{"id":276899,"date":"2023-09-02T16:18:34","date_gmt":"2023-09-02T14:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=276899"},"modified":"2023-09-02T16:18:37","modified_gmt":"2023-09-02T14:18:37","slug":"did-idalia-really-have-125-mph-winds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=276899","title":{"rendered":"Did Idalia Really Have 125 MPH\u00a0Winds?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Paul Homewood<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Regular readers will know that I have often queried the windspeeds claimed nowadays for hurricanes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem stems from the fact that in the past windspeeds were estimated on the basis of central pressure. Certainly anemometers would never have been able to withstand the strongest winds; nor would they have been likely to have been in the exact location where winds were strongest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years however winds are estimated using satellite and aircraft dropsonde data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem, however, is that consistently we find that windspeeds and central pressure do not reconcile in the same way as they did in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Idalia came ashore with sustained winds, so we are told, of 125 mph, and a central pressure of 949 MB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chart below plots the windspeeds of all US landfalling hurricanes with central pressure of 948, 949 and 950 MB at landfall:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
https:\/\/www.aoml.noaa.gov\/hrd\/hurdat\/All_U.S._Hurricanes.html<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As is instantly obvious, nearly all those historical hurricanes had estimated winds of between 100 and 115 mph. The oddity is the 1926 hurricane which was said to be only 75 mph, but had central pressure of 949 MB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But sticking out like a sore thumb is Idalia, with winds of at least 10 mph higher than any others. This clearly cannot be right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it is true that Idalia really did have 125 mph winds, then clearly all of those hurricanes in the past have been grossly underestimated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The figure of 125 mph came in this instance from a Hurricane Hunter aircraft, but it is worth noting that Keaton Beach, where landfall was made, the weather station there only recorded 61 mph:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
https:\/\/www.nhc.noaa.gov\/archive\/2023\/al10\/al102023.update.08301145.shtml<\/a>?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll leave you with one last thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two hurricanes in the 1920s utterly devastated Florida:<\/p>\n\n\n\n