Hurricane Camille Satellite Image

[MGC]

Camille actually did pass over some islands in Louisiana, so the first US landfall was in Louisiana.....MGC

[Category 5]

We'd know more if the Hurricane Hunters weren't playing around with a fish storm at the time Camille hit.

[Derek Ortt]

weren't those the NOAA planes that we trying the experiment?

The AF are the ones usually tasked with operational fixes

now there would be multiple aircraft in the storm. Of course, we wont be seeing 4 planes at once anytime soon as we saw in Rita on sep 22 and 23 (1 AF, 2 NOAA and 1 Navy)

[Derek Ortt]

I cannot tell if an EWRC was beginning with Camielle or not

Also, from those sats... IT WAS NOT A SMALL HURRICANE!

[jinftl]

Something I have wondered…how close did Camille come in terms of surge for New Orleans to being a Katrina-type disaster with flooding in most of the city? What factors prevented that scenario from being played out in 1969?

[HurricaneBill]

In 1992, the Weather Channel released a VHS tape called "Danger's Edge". It was about hurricanes. There was a satellite loop of Hurricane Camille forming, traveling through the Gulf and making landfall.

[MGC]

Keesler AFB in Biloxi reported sustained Cat-1 winds with Camille. For marine exposure, hurricane force winds likely extended to eastern Jackson County. Katrina had hurricane force winds all the way to the east end of Dauphin Island. The instruments are about a mile west of the mouth of Mobile Bay, so Katrina was at least twice the size as Camille. Camille was bigger than Andrew and Charley. Camille produced a 24 foot surge 1/2 mile west of where I live on Menge Road....MGC

[CrazyC83]

Something I have wondered…how close did Camille come in terms of surge for New Orleans to being a Katrina-type disaster with flooding in most of the city? What factors prevented that scenario from being played out in 1969?

Camille's track was about 35 miles to the east of Katrina's, and also I believe it came in on a bit more of an angle (about 345 degrees as opposed to virtually due north). That put about 60 miles between downtown New Orleans and the eye. It would have been much worse for sure if Camille tracked along Katrina's path (there wasn't an awful lot of damage to the west of I-55).

Also Camille's RMW looked to be about 20-25 miles wide at landfall (concentric eyewalls about 6 miles and 25 miles) as opposed to 40+ miles wide with Katrina. That also played a difference.

[CrazyC83]

Celia is in there, too:

The Celia picture is interesting and shows a tiny storm with a tiny eyewall, much like Charley. That one I think is underclassified (I would bump her up to Category 4 with winds around 125 kt, which is what a pressure around 945mb would support at that size).

[KWT]

Does look pretty good, better then many gulf landfalling systems I've seen with all 4 quads looking pretty healthy.

[MGC]

Camille's track would have fit inside of Katrians. Camille made landfall in eastern Hancock County, in the Waveland-Bay St. Louis area. Katrina's eastern eyewall passed over just about where Camille made landfall. There was extensive destruction in eastern Orleans Parish (Parish New Orleans is in). The structures were camps, houses on stilts. Nearly all were destroyed just like in Katrina.....MGC

[KWT]

Just out of wondering what were the highest recorded sustained winds with Camille?

[jinftl]

Sounds like a track even 50 miles west would have put metro new orleans in even worse conditions. I would be curious to know what the evacuation rate in the new orleans area (even areas like jefferson parish) was for Camille...the threat of a direct landfall had to be pretty high given that a wobble could have resulted in a landfall 50 or 75 miles west of where she came in over Waveland-Bay St. Louis. Did New Orleans see sustained hurricane force winds with Camille?

Betsy was still a fresh enough memory that I would imagine folks in New Orleans took the threat from Camille seriously.

Camille's track would have fit inside of Katrians. Camille made landfall in eastern Hancock County, in the Waveland-Bay St. Louis area. Katrina's eastern eyewall passed over just about where Camille made landfall. There was extensive destruction in eastern Orleans Parish (Parish New Orleans is in). The structures were camps, houses on stilts. Nearly all were destroyed just like in Katrina.....MGC

[margiek]

I cannot tell if an EWRC was beginning with Camielle or not

Also, from those sats... IT WAS NOT A SMALL HURRICANE!

Thanks for pointing that out Derek -- and as a result, Camille's surge was extensive, although not as large as Katrina's.

http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/about ... s/fig4.gif

[Sanibel]

Using safe estimates from the satellite appearance and knowledge of the storm I would say Camille was probably a guaranteed 165mph sustained, gusts to 200mph. The center core is well buffered and solid. Katrina had an obvious wedge of dry air wrapping into the SW quadrant. Camille looks just short of busting into an annular-type thick donut with one "S"-shaped classic tropical band to the north and south. It's size and shape got smaller from the mid-GOM shot to the coastal shot meaning it was intensifying (IMO).

[MGC]

If Camille and Katrina had tracked just a little west and placed New Orleans in the RFQ the city as we know it would be totally gone. My brother rode out Katrina in Chalmette and he said once the water stated overtopping the levees the Parish flooded quickly. He didn't receive half the surge Mississippi got, plus there was little velocity with the surge. I witnessed houses and partial houses that were swept inland by the motion of the surge here on the coast after Katrina. I can't wait for the experts to review Camille. They have already done Betsy and said she was a Cat-4 at landfall in La. I have little doubt Camille will retain its Cat-5 status.....MGC

[KWT]

I'm pretty sure that it will also retain its cat-5 status but I don't think its presentation was that of a cat-5 and if you compare it from when it was in the gulf with something of a pinhole eye and near perfect look (may well have been sub 900mbs) to the image where its at landfall it does seem to have weakened, for example the eye is clouded over but it does still have a very good shape unlike some of the recent landfalling majors in the gulf.

[CrazyC83]

If Camille and Katrina had tracked just a little west and placed New Orleans in the RFQ the city as we know it would be totally gone. My brother rode out Katrina in Chalmette and he said once the water stated overtopping the levees the Parish flooded quickly. He didn't receive half the surge Mississippi got, plus there was little velocity with the surge. I witnessed houses and partial houses that were swept inland by the motion of the surge here on the coast after Katrina. I can't wait for the experts to review Camille. They have already done Betsy and said she was a Cat-4 at landfall in La. I have little doubt Camille will retain its Cat-5 status.....MGC

Betsy was Category 4 at landfall? I don't know of any data that supports such; I believe the actual data only supports Category 2 but given the lack of measurements, I would guess Betsy was 100 kt at landfall (pressure 948mb) with New Orleans seeing Category 2 conditions.

[Derek Ortt]

I think it was assessed to be a 115KT cat 3 at landfall

[MGC]

Check out this from AOML on Betsy.....

http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Storm_pages/betsy1965/wind.html

Click on 9/10/65 0300Z max surface winds 123KTS Cat-4.

Contrary to popular belief, not all NGOM hurricanes weaken....MGC