patsmsg wrote:After considering Magee's Theorem and Drew's Corollary, I have formulated "Pat's Postulate for Packing" and it goes like this: If you live on the Gulf Coast, and a Cat-5 hurricane heads your way, you pack up and leave.
Period.
I totally agree that if a storm WAS a Cat 5, you treat it like a cat 5 with respect to storm surge even if it weakens significantly prior to landfall. I'm sure the amount of time that has passed since it was a cat 5 figures into the equation, as well as the amount of weakening, but I certainly think a (once cat 5) storm that has maintained cat 3 status or higher until landfall will bring a cat 5 surge. That water is not going to be able to get back where it came from, once it is pushed out in "front" of the storm.
I love it!