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News -
Hurricanes
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Written by Reed Patrick Timmer
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Saturday, 30 August 2008 16:31 |
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Hurricane Gustav is currently just west of Havana, Cuba as a strong category 4 hurricane, likely causing extensive damage with 150 mph sustained winds and a 20+ foot storm surge. The concave shape of the southern coastline of Cuba southwest of Havana is a recipe for disaster with a category 4-5 storm surge, as this increases the water levels even more due to the funneling effect. Hopefully loss of life will be minimized, but this is a very bad situation for Cuba. As seen in the loop below, a stadium effect is clearly evident on visible satellite, with a textbook, cloudless eye 20-25 nm in diameter. I would give anything to have been on the Isle of Youth earlier this afternoon, as the west side of the eye passed right along the east side of the island. A tornado watch is also in effect for the entire Florida Keys where water spouts/tornadoes will be common this evening and overnight. Gustav is expected to intensify to category 5 status in the next few hours, after which eye wall replacement cycles will lead to intensity fluctuations between cat 4 and 5. This is a worst case scenario for New Orleans, where Mayor Nagin is forcing residents and vacationers to leave.
Check out the forum for links to radar loops, live cams, model forecast pages, and news updates throughout this event. TVN will also be streaming live from the south Louisiana Coast beginning on Monday. Stay tuned for updates.
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