While we're at it, What do you think Rita's LF winds were?

[cheezyWXguy]

according to the official report, rita was 115mph, downgraded 5 mph from the previously thot, 120 mph...( I thot that was kinda weird that theyd lower it tho, considering that rita's top strength was upgraded to 180 mph and the pressure was dropped 2 mb to 895 mb)

[Normandy]

except for Lake Okeechobee, South Florida primarily had cat 1 winds from Wilma, with cat 3 gusts

Yes, not every cat 2 hurricane is destructive, BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE SEE TS WINDS. Even in Isabel, only Hatteras had cat 2 winds, and the combination of wind and surge did devastate that part of the OBX

Any area that gets cat 2 winds, WILL be a disaster as that is near the lower end of F-2

Didnt Miami recieve Cat2 winds from Andrew? I think its still standing now (And was after Andrew passed). The NHC recieved 115 mph winds, and it wasn't leveled. The only areas of FL leveled during Andrew were the areas where Andrew gave its worst.

[Pearl River]

I definitely feel the highest sustained wind speed was around 105mph at landfall.

[southerngale]

Tropical Cyclone Report
Hurricane Rita
18-26 September 2005

Rita maintained Category 3 status up to the time of landfall of the center, which occurred at 0740 UTC 24 September with an estimated intensity of 100 kt

Although some damage suggests it could have been even higher, the damage falls in line with the description of a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. And even some of the Cat. 4 scale: "some complete roof strucutre failure on small residences"
Why isn't roof scructure failure mentioned in the Cat. 3 description? And what category makes a strong, brick building turn to rubble? According to the 100 knots at landfall (115mph), should there not have been complete roof scructure failure as the Saffir-Simpson scale adds that to the Cat. 4 description? Well, there was.
No, I don't think that makes it a Cat. 4 but 105mph? ha - I think I'll stick with the NHC and local officials on this one.

[Derek Ortt]

Miami itself fared worse during Wilma than it did in Andrew. Miami suffered several billions in damage, mainly to the high rises

[ROCK]

winds were likely no higher than 105 m.p.h. from Rita. The fact that it caused 10 billion in damage as a 2 should not be a surprise after seeing Hatteras nearly leveled by a cat 2 hurricane


A CAT 2 HURRICANE WILL LEVEL ANYTHING IN ITS PATH. PLEASE DO NOT THINK THAT A 2 IS NOT A CATASTROPHE

well said Derek.....

[ROCK]

A CAT 2 HURRICANE WILL LEVEL ANYTHING IN ITS PATH. PLEASE DO NOT THINK THAT A 2 IS NOT A CATASTROPHE

Heck, I believe Allison showed that a TS can do an awful lot of damage!

A2K

You mind reducing the avatar. Really big and takes up a lot of space.

[Ixolib]

Derek is pretty much right. Experiencing Cat 2 conditions is rare, and will likely only happen if a major hurricane makes landfall. Bonafide 105 mph sustained winds with gusts to 135 mph will likely level most unprotected older structures, or at least take the roofs off.

Huh? I don't think so.

[CrazyC83]

I took a look at the observed data in Rita, and I am in agreement with the 115 mph estimate.

Grand Lake, about 40 miles east of the eye and outside the eyewall, had wind gusts of 135 mph. That likely means sustained winds there were about 110 mph, and since that was not the strongest, I believe 115 is the correct measurement.

[MiamiensisWx]

I also agree with 115MPH. That is my vote.

[JtSmarts]

115

[Jim Cantore]

Arlene - NHC 60 mph, my estimate 55mph (-5)
Bret - NHC 40 mph, my estimate 40 mph
Cindy - NHC 75 mph, My estimate 75mph
Dennis (Cuba 1) - NHC 140 mph, My estimate 140mph
Dennis (Cuba 2) - NHC 140 mph, My estimate 150mph (+10)
Dennis (Florida) - NHC 120 mph, My estimate 120mph
Emily (Grenada) - NHC 85 mph, My estimate 75mph (-5)
Emily (Yucatan) - NHC 135 mph, My estimate 140mph (+5)
Emily (NE Mexico) - NHC 125 mph, My estimate 130mph (+5)
Gert - NHC 50 mph, My estimate 45mph (-5)
Jose - NHC 60 mph, My estimate 60mph
Katrina (Florida) - NHC 80 mph, My estimate 85mph (+5)
Katrina (Louisiana) - NHC 125 mph, My estimate 145mph (+20)
Katrina (Mississippi) - NHC 120 mph, My estimate 130mph (+10)
Rita - NHC 115 mph, My Estimate 115mph
Stan (Yucatan) - NHC 45 mph, My estimate 45mph
Stan (S Mexico) - NHC 80 mph, My estimate 80mph
Tammy - NHC 50 mph, My estimate 45mph (-5)
Vince - NHC 35 mph, My estimate 35mph
Wilma (Cozumel) - NHC 150 mph, My estimate 160mph (+10)
Wilma (Yucatan) - NHC 140 mph, My estimate 155mph (+15)
Wilma (Florida) - NHC 120mph, My estimate 130mph (+10)
Alpha - NHC 50 mph, My estimate 50mph
Beta - NHC 105 mph, My estimate 110mph (+5)

Rita is hard to tell because the instruments in Cameron failed, that would have defined my opinion but the damage there is pretty much all surge so that doesnt help wind estimates.

[Jim Cantore]

Derek is pretty much right. Experiencing Cat 2 conditions is rare, and will likely only happen if a major hurricane makes landfall. Bonafide 105 mph sustained winds with gusts to 135 mph will likely level most unprotected older structures, or at least take the roofs off.

Huh? I don't think so.

135 would have to hold for more then a second thats for sure

[weatherwoman132]

except for Lake Okeechobee, South Florida primarily had cat 1 winds from Wilma, with cat 3 gusts

Yes, not every cat 2 hurricane is destructive, BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE SEE TS WINDS. Even in Isabel, only Hatteras had cat 2 winds, and the combination of wind and surge did devastate that part of the OBX

Any area that gets cat 2 winds, WILL be a disaster as that is near the lower end of F-2

there is no way that you can say that we only had category 1 winds from wilma..it was no way like any other storm that has ever hit us before. at least while Ive been around.

[Pearl River]

Derek Ortt wrote:

A CAT 2 HURRICANE WILL LEVEL ANYTHING IN ITS PATH. PLEASE DO NOT THINK THAT A 2 IS NOT A CATASTROPHE

That's a ridiculous statement. It depends on the structural integrity of the buildings in the path of the storm. Not every building was completely destroyed by Katrina and some areas recieved cat 2 sustained winds.[/b]

[Jim Cantore]

There are places where strength doesnt matter, mainly New Orleans, Where a slow moving depression could wind up a catastrophe , Actually, havent we seen weak storms flood major cities before? We sure have, think back 5 years.

And where did the discussion of wind damage become relavent? Rita was a surge storm, 80% of her damage was likely surge related. Looking at the big picture, her winds didnt matter much did they, lower winds wouldnt have saved Cameron or Holly Beach.

[vbhoutex]

According to our news tonight the official on Rita is that a very small area just East of the center saw CAT3 winds with most areas experienceing CAT2 or CAT1 winds. For those in the SE TX area that was on Channel 11.

[southerngale]

There are places where strength doesnt matter, mainly New Orleans, Where a slow moving depression could wind up a catastrophe , Actually, havent we seen weak storms flood major cities before? We sure have, think back 5 years.

And where did the discussion of wind damage become relavent? Rita was a surge storm, 80% of her damage was likely surge related. Looking at the big picture, her winds didnt matter much did they, lower winds wouldnt have saved Cameron or Holly Beach.

I don't think 80% is correct. Yes...the surge destroyed everything in its path, but there was a ton of damage not surge related. What you see in Sabine Pass, Holly Beach, Johnson's Bayou and Cameron is surge. All of the other damage in SE Texas, East Texas and in SW Louisiana is from wind and it really did matter a lot to those who lost homes and businesses, as well as those who "only" sustained damages. Everything you see in Texas aside from Sabine Pass is from WIND.

[Hurricaneman]

I say 115

[Derek Ortt]

Miami only had cat 1 winds from Wilma, to think otherwise is very dangerous and setting yourself up for disaster when real cat 2 or 3 winds hit.

Pearl River, it is rediculous to say that cat 2 winds cannot devastate an area. That is upper F-1 tornado damage, and we see all the time that an upper F-1 nearly destroys many structures. IN most cat 2 hurricanes, the cat 2 winds do not affect many people

One must never assume that they went through the NHC reported winds, unless they actually did and personal observations are the most unreliable wind estimates, unless they are made by a scientific instrument