How many experienced the eye of a hurricane

[hurricanesurvivor]

Hurricane Camille- 1969- eye passed right over us. It was nighttime so can't remember if there were clear skies. My mother didn't let us outside
Hurricane Elena- 1985- eye passed over us at an angle- it actually hit further east and angled up over us. I was married for this one, so I was able to go outside without my mother telling me not to, and hubby was sound asleep as he had stayed up all night watching the track of the storm Clear skies during the eye. This one came through during the day and it was eery to see the wind blowing the rain and debris one way down our street, and then after the eye passed, to see it blowing in the other direction!
Hurricane Katrina-2005. About an hour passed during the eye but it never became clear skies- it remained cloudy and rainy and blustery, which is why we didn't realize we were in the eye at first.

[Recurve]

Well, I experienced half an eye. Hurricane Floyd 1987 was a diminishing Cat 1 that went right up U.S. 1. Stood on the beach on the bayside of Key Largo waiting for it. Overcast, absolutely still and as humid as I've ever felt it in Florida. Seems there was no longer any front to the eye, but we saw the entire back eyewall coming up from the southwest, and started to hear a sound like a distant airplane getting closer. The bay was as calm as glass, and then in the distance you saw a where the surface of the water was 4 or 5 feet higher under the eyewall. We basically had no weather until the back eyewall got to us, then it went from calm to 70 mph sustained in a matter of seconds.

[NC George]

The SW part of Wilma was worse wind wise than the traditional NE quadrent.Really strange storm.

That's because it's not really the NE quadrant that's worst, it the right front as oriented in the direction of the hurricane. That means that any hurricane that hits the W Fla Coast will typically have the worst side be the S side of the storm.

[NC George]

Oh, and I was in the eye of Bertha. Didn't last too long, but the trees were bending in one direction, wind let up for 15-30 minutes (I think) then the trees started blowing in the other direction. I could literally feel the pressure drop in my ears as it got closer and closer. That was my first hurricane, too. Other have been worse (Fran went S/W of me, the rest passed to the E of me.)

[MaximilianRs]

I experienced Hurricane Iniki at Lihui, Kauai. The eye was about as well-structured as I could imagine for a category 4. It was sunny and there was blue sky for about 35 minutes and then the back end of the storm hit. I would guess the winds in the front end of the storm were sustained at around 115 with gusts to 140mph. Lihui airport recorded a gust of 127mph, I believe. Then the back side was furious, but less furious, perhaps sutained of 100mph.

Iniki was absolutely devastating. There are rarely even thunderstorms on Kauai (or any other hawaiian island) and so nothing was prepared for that kind of wind. We found a beach umbrella in our destroyted garage after the storm. It had originated from a hotel over a mile away on the coast.

[Charles-KD5ZSM]

I experienced the eye of Georges, which wasn't nothing. It was the first hurricane i can recall going through. Georges was just a big rain storm with minimal wind damage. I think we lost power for about two days, very short compared to katrina.

[ihatebadweather]

We got the eye of Wilma. If that was just a Cat 1, I definitely don't ever want to feel anything more. Due to the exposure of my house, the backside of the eyewall was much more intense for me than the front side. There was a period for about an hour or so where I was really worried and thought I might lose some windows.

It was a scary experience and I just hope I never see another eye again. Although in South Florida with the weather patters the way they are and may continue to be, I'm not sure I won't.

[bobbutts]

I had the "eye" of Bob in Marblehead MA but it was falling apart at that point. Then last year had Charley's eye.. I came out of hiding in the bathroom to take a look but quickly turned around after getting a glimpse of the western eyewall very nearby.. There were debris flying around in it and I think I identified some aluminium storm shutters flying around, but didn't stay long enough to really get the kind of look I wanted to take.

[MaximilianRs]

Oh, Hurricanesurvivor, I am curious to hear your comparisons of Camille and Katrina. How much windier was Camille? Rather, what was it like to be in the eyewall of a category five hurricane with 190mph sustained winds?