29 August 2012
Hurricane Isaac Strengthens Noticeably At Landfall. Risk to New Orleans Increasing.
Posted by Dan Satterfield
Doppler wind data is indicating that Hurricane Isaac has gotten stronger.
Winds are gusting to over 100 mph just offshore now and winds are already gusting to near 80 mph around the New Orleans area tonight. The radar data shows a shrinking eye wall and that also indicates the Isaac has gotten stronger. The track now seems likely to put New Orleans in the wettest and windiest part of the storm. The storm surge and the rainfall remain the biggest worries.
The enhanced imagery shows cooling cloud tops. This means the tops of the convection are higher in the atmosphere (thus colder) and that the intensity of the convective core of Isaac is stronger.
If you are in New Orleans or nearby, it will be getting far worse….
Dan Satterfield has worked as an on air meteorologist for 32 years in Oklahoma, Florida and Alabama. Forecasting weather is Dan's job, but all of Earth Science is his passion. This journal is where Dan writes about things he has too little time for on air. Dan blogs about peer-reviewed Earth science for Junior High level audiences and up.
Cat one, or two?