2008.08.31
Hurricane Gustav weakens some overnight
Somewhat unexpectedly, Hurricane Gustav has weakened some overnight, now down to Category 3 with 120 mph winds. It may yet pick up some strength moving over warm Gulf of Mexico waters today, though, and is still projected to come ashore somewhere between Gulfport, Miss., and Galveston, Texas, on Monday. New Orleans is under mandatory evacuation. Even though it is possible the eye will pass west of New Orelans and Gustav could be weaker than Katrina, it could still be an even worse hit for New Orleans than last time -- the eastern side of the storm will have a greater storm surge due to counterclockwise rotation bringing south winds to push water inland, and keep in mind that New Orleans highest wind gust was 98 mph during Katrina, whose eye actually passed east of New Orleans. So a slight jog west or even slight weakening will not put New Orleans out of the woods. And there are lots of other communities along the Gulf Coast that could feel the wrath of winds well over 100 mph, rain measured in feet rather than inches, storm surge of 10 or more feet, and tornadoes.
Let's don't lose sight of Tropical Storm Hanna, which is now projected to take a turn toward the Southeast U.S. later this week and strengthen into a hurricane.
For the latest on Gustav and Hanna, go to the National Hurricane Center Web site.
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