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Major Hurricane Irma


NJwx85

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2 minutes ago, jojo762 said:

153kt SFMR, supported by other ~150kt readings in the NW eye wall.

This is likely why they've held it at 160 kts. They figure it's likely there and either way, they would only lower it by 5 knots, so not worthwhile to change for messaging and other purposes.

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5 minutes ago, wthjnky said:

By looking at the Models It appears that if this track holds then the Center of the storm will pass about 30 miles from the coast of Jacksonville. I have some friends there and I was really wondering what the winds would be like that distance from the eye.

Expect the models to continue to over correct East and West the next few days. It's way to early to determine the exact track near FL, but I like the official track.

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4 minutes ago, SnowGoose69 said:

The shear increases pretty significantly after 90 hours and more so after 100.  I could see a scenario where if it stayed say 50-100 miles off FL and never made landfall til SC that it could be down to a Cat 2.  If it comes straight into MIA though I would be shocked if it was under 125mph at this point...to me thats the low end possibility.

I guess I didn't realize the shear was suppose to increase that much. In theory how much shear could Irma take on while sitting over 84F+ temps before it weakens? 

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CNN reported:

French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said some of the strongest buildings on the island of 75,000 people had been destroyed, boding ill for weaker structures on St. Martin. 

"In terms of material damage, the four strongest buildings on the island of St. Martin have been destroyed," which meant that weaker structures likely had been damaged or destroyed, he told reporters.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/06/americas/hurricane-irma-caribbean-islands/index.html

This highlights the potential danger Miami faces should Irma make landfall just to the city's west at Category 5 strength. Even the most modern buildings would likely be susceptible to varying degrees of damage. In addition, windows would blow out on a widespread basis from others. Other parts of the city would be flooded by the storm surge. 

My guess is that Irma will make landfall as a Category 4 storm (and I think LEK's thinking on strength and track is very realistic at this time), but a Category 5 storm still can't be ruled out, as some of the guidance continues to insist on Irma's intensification ahead of possible Florida landfall. 

Hopefully, Irma will stay offshore to spare Miami and the southeast Florida coastline of the kind of catastrophic damage that is possible from such a powerful storm.
 

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1 minute ago, Latitudedfb said:

What are opinions on the wind speed if Irma makes landfall in South Florida near Miami and then travels inland up the state?

What effects would the "ground friction" have on the winds onshore 10 to 15 miles inland?

Florida is very flat, with good moisture sources off both coasts. Hurricanes have been know to cross E-W with minimal impact to intensity. No idea about a S-N route, though.

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3 minutes ago, Latitudedfb said:

What are opinions on the wind speed if Irma makes landfall in South Florida near Miami and then travels inland up the state?

What effects would the "ground friction" have on the winds onshore 10 to 15 miles inland?

Historical cases would suggest gust potential near/over 100 mph well northward, at least into central Florida if not farther, IF it landfalls as a cat 4-5 and takes a track like you suggest.

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3 minutes ago, cmasty1978 said:

Do you know where to find verification scores for the JMA?

No idea - mostly post the JMA as a joke. It always gets posted in HECS winter storms too. I do recall it verified better than any other model for one of the major 2010 DC snowstorms but that's probably it's claim to fame. 

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18 minutes ago, NJwx85 said:

Where are these shear forecasts coming from? I see very minimal shear on the GFS until Irma has already made LF in FL and even less on the Euro.

The shear will start to increase as Irma begins the turn north while interacting with the trough. I'm looking at 950-800mb across 600-400mb for mid level shear and up to 300-200mb for deep layer shear. The question is...will Irma get a brief boost from being placed favorably in the RER of the upper level jet streak before the shear encroaches too close to the core? I like LEK's position of the lowest pressure. It's about as perfect of a location as I can imagine...between land masses, high SSTs, jet dynamics for increased outflow, but early enough that shear *might* not take hold yet. That last item is a big if though.

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4 minutes ago, Dcwx said:

No idea - mostly post the JMA as a joke. It always gets posted in HECS winter storms too. I do recall it verified better than any other model for one of the major 2010 DC snowstorms but that's probably it's claim to fame. 

At least no one is posting CRAS - I just checked it - and it makes every outlier model look sane :)

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Irma's windfield will continue to expand as it nears the southwestern Bahamas and Florida. I would imagine the size of the hurricane combined with a decrease in surface to 500mb level background pressures as it turns into the weakness will weaken the pressure gradient. The ridge will have weakened/backed its position further east. That basically means Irma should not be able to sustain the absurd wind speeds even if it remains a sub 920mb cyclone or goes through another strengthening phase at a much larger size. Unfortunately it just means a much larger swath of major hurricane force winds. Also, the eyewall, if still intense, will be able to produce upper Cat 4 or borderline 5. This is perhaps semantics, but I am just reiterating that you can bring down the winds 20-30 kts. The hurricane still remains catastrophic in winds and surge. But it will technically weaken aside from structural changes just based on its surrounding atmosphere.

 

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Since 1851, there were 15 major hurricanes that formed in August or prior to September 15 and passed within 100 nautical miles of Irma's 11 pm position (19.4°N, 66.8°W). 60% made U.S. landfall.

Areas of Landfall:
Florida: 56%
North Carolina: 22%
South Carolina: 11%
Texas: 11%

Strength at Landfall:
Category 1: 11%
Category 2: 22%
Category 3: 22%
Category 4: 44%
Major: 67%

The Category 4 Storms were: 
Great Miami Hurricane (1926): 125 knots
Lake Okeechobee Hurricane (1928): 125 knots
Donna (1960): 125 knots
Hugo (1989): 120 knots

The spread of the 12z ECMWF ensembles continues to highlight the Florida-South Carolina area as being at highest risk of U.S. landfall. North Carolina is also a landfall site for some of those ensemble members. None make landfall west of the Florida Panhandle. A few take Irma offshore and avoid landfall. 

I still think Florida landfall is somewhat more likely than not and probably at similar strength to the three Category 4 hurricanes that made Florida landfall. Second landfall should occur at Georgia or South Carolina. 
 

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4 minutes ago, donsutherland1 said:

Since 1851, there were 15 major hurricanes that formed in August or prior to September 15 and passed within 100 nautical miles of Irma's 11 pm position (19.4°N, 66.8°W). 60% made U.S. landfall.

Areas of Landfall:
Florida: 56%
North Carolina: 22%
South Carolina: 11%
Texas: 11%

Strength at Landfall:
Category 1: 11%
Category 2: 22%
Category 3: 22%
Category 4: 44%
Major: 67%

The Category 4 Storms were: 
Great Miami Hurricane (1922): 125 knots
Lake Okeechobee Hurricane (1928): 125 knots
Donna (1960): 125 knots
Hugo (1989): 120 knots

The spread of the 12z ECMWF ensembles continues to highlight the Florida-South Carolina area as being at highest risk of U.S. landfall. North Carolina is also a landfall site for some of those ensemble members. None make landfall west of the Florida Panhandle. A few take Irma offshore and avoid landfall. 

I still think Florida landfall is somewhat more likely than not and probably at similar strength to the three Category 4 hurricanes that made Florida landfall. Second landfall should occur at Georgia or South Carolina. 
 

Don,

excellent summary. One note the Great Miami Hurricane I think you are referring to was n 1926.

 

track.gif

The others for reference

 


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track.gif

 

track.gif

 

 

 

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