Hurricane Cindy: Upgraded in Post-analysis

[Josh Morgerman]

The official Tropical Cyclone Report on Cindy came out today-- check it out:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/TCR-AL032005_Cindy.pdf

The system-- previously thought to be a strong (60-kt) tropical storm-- was re-analyzed and is now believed to have been a Cat-1 hurricane (991 mb/65 kt) as it crossed the LA coast near Grand Isle on 6 July. (Those figures also represent the estimated max intensity.)

Observed winds on the ground were not that impressive-- the highest 1-min/10-m reading being 47 kt at New Orleans Lakefront Airport. But Doppler re-analysis indicates a very narrow swath of 65-kt winds to the E of the center, near Buras and Empire, as it came ashore.

That sets the total number of 2005 Atlantic hurricanes at 15 and the total number of 2005 USA hurricane landfalls at 5 (6 if you include Ophelia, which did not technically make landfall but produced hurricane conditions on the NC Outer Banks). Wow.

 

[Blake Michaleski]

cool. I was on Dauphin Island, AL after deciding not to go down to the MS coast. I pretty much stayed in an outter band the whole time but fairly impressive for then TS Cindy.

 

[Josh Morgerman]

Hey Blake, that's interesting. If you look at the microwave image included in the report, it shows a pretty asymmetric structure with most of real activity N and E of the center, extending to include most of the AL coast-- so little wonder you had some decent action there.

The report indicates a max gust of 59 kt on Dauphin Island at 1000Z. Did you feel it? :wink: