Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States have updated the category of Hurricane Michael to 5, after analyzing all the data collected after the storm, including information that cannot be warned. in real time.
They indicate that when it made landfall in Florida, on October 10, 2018, Michael It recorded an estimated wind intensity of 140 knots or 160 miles per hour (mph), 5 knots higher than what had initially been observed.
Scientists explain that this final wind intensity represents a rise of 5 knots (5 mph) over the operational estimate, which reclassifies Michael as a Category 5 storm on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale at the time of its landing. , near the city of Mexico Beach and Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.
Since the passage of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, one of the most violent in memory, no Category 5 storm had reached US soil.
Likewise, Michael is the fourth cyclone that has been established with this force on land in the United States. Only the Labor Day hurricane in 1935, Camille in 1969 and Andrew in 1992 were ahead.
The new assessment that NOAA scientists have arrived at resulted from reviewing the winds, among other factors: “surface winds, surface pressures, satellite intensity estimates, and radar velocities.” available Doppler, including data and analyzes that were not available in real time.”
They point out that the variation of 5 knots is minimal and is considered within the usual radius of uncertainty. In this sense, they clarify that the reported change is of little relevance from the practical point of view of the effects related to the cyclone, as can be read on the organization's site.
Hurricane Michael caused 16 deaths and caused the loss of $25 billion in damages in United States. The cyclone passed through western Cuba when it was still category 2.
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