[AntiGuv]

The only reason for this not to make landfall as a Cat 5 is luck.

[alancarp]

2 days 'til landfall to fret. The good news is that the evacs are well underway. I'll signoff. 'Night all.

[not-alone]

Luck seems to be a big factor dealing with hurricanes

[NautiNurse]

It's extremely unusual for a storm to maintain Cat 5 status for an extended length of time. Problem with the GOM storms is that the storm surge tends to reflect the strongest status of the storm, regardless of wind speed/SS Category at landfall.

For this reason, I shake my head in dismay when folks split hairs about the minute wind speed detail at the moment of landfall.