Katrina Storm Surge in Biloxi "Worse than Camille"

[ericinmia]

Accepted intensity of Camille may be too high... but it also won't surprise me if this storm gets bumped up after besttrack (for both landfalls)...

Actually recon data, and surface data would support the winds to actually be lower than the NHC listed ones.
-Eric

[Derek Ortt]

no surface data because all stations were destroyed, including the Slidell radar

if the 137 m.p.h. gust in Gulfport can be confirmed, that indicates a solid cat 3 at least at landfall

[deltadog03]

to me this was worse than ivan and just as bad as camille

[Brent]

to me this was worse than ivan and just as bad as camille

I'm not sure on the winds... but the damage is defintely the same as Camille(due to surge). This is FAR FAR FAR worse than Ivan...

[Derek Ortt]

this is why I was so adimant that Ivan was not the storm everyone initially thought. Today, we saw what a true upper cat 3 can do and can only imagine what a strong 4 did to the areas south of NO, where there has been NO WORD

[Scorpion]

Accepted intensity of Camille may be too high... but it also won't surprise me if this storm gets bumped up after besttrack (for both landfalls)...

Actually recon data, and surface data would support the winds to actually be lower than the NHC listed ones.
-Eric

How so? I remember seeing SFMR estimates of 130-150 kts right when Katrina was hitting MS. I think this thing stayed a 4 all the way to the MS coast.

[brunota2003]

Hey, the gust to 137 MPH came from my friend Mark Sudduth, if I had to guess, you can say its real, also he recorded these: They were able to collect good wind data from the Tahoe of wind gusts of 137, 114, and 107 miles per hour through the day.

[shaggy]

hey derek i heard a report of a 34 foot surge in MS on MSNBC is this a verifiable fact or just media hype along with someones own unofficial assessment?

[thunderchief]

remember storm surge=mean height above tide. You can get wave action on top of that. A combined wave and surge height of 35 feet is very reasonable, at the coast.

Remember this storm had a very broad and powerful onshore windfield for more than a day before landfall. In addition it was travelling perpendicular to the coast with a huge fetch. These are the worst possible variables for storm surge.

[Derek Ortt]

I would suspect the 34 feet is the surge plus waves

[HurryKane]

Another thing that stuns me is that Biloxi isn't even the worst-hit area- it is 30 miles or so east of Hancock County (home of Bay St. Louis, Waveland and Pass Christian) which is where the eastern eyewall hit.

I think it's worthy of inquiry whether there is something about the Mississippi gulf coast that excacerbates storm surges. Plus, is there some reason why the two most devastating blows ever on the northern Gulf Coast both hit Hancock County, Mississippi? That's quite a coincidence.

I've seen no reports from Hancock County- I wonder if there is anything there at all.

A friend of mine who rode it out in Diamondhead called earlier today and classified it as a war zone. All trees down, most power lines down, no water, electricity, etc. She told me not to come back for a while.