HarveyLeonardFan

At the risk of sounding aggressively contrarian I doubt the validity of those 120 knot gusts in Naples. I saw all the reporters from twc and the three cable news nets and every reporter was able to continue standing up all the while remaining live, on air. And some of the networks were on balconies and elevated parking garages.

Andrew destroyed entire shopping centers. The type of structure was wholly irrelevant. Everything was destroyed in south Dade county and anyone on the ground there will attest to this. The damage in Puerto Rico although severe and politically momentous is not comparable to Andrew in any way, shape or form and I'm basing this assertion on aerial footage and my 1992 experience on the ground.

Thanks for the clarification Josh and thanks for your great work covering the hurricanes this season. I'm glad you're getting some much deserved national publicity via Weather Nation. The damage photos I saw suggested CAT 3 damage but I will defer to your better informed on the ground opinion. You seemed to get out of the Southern coastal part of the island en route to the SAN Juan airport rather quickly. How did you manage to get out so quickly? Lots of credible reporters on the ground have been saying the roads are impassable.

Whoa! I've introduced politics because we live in an era when everything is political. Cable news ratings are going through the roof and football ratings are dropping like a rock. I can understand people criticizing me for bashing someone like Rick Scott. My comments were incendiary especially considering the fact that most users on this board are white males and white males in the United States are overwhelmingly Republican. But you my friend are playing the race card. People in Jacksonville, North Carolina know what to do when a hurricane approaches or threatens the North Carolina coast.

I have tremendous respect for Josh and all his peers like Mike Theiss. Without their images and reportage I wouldn't be able to make such a declaration. I'm not necessarily downplaying Maria. I'm just saying that in terms of sheer power as far as Puerto rico is concerned it's not comparable to Andrew

It's a tough slog to get Maria or any hurricane to the Northeast coast. We are due however since there have been only three landfalling hurricanes to strike the Northeast directly in the last 57 years. We don't have accurate records, so perhaps this is historically outside the climo norm.

Josh Morgerman is one of the most experienced hurricane observers on planet earth. He was covering the hurricane for satellite weather provider Weather Nation. In the footage he provided and in his narrative reports I do not see evidence of well built structures being totally destroyed as was the case in south dade county during Andrew. I stand by my assertion that Puerto Rico was hammered by the affects of a strong category 3 hurricane. I expect the Caribbean metropolis of san juan to weather this hurricane quite well and I don't see a devastating effect on tourism.

The most experienced hurricane chasers in our hemisphere were on the ground there and their reports and footage suggests CAT 3 damage from my vantage point.

The folks in Coral Gables at the NHC need to learn this as well. I want everyone to take a moment and watch clips of Dr. Bob Sheets during Hugo and Andrew and remember what a strong leader and communicator he was. Someone needs to go in and take control of the NHC and be able to go on tv during a major hurricane and be able to articulate a message.

Forward speed also plays a role which you've mentioned before in reference to the fact that Charley packed a strong punch over Orlando in 2004 because it was moving relatively fast. Wilma packed such a strong punch in the south florida New York 6th boro counties in 2005 because it was moving fast. Edouard fell apart in 1996 off Nantucket because it was moving so slow. We don't have much satellite evidence but the forward speed of the 1938 new England storm of the century played a role in the devastation in southern new England.

Agreed! I've been a fan ever since he nailed a March 2005 storm. Hard to believe it's been a decade.

I feel it pales in comparison to all three. 2005 had absolutely ferocious snowfall rates. This storm hasn't even come close. 2013 was extremely high impact because the snow had so much juice to it and caused so much tree and powerline damage.

What do you have? Are you in Kingston, or N. Kingstown? As the crow flies you're probably 15 miles or so WNW from me.

Anyone have any thoughts on the unfortunate Nantucket/Vineyard dryslot? I have 8-9 inches and I think I'm gonna struggle to get over a foot because the radar returns to my south and east look weak.