CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE GUSTAV?

Not yet. Hurricane Gustav is currently located over western Cuba. It made landfall on the southwest coast of Cuba as a high-end category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 mph.  It is moving toward the NW at  14 mph. The the maximum sustained winds have rapidly increased to 150 mph.  The minimum central pressure is rapidly decreasing and is currently around 942 mb.  The forward speed of Hurricane Gustav has increased slightly and it is expected to pick up a little more.  Once it gets into the Gulf of Mexico it will continue to intensify because there is currently high oceanic heat for Hurricane Gustav to work with and the upper level winds will remain light.

To view the latest satellite imagery of Gustav click here: Hurricane Gustav Satellite Images.

Category 5 hurricane status is likely within the next 12 hours if it isn't already occurring.  From 5pm to 7pm EDT the satellite presentation of Hurricane Gustav improved significantly.  The eye of the hurricane can be seen all both satellite and radar.  Plus, Hurricane Gustav is more symmetrical now than it was earlier today.  The latest recon flight into the eyewall indicated that the minimum central pressure continued to fall. 

All of the computer models have come into agreement and move Hurricane Gustav into the Gulf of Mexico by Sunday morning.  Gustav WILL BE a major hurricane, i.e. category 3 or stronger, while it moves northwest in the Gulf of Mexico.  Mesoscale features can alter the environment surrounding Hurricane Gustav which will affect forecast track and forecast intensity.  If the wind shear aloft stays light and Gustav stays away from land, it will likely continue strengthening over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.  Forecast projected paths bring Hurricane Gustav crashing ashore between Houston, TX and New Orleans, LA.

The 156+ mph winds that come with a category 5 hurricane can cause extensive damage, but many people forget to think about the torrential flooding that comes from the rainfall and especially the storm surge.  It was the storm surge that caused the most widespread damage in New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina.  The storm surge associated with a category 5 hurricane exceeds 19 feet.  This means anything near the coast about 19-25 feet above sea level could very easily be underwater.

Current information on Hurricane Gustav:

Coordinates:	Forecast Path:	Projected Path:	Model Forecast:
Satellite Image:	Hurricane Warnings:	Water Temperature:	Gulf Coast Radar:

Current Tracking Coordinates of Hurricane Gustav:

U.S. Weather Watches and Warnings: