slidell I'd drive over tomorrow to look at it. I'm not downplaying katrina, living through this has been hell, but I'm just giving my opinion from what I have observed. Had Slidell gone through the eyewall of a Cat-5 there would be a whole lot less of Slidell around today......MGC

[Audrey2Katrina]

Granted, I have not been all over Slidell, but from what I have seen in numerous trips to Slidell I have not noticed any wind damage that would correlate to Cat-5. I was over in Slidell perhaps a month after the hurricane. I may not be an expert, but I have have the oppertunity to witness the damage of an many a intense hurricane since 1964. If someone could direct me to the Cat-5 damage in Slidell I'd drive over tomorrow to look at it. I'm not downplaying katrina, living through this has been hell, but I'm just giving my opinion from what I have observed. Had Slidell gone through the eyewall of a Cat-5 there would be a whole lot less of Slidell around today......MGC

I don't think anyone is saying Slidell, (or anywhere else for that matter) went through anything like Cat 5 conditions (sustained). Most observations were on whether or not there might have been gusts, or microbursts in that range, which is entirely possible. I really don't know, and it matters little to those whose homes were nonetheless a shambles. She was quite bad enough as she was.. frankly I wish she would have been just a nice TS.--or less! --But she was much more than that!

A2K

[timNms]

http://www.ncddc.noaa.gov/Katrina/WindSpeedMap/

Found the map I mentioned.

[TSmith274]

I hate to post this, but I know that an oil rig weather station around Buras, La. charted a max wind gust of 206 for about 10 seconds. I've seen the graph, and I can only speculate that it may have been a tornado. Wind speeds in the 165-170mph range was common, however. Were the instruments malfunctioning? I don't know. Don't shoot the messenger!

[Extremeweatherguy]

http://www.ncddc.noaa.gov/Katrina/WindSpeedMap/

Found the map I mentioned.

wow! nice find. This is a good map for the top gusts experienced from Katrina. It is amazing to see gusts as high as 80mph well over 200 miles inland!

[benny]

I hate to post this, but I know that an oil rig weather station around Buras, La. charted a max wind gust of 206 for about 10 seconds. I've seen the graph, and I can only speculate that it may have been a tornado. Wind speeds in the 165-170mph range was common, however. Were the instruments malfunctioning? I don't know. Don't shoot the messenger!

what's the source of that data? i haven't seen that before. does any official agency know about it?

[Derek Ortt]

also, what type of anamometer was used for that recording

I it was a hot wire anamometer, one must remember that those are prone to error during heavy rains. One produced a wind gust to 172 m.p.h. in Georges and a 205KT gust during Typhoon Paka

[HollynLA]

I have to agree with the previous poster, it does seem that we will eventually hear that Katrina was a depression at landfall, and it's getting rather old. I believe it's already down to a cat 2, who knows what's coming next. Maybe we were all dreaming the whole thing and it never actually happened?

[rtd2]

It was infact a full force cat5 no more then 6 hours before landfall.

So true and that in itself was a contributing factor causse those cat 5 winds and pressure created a Cat 5 surge that indeed made landfall as such and along the shoreline in miss. to nearly 2 miles inland it wouldnt have made a difference if the winds were cat 1 cause that area was wiped out by a cat 5 surge!

[rtd2]

also, what type of anamometer was used for that recording

I it was a hot wire anamometer, one must remember that those are prone to error during heavy rains. One produced a wind gust to 172 m.p.h. in Georges and a 205KT gust during Typhoon Paka

Remember that reported Georges Gust too...Wlox repoted it live on air and to this day some local believe it was true...Again All I NEVER intended to start a wind debate in thus thread but there has been some great info. added...Thanks for the windspeed map timNms

[rtd2]

I have to agree with the previous poster, it does seem that we will eventually hear that Katrina was a depression at landfall, and it's getting rather old. I believe it's already down to a cat 2, who knows what's coming next. Maybe we were all dreaming the whole thing and it never actually happened?

I just wonder if the AFTERMATH in NOLA had ANYTHING AT ALL to do with Katrina's Downsize? I mean we kept hearing how bad it was in NOLA and trust me I realizre it was but could it be that we as TROPICAL Weather followers realize NOLA didnt get a Worse case sceneriao and it CAN be worse given the right conditions yet the media protrayed this as the Nightmare storm always predicted for NOLA...Maybe just maybe the nhc/media downplayed katrinas effects in efforts to help survivors who may think I survived Katrina I can survive anything not feel that way and realize Nola didnt get it as bad as it could (dont think it could get antworse in Miss.) maybe taking away from Katrina can somehow save lives in the future? I realize Weather forecaters duty is to educate and prevent lose of life and I respect that duty!

[TSmith274]

I hate to post this, but I know that an oil rig weather station around Buras, La. charted a max wind gust of 206 for about 10 seconds. I've seen the graph, and I can only speculate that it may have been a tornado. Wind speeds in the 165-170mph range was common, however. Were the instruments malfunctioning? I don't know. Don't shoot the messenger!

what's the source of that data? i haven't seen that before. does any official agency know about it?

I'm going to get the plant manager's name and phone number. I think it would be good for one of you mets out there to contact him and get him to fax you the record. I'll be down there in a few days. I'll get his info and post it on here or PM someone about it.

[Sean in New Orleans]

http://www.ncddc.noaa.gov/Katrina/WindSpeedMap/

Found the map I mentioned.

This map looks about right, IMO. We clocked a gust to 141mph in the Quarter at the worst of it all, and for over 5 hours had gusts to over 100mph. This was about a block from Jackson Square. It was sustained in the Quarter around 115mph to 120mph for the peak hour.

[Extremeweatherguy]

http://www.ncddc.noaa.gov/Katrina/WindSpeedMap/

Found the map I mentioned.

This map looks about right, IMO. We clocked a gust to 141mph in the Quarter at the worst of it all, and for over 5 hours had gusts to over 100mph. This was about a block from Jackson Square. It was sustained in the Quarter around 115mph to 120mph for the peak hour.

who clocked that (and with what equipment)? There is no official report of wind speeds that high in the New Orleans area. The map that was posted also only shows 100-130mph gusts in that area.

[Ixolib]

http://www.ncddc.noaa.gov/Katrina/WindSpeedMap/

Found the map I mentioned.

**I wonder how the map knew to change its wind speeds exactly at the county lines? For instance, in Stone County, the winds were 128 but in George County they were only 98 - and amazingly, the county boarder is exactly where the change occurred.
.....**Sorry, just a little humor on the map :D .

But I do believe those are estimations based primarily on the storm's track and structure rather than on bonafide measured speeds at each and every location depicted.....

[HollynLA]

I'm not so sure how accurate that map is either. In Katrina, we lost part of our roof. siding completely ripped off the house and blown down the road, lost trees, front door blew open, neighbors roofs were twisted up and landed in their front yard (metal roof), power lines laying everywhere, seen some small buildings torn down, etc. and the map says our highest "gusts" were in the 60's. Hmmmm?

[Extremeweatherguy]

I'm not so sure how accurate that map is either. In Katrina, we lost part of our roof. siding completely ripped off the house and blown down the road, lost trees, front door blew open, neighbors roofs were twisted up and landed in their front yard (metal roof), power lines laying everywhere, seen some small buildings torn down, etc. and the map says our highest "gusts" were in the 60's. Hmmmm?

could your area have been hit by a tornado or microburst?