Katrina updates...

[Fly_Chick]

Geraldo quoted it on F-icticious News Network, it must be true!

I cannot find it anywhere on NOAA. Link please...

 

[jobear]

METAR - HOURLY OBSERVATIONS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
KMSY 290153Z 04027G34KT 10SM SCT019 27/24 A2956 RMK AO2 PK WND
03034/0152 RAE28 SLP012 P0001 T02720239
KMSY 290126Z 04025G31KT 10SM -RA BKN017 BKN046 BKN055 27/24 A2958
RMK AO2 PK WND 04032/0059 P0001

DECODED METARS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ID DATE TIME TEMP DEW WIND CEILING VIS ALTIM WEATHER
KMSY 08-29 0200 81 75 NE 31 None 10 2956 Windy

TAF - TERMINAL FORECASTS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
KMSY 290105Z 290124 05015G25KT 6SM -RA SCT020 BKN040
TEMPO 0206 VRB65KT 1SM +SHRA BKN010 OVC020CB
FM0700 04045G75KT 1SM +SHRA SCT005 OVC020CB
TEMPO 0913 VRB120KT 1/4SM +SHRA OVC010CB
FM1800 28045KT 6SM -RA SCT020 BKN050
TEMPO 1822 3SM -RA SCT030 BKN080

 

[Fly_Chick]

Question - listening to a plane in the eye of the hurricane... What is the top of the hurricane? To what altitude do the hurricane winds extend? Is there a typical answer?

 

[viper548]

They were flying thru at about 7000' I don't know how high they go though.

 

[AA717driver]

This from the NWS site...

http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/us/hurricane.html

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
WHILE THE HURRICANE WILL WEAKEN AS IT MOVES INLAND MONDAY...THE
HURRICANE WILL LIKELY STILL BE A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE UP TO THE
HIGHWAY 98 CORRIDOR. KATRINA WILL STILL BE A HURRICANE WELL INTO
CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...AND A STRONG TROPICAL STORM AS IT MOVES INTO
NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI.

PEOPLE NEED TO COMPLETE PRECAUTIONS NOW FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR VERY
STRONG...DAMAGING WINDS. LOOSE OBJECTS OUTDOORS SHOULD BE MOVED
INSIDE. PREPARE FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF PROLONGED POWER OUTAGES OF
SEVERAL DAYS TO PERHAPS A FEW WEEKS. PEOPLE RESIDING IN HOMES THAT
ARE NOT WELL CONSTRUCTED WILL WANT TO MOVE TO SAFER ALTERNATIVE
LOCATIONS TO RIDE THE PASSAGE OF THE STORM OUT...PARTICULARLY OVER
AREAS SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20 AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 55 WHERE THE VERY
STRONGEST WINDS COULD OCCUR.

THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS SITUATION CANNOT BE OVEREMPHASIZED!
HURRICANE KATRINA IS THE SAME STRENGTH AS HURRICANE CAMILLE WHEN IT
MADE LANDFALL IN 1969...BUT IS EVEN LARGER IN SIZE...MEANING THE
POTENTIAL DAMAGE MAY COVER A MORE EXTENSIVE AREA. IT IS BECOMING
INCREASINGLY LIKELY THAT KATRINA WILL CAUSE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE ACROSS
PARTS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN MISSISSIPPI ON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING SITUATION...DO NOT TAKE IT
LIGHTLY! PLEASE FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS OF STATE...COUNTY AND LOCAL
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS WITH REGARD TO EVACUATIONS AND
PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES.

 

[Fury220]

I know this is in bad taste, but just be aware of the differing opinions of the disaster-about-to-happen:

http://neworleansisscrewed.ytmnd.com/

 

[NuGuy]

Just a note: All broadcast news from NOLA has been terminated to allow personel to evacuate. Live streaming feeds on those stations have been switched to sister stations in Baton Rouge, Biloxi and Orlando.

Nu

 

[VampyreGTX]

Some good news I guess, if you can call it that is that She's weakining. Pressure has risen to 908mb's and the eyewall is starting to deteriorate. The winds at down to 160 and landfall is expected at 150-155mph. The downside is the eyewall deteriorating. They say this usually results in the winds spreadying, meaning the 200 mile wide swath of hurrican force winds may increase to 260 miles wide, 130 miles out from the center. though it has also jogged about 5 -10 miles to the east, placing it just east of New Orleans, and placing it in the worst case scenario of the front of the storm bringing the storm surge into Lake Pontchatrain and the the West side of the eyes Northerly winds, pushing that water into New Orleans from the Lake.

 

[GravityHater]

This one appears to have more believable wording (I can't discount the other, more alarming one though) and seems to be an official source:

http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/la/hurricane.html

 

[some_dude]

Here is a link to the apocalyptic one:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/data/LIX/NPWLIX

It looks to me to be a valid NOAA server (srh is "Southern Regional Headquarters") although I cannot find it by clicking around on the NOAA site itself. It may have been superseded.

 

[bssthound]

It's not uncommon for us to find 200 mph gusts in Cat 5 storms. I've personally seen it a few times. We fly the storms at 10,000', penetrating the eyewall with the standard altimeter, 29.92, set. Pretty neat ride since it's a pressure altitude. As we hit the pressure center of the eye the absolute altitude (agl) will drop down more than 2,000', depending on the pressure. With Katrina's super low pressure I'm sure it's that much. Last night, when I flew it we saw the pressure drop from 940 to 934 millibars. We fly "alpha patterns;" entering the storm on intercardinal tracks (135, 225, 045, 315) and flying 105 nm legs from/to the eye on those tracks. As with my flight last night, we often don't encounter a lot of turbulence on the really strong storms since their winds are uniform. It's when they're just getting going and when they're weakening that we get a lot of turbulence since the windfield is uneven.

As far as the Superdome goes, it shouldn't have much trouble. It is a massive building and is round, which should bode well for wind deflection. The city can pump water out, true, but it's pumped into the Mississippi River, which stands a good chance of being flooded during the storm. It's gonna be a mess, regardless.

 

[Resume Writer]

This is so horrible for the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and potentially, Texas and Florida.


After the devastation, I think we should all be thankful that we are alive, and give to help others. I know there are several flightinfo members that live in that area.

Kathy

 

[Flying Illini]

Looks like the cooler waters along the coast are helping out:
It's now a Cat 4 with winds of 150mph and pressure of 917mb.

 

[MJG]

Bssthound,

Wow I was hoping someone on here would have a first hand account from one of the flights. Still don't think I'd wanna do it. Your statement about the turbulence, or in this case the lack of it amazes me. I would not have thought that a storm like this could be relatively smooth if there is such a thing for a hurricane. How bad though does it really get? Moderate turbulence at worst or severe turbulence where the aicraft is temporarily out of control? What about lightning? Especially at night is there much lightning?

You folks are very brave and do an invaluable service for all of us, thank you. Hope the safe flights continue.

BTW, Lt. Nicole Mitchell (of The Weather Channel) was a surprise. You never know who all is involved with your squadron.

 

[gkrangers]

Just some updates.

Water is spilling out of Lake Ponchatrain into the New Orleans area.

There has been atleast 1 levee failure on the "Industrial Canal".

Outside the city there is considerable flooding...up to rooftops in many locations.

Wind damage was severe in New Orleans.

Storm surge was extreme on the eastern side of the storm.

Gulfport and Mobile had extreme storm surge. Some of downtown Mobile has 6+ feet of water. At gulfport, the storm surge came in 2 miles from the beach.

There are several smaller communities along that coast like St. Louis Bay and Pass Christian which may have suffered the worst fate, no reports from there yet.