09L: Hurricane Ike

[Joshua T. Clark]

And they call him the "streak". Well fellas it is 0139 CDT and I am still up. It has been a very windy day here in Gulfport today. I am sending my prayers and best wishes to all whom are going to be effected by Ike. To fellow core punchers BE CAREFUL. I am compiling RadarLab HD imagery to make a movie from. Just arm-chair chasing this one.

 

[Bill Tabor]

Steve Miller reporting 120 MPH winds before eye wall came ashore in Galveston, TX. Surge has brought water to much of island... but the surge could be worse after the eye wall passes. Steve says he is in a "holding pattern" right now and are waiting for round two.

That sounds a little better but I still wonder why the hurricane strength wind field doesn't extend very far out, and TS strength also isn't living up to the hype. Check this site and view the expected wind field rings: http://www.stormpulse.com/

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

Stranded Galveston residents call in vain for help

FTA:

City Manager Steve LeBlanc went so far as to ask the media not to photograph "certain things" in the aftermath, referring to the possibility of dead bodies.

Officials in Brazoria County said as many as 35 percent of residents in mandatory evacuation zones stayed behind, or about 67,000. That would put about 90,000 Texans in potentially surge-susceptible areas in the two counties.

 

[Jeff Snyder]

That sounds a little better but I still wonder why the hurricane strength wind field doesn't extend very far out, and TS strength also isn't living up to the hype. Check this side and view the expected wind field rings: http://www.stormpulse.com/

That's only valid over water. Friction over land significantly weakens the winds. Therefore, plots such as that on that site are a little misleading. The winds of that magnitude would be true for those places that are experiencing on-shore flow.

 

[Bill Tabor]

That's only valid over water. Friction over land significantly weakens the winds. Therefore, plots such as that on that site are a little misleading. The winds of that magnitude would be true for those places that are experiencing on-shore flow.

Ok, I was wondering if that could be part of it.

 

[rdale]

...but looking at NHC's plot of wind speeds, there should be a lot of observing sites at least gusting to Cat 2, and barely any are making it to Cat 1 with nobody sustained...

 

[Jeff Snyder]

...but looking at NHC's plot of wind speeds, there should be a lot of observing sites at least gusting to Cat 2, and barely any are making it to Cat 1 with nobody sustained...

There don't seem to be a whole lot of ASOS/AWOS obs near the eyewall. Bettis reported on TWC that he recorded 98 mph and 101 mph wind gusts a little while ago near/in Clear Lake, and the video seemed to support that IMO. Even that, though, don't support 110 mph sustained winds. Again, though, what sfc obs do we have in the on-shore flow areas along the northeast side of Bolivar peninsula, or farther east between Bolivar peninsula and Port Arthur? None, that I know of, and that's were the advisory-level winds have the best chance of being met.

 

[MClarkson]

RLOT2, a tide station near the right-side eyewall on Bolivar Peninsula, measured winds up until 2 hours ago when not surprisingly that portion of the sensor failed. Yet another reason why true hurricane winds often go unmeasured.

 

[Ryan Orlando]

With the turn toward the north that Hurricane Ike has made KCLL may have escaped the hurricane for now. If it moves NW again then we'll get the rain. As of right now I don't see that happening because everyone has been forecasting for it to turn north and probably will stick to it.

 

[Sarah Glenn]

Ummm, Fox News is still running a super that is reading, "Ike could reach Cat 3 by landfall Sat. morning." Don't they get it's making landfall NOW? This IS still live, right? LOL.

Edit: Too many "readings."

 

[Sarah Glenn]

It looks to me that the eye is getting smaller/tighter...is this some strengthening right before landfall or just effects from the land?

 

[Sarah Austin]

Quoted by Sarah Glenn
Ummm, Fox News is still running a super that is reading, "Ike could reach Cat 3 by landfall Sat. morning."

Yeah, I saw that too. I think they should have updated that CG by now.

I'm not sure how much one of the reporters for CNN knows about storms in general. A few minutes ago, he reported that he just saw a big blue light flash. I think that would be called a power flash. Maybe he had never seen one before. Or, maybe he's had a long day and couldn't think of the right word? I don't know.

 

[Joshua T. Clark]

What do all of you think. Can we call it right making landfall. The center appears to be on land right now. Landfall seems to be now.

 

[Paul Hadfield]

TWC @ Clear Lake TX over the past 30 minutes wins for best live video, simply unbelievable.

 

[kenny_allen]

Aaron Dooley is streaming AMAZING Video -- right through the thick of it, Near Meadows Place and Stafford, TX.... www.severestudios.com - Debris flying.