Don't most majors travel a lot slower than Charley?

[GalvestonDuck]

I'm used to hearing them traveling at 3, 4, sometimes 7, maybe 10 mph. But he just moved from Cuba to FL in no time.

Aren't most 'canes usually slower than that?

[GalvestonDuck]

Dang, what's a body gotta do around here to get an answer?

In the style of Josephine96, since he's hoping hiding out and hunkered down safe:

*BUMP*

[weatherSnoop]

You are correct, Duck. Despite the horrible destruction to my neighbors south, east and northeast, the whole darned state is fortunate. The surge reports are coming in at only 8'...any slower would have been 15' (may have been in places). Just as I convinced my sister to higher ground, the shift occurred. Now I just have to worry about mom in Ponte Vedra. Must say a prayer and take my concern to bed as I must be at work at 5:30

[wxman57]

GD,

Hurricanes are very delicate structures. Wind shear can knock a Cat 3 down to a 1 or 2 (or lower) in a matter of hours. So the major storms tend to develop in the lower tropics where the atmosphere is somewhat homogeneous. I.E., moderate trade winds and similar winds aloft. Once a Cat 3 reaches the subtropics, it tends to encounter higher winds aloft (jet streams along/ahead of fronts, for example). This always leads to fairly quick weakening.

Charley was moving along at a speed of 14-16 kts, not uncommon for hurricanes in the Gulf. As it neared the increasing upper winds ahead of that cold front, it ran into an area where the southwesterly winds aloft just about perfectly matched its forward speed (and the mid level winds). Thus, the atmosphere was unusually aligned to move Charlie at 16-18 kts and negate what could have been strong SW shear.

Sometimes this can happen in the deep tropics, like Allen in 1980 that became a cat 5 while moving at 20-25 mph. It is unusual, but it can happen if the winds aloft are similar in direction/speed from top to bottom.

[bahamaswx]

Reports of 15' storm surge in Sanibel.

[GalvestonDuck]

Cool, I understand now. Thanks, wxman57!