You know what I think it was? We (civilians) tend to focus on MPH...like Oh boy! Now it's JUST 160 MPH..Bastardi's point is to focus on the science of the 908mb..he said the wind speed will basically "obey" the pressures and the wind speed will fluctuate- so when Bill suggested now it's only 160...Bastardi just lost it.
Nothing personal. He's had a lllllllong 36 hours.
A few days ago 160 mph would have scared us to death.
Also, the TPC is backing off the 175 of earlier today. I will have to find which advisory/discussion it was in, but they are saying that 175 may have been an error.
IOw she may have topped at 165, so that makes 160 even less of a weakening and more likely just a flucuation.
Bottom line, 175 or 160, is like asking would you rather be run over by a freight train or by an 18-wheeler.
hGood reason though; people hear the winds are dropping and they'll say Oh ok, no danger.
Westwego Mayor: most left;chance water will top levee;impact--awful lot of water and wind, good chance water will top levee, will take time to get water out; if over 7 ft surge trouble;expect 30 so we'll get hit;model shows large area to be underwater;only 20% stayed behind--not happy with that;we'll try to watch over them;only one shelter; majority of fire equipment gone to Lafayette-will be back as soon as storm is over; my family is gone; we're waiting.
The pressure is everything. The pressure difference drives the hurricane winds, nothing else, the lower the internal Millibars of pressure, the faster the winds can get. The (relatively negative) pressure is the driving force behind the hurricane engine - the greater the pressure difference the greater the windspeed can attain.
So, if the windspeed drops a bit, it is only temporary. The eyewall will be the destination target for all the air surrounding the eye, as the air tries to fill the relative void in the eye created by condensation high up in the atmosphere. The hurricane spins due to the corriolis
effect, which is NOT what happens in your toilet.
A hurricane is a great big continuous simple-cycle heat engine, using heat from the ocean, rapid ocean evaporation, even more rapid condensation (which cause both the heavy rains and low pressures), and being fed more warm, humid air from the winds circulating in continuously. It is an efficent way to disperse heat through the planet and then out into space.