Andrew was a Cat 5. The wind damage even far inland was way too severe and abnormal to not have been. Well built block and concrete buildings were LEVELED (Naranja Lakes, Pinewoods Villa). The storm flipped more cars, trucks, and planes than any other in history.
The hurricane experts realized that they had underestimated hurricane winds at the surface level-they turned out to be more stronger than they historically estimated. It’s upgrade was done with the Fujita wind experts and the hurricane researchers.
And you learn more with every one that happens.
believe that if you like, but when you start messing with the numbers 12 years after the fact, red flags go up. Especially nowadays and this climate change garbage. I know that half the people that did this study were dead against actually changing the classification.. maybe an addendum..a footnote, but to actually change the category. Now i notice they are doing it to tornadoes now...saying that for instance, the ‘XENIA OHIO” tornado wasn’t an f-5 storm...they are changing Hurricane Camille’s numbers now, to me. all just to say “see, things are getting worse”. In 1992 , i followed all of Andrews forecast, and at no time did that storm ever get to cat 5 status...there was almost no storm surge, and the damage almost all identical to f-3 tornado damage. Cat 4 are capable of ‘extreme” damage, and that’s what i saw.