Saturday, August 18, 2007
DEAN: CATEGRORY 5 !?
Model consistency is still very grouped in a mean westward track for Dean, though just a slight jog to the north in the long-range track would put the TX coast directly in the line of fire.
"NEAR 0500 UTC...AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT REPORTED 154 KT FLIGHT-LEVEL WINDS IN THE NORTHERN EYEWALL OF DEAN..."
In mph these are 177 mph winds!
Surface winds, presently at a sustained 150 mph, make Dean a strong CAT 4 and just 5 mph shy from a CAT 5. An upgrade will likely take place later today. Central pressure is good gauge of strength; the lower, the stronger. Presently Dean is at 930 mb.
FYI: Katrina at its strongest had a central pressure of 902 mb, though it hit with a pressure of 918 mb. Wilma, also of the 2005 season, holds the record for the lowest pressure ever recorded for an Atlantic hurricane, 882 mb.
Posted by Ted Zarras at 6:47 AM
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