andyhb Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Just talked with Josh. He only had a few minutes with the phone card so info is limited. He and Jim Edds made it to Emiliano Zapata and hunkered down. Said it was some of the more intense conditions he has been in and they both thought that gusts were well over 100 kts with elevation helping out somewhat. Even mentioned that Jim said some elements were 'Charely' like and will expand on that later. Both agreed that Jova far exceeded their expectations. Back at the resort in Manzanilla but without power and probably won't be able to update until tomorrow if he can make it back to Manzanillo. Otherwise he will try and give me a call tomorrow. Congrats! Sounds like it was well worth the effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallow Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 given that elevation played a part maybe he'll stop being such a 10m purist This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxmx Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 I think Emiliano Zapata's mean altitude is around 20m (60ft) ASL... not much enhancement from elevation I would think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil882 Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 I wonder if he had the kestrel going during the event. The NHC explicitly stated in the discussion that they had no obs. over the landfall location. Even if the winds with the kestrel weren't that accurate, a minimum central pressure might actually be pretty crucial for the post-analysis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toad strangler Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 win or lose, Josh's unbelievable writing skills will keep all entertained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott747 Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 I think Emiliano Zapata's mean altitude is around 20m (60ft) ASL... not much enhancement from elevation I would think. Some type of mountainous/funneling effect? I haven't really looked into the topography of where they ended up at so I could be way off base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott747 Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 I wonder if he had the kestrel going during the event. The NHC explicitly stated in the discussion that they had no obs. over the landfall location. Even if the winds with the kestrel weren't that accurate, a minimum central pressure might actually be pretty crucial for the post-analysis. I didn't get a chance to ask him about BASTARD or if he took any measurements. Ran out of time.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gymengineer Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 This. LOL.. with his (and many of our) neurotic tendency towards only dealing in hard-and-fast rules/every issue is black-or-white (vs. accepting shades of grey), it became so predictable what the response would be whenever someone posted a1940's observation or any measurement where you couldn't prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the reading was taken 10-m. Just mentioning Cape Henry would send him into fits. But most of us are sticklers for a consistent record as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil882 Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 I didn't get a chance to ask him about BASTARD or if he took any measurements. Ran out of time.... I'm sure we will find out in his lengthy post report Good to hear he has had another successful chase it appears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 I didn't get a chance to ask him about BASTARD or if he took any measurements. Ran out of time.... He wasn't planning to deploy BASTARD since his Bluetooth Kestrel was being replaced and he didn't have it back in time. He took my Kestrel to get pressure readings though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxmx Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Some type of mountainous/funneling effect? I haven't really looked into the topography of where they ended up at so I could be way off base. Could be, there are hills between EZ and the ocean, especially around 6-10 mi the south, where they can get above 300 ft. It would depend on wind direction, since most of those hills are directly to the south and also we will have to consider if the sustained winds were not that high, but gusts were, that would be an earmark of funneling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apm Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Irwin is firing up a bit and coming closer. If it made landfall it'd have to be close to a record for quickest repeat landfall in the same area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srain Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 I see Josh lurking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Lizard Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 I see Josh lurking. I'm glad the mud slides, coral snakes, and scorpions didn't get him. Might want to get out before the next round of mudslides... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srain Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 This is a chase thread, not a anaphylactic shock discussion. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apm Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Irwin is coming to a screeching halt; damn those models are good. Irwin is firing up a bit and coming closer. If it made landfall it'd have to be close to a record for quickest repeat landfall in the same area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HurricaneJosh Posted October 13, 2011 Author Share Posted October 13, 2011 Hey, guys-- I'm back in Puerto Vallarta, and I'm going to get some R&R this evening. I'll post a full report tomorrow, but the basic headline is that we got squarely in the right eyewall (in Emiliano Zapata) and got totally raked. I estimate the gusts were over 100 kt and Jim-- who shot that legendary footage in Charley's eyewall and knows a good storm-- estimated them even higher. In fact, he even described it as "Charley-like". Comparing it to 'canes I've done, Jova made Cat-3 Karl last year seem like a complete joke. I was actually caught off guard by the severity of it. Driving up the coast, I was kind of expecting the cyclone to be a non-event, so it was odd to find myself panicking and ready to drop the camera and get under the car just an hour or so later, as the cyclone's small, violent wind core passed over us. I talked with residents afterward. People were surprised by Jova's severity, and multiple folks described being scared by it. (Context: Mexicans tend not to overreact to hurricanes-- they're the opposite of drama queens.) The cyclone's center actually passed just to our W, so we weren't in the eye. But what I got out of this was even better than that-- it was awesome to be in the wind max of a strengthening 'cane. The lowest sea-level pressure the Kestrel recorded was 985.2 mb at 12:33 am. This roughly coincided with the max winds, which were blowing from the S-- so Jova's center must have been passing a few miles to our W. By 1:30 am it was easing up. The hurricane itself was only half the adventure. Getting back to La Manzanilla was an odyssey I won't soon forget. I won't get into details now, but let's just say I walked into the hotel lobby 12 hrs later, scratched, bruised, bloodied, covered in mud, and limping. Total hurtyhurtz. Jova might be my best chase ever. I don't care that it wasn't a major, I don't care that it was at night-- it was a violent, scary storm. Pure awesomeness. For those who want more than the Cliffs Notes, I'll post the full report tomorrow. P.S. I got it all on video. It was at night and I could only get what was illuminated by the car headlights-- so I pretty much shot only one view for the entire storm-- but I kept the camera rolling almost the entire time. I got a tree blowing down, a big sign post getting bent, lethal flying debris, and a bunch of other goodies-- hopefully the video captures the experience. (I haven't reviewed it yet.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Hey, guys-- I'm back in Puerto Vallarta, and I'm going to get some R&R this evening. I'll post a full report tomorrow, but the basic headline is that we got squarely in the right eyewall and got totally raked. I estimate the gusts were over 100 kt and Jim-- who shot that legendary footage in Charley's eyewall and knows a good storm-- estimated them even higher. In fact, he even described it as "Charley-like". Comparing it to 'canes I've done, Jova made Cat-3 Karl last year seem like a complete joke. I was actually caught off guard by the severity of it. Driving up the coast, I was kind of expecting the cyclone to be a non-event, so it was odd to find myself panicking and ready to drop the camera and get under the car just an hour or so later, as the cyclone's small, violent wind core passed over us. I talked with residents afterward. People were surprised by Jova's severity, and multiple folks described being scared by it. (Context: Mexicans tend not to overreact to hurricanes-- they're the opposite of drama queens.) The cyclone's center actually passed just to our W, so we weren't in the eye. But what I got out of this was even better than that-- it was awesome to be in the wind max of a strengthening 'cane. The lowest sea-level pressure the Kestrel recorded was 985.2 mb at 12:33 am. This roughly coincided with the max winds, which were blowing from the S-- so Jova's center must have been passing a few miles to our W. By 1:30 am it was easing up. The hurricane itself was only half the adventure. Getting back to La Manzanilla was an odyssey I won't soon forget. I won't get into details now, but let's just say I got back to my hotel 12 hrs later, scratched, bruised, bloodied, covered in mud, and limping. Total hurtyhurtz. Jova might be my best chase ever. I don't care that it wasn't a major, I don't care that it was at night-- it was a violent, scary storm. Pure awesomeness. More tomorrow. For those who want more than the Cliffs Notes, I'll post the full report tomorrow. P.S. I got it all on video. It was at night and I could only get what was illuminated by the car headlights-- so I pretty much shot only one view for the entire storm-- but I kept the camera rolling almost the entire time. I got a tree blowing down, a big sign post getting bent, lethal flying debris, and a bunch of other goodies-- hopefully the video captures the experience. (I haven't reviewed it yet.) Awesome bro, so happy for you. Glad you are OK, congrats!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 That's awesome. I guess that last minute ramp up really helped out. Defintely better to have a slight strengthening cane at that pressure move ashore than something that is weakening at the same pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Torchey Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Hey, guys-- I'm back in Puerto Vallarta, and I'm going to get some R&R this evening. I'll post a full report tomorrow, but the basic headline is that we got squarely in the right eyewall (in Emiliano Zapata) and got totally raked. I estimate the gusts were over 100 kt and Jim-- who shot that legendary footage in Charley's eyewall and knows a good storm-- estimated them even higher. In fact, he even described it as "Charley-like". Comparing it to 'canes I've done, Jova made Cat-3 Karl last year seem like a complete joke. I was actually caught off guard by the severity of it. Driving up the coast, I was kind of expecting the cyclone to be a non-event, so it was odd to find myself panicking and ready to drop the camera and get under the car just an hour or so later, as the cyclone's small, violent wind core passed over us. I talked with residents afterward. People were surprised by Jova's severity, and multiple folks described being scared by it. (Context: Mexicans tend not to overreact to hurricanes-- they're the opposite of drama queens.) The cyclone's center actually passed just to our W, so we weren't in the eye. But what I got out of this was even better than that-- it was awesome to be in the wind max of a strengthening 'cane. The lowest sea-level pressure the Kestrel recorded was 985.2 mb at 12:33 am. This roughly coincided with the max winds, which were blowing from the S-- so Jova's center must have been passing a few miles to our W. By 1:30 am it was easing up. The hurricane itself was only half the adventure. Getting back to La Manzanilla was an odyssey I won't soon forget. I won't get into details now, but let's just say I walked into the hotel lobby 12 hrs later, scratched, bruised, bloodied, covered in mud, and limping. Total hurtyhurtz. Jova might be my best chase ever. I don't care that it wasn't a major, I don't care that it was at night-- it was a violent, scary storm. Pure awesomeness. For those who want more than the Cliffs Notes, I'll post the full report tomorrow. P.S. I got it all on video. It was at night and I could only get what was illuminated by the car headlights-- so I pretty much shot only one view for the entire storm-- but I kept the camera rolling almost the entire time. I got a tree blowing down, a big sign post getting bent, lethal flying debris, and a bunch of other goodies-- hopefully the video captures the experience. (I haven't reviewed it yet.) Wow Josh that sounds amazing, glad to see you are ok, get some rest and cant wait for the full report and video Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallow Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HurricaneJosh Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 Aw, thanks, you guys. P.S. Does *anyone* have (or have access to) the final microwave image(s)-- or any other porn-- from during or right before landfall? I'd pay money to see those. If you have 'em, please post 'em. Pretty please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eekuasepinniW Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Glad you got a nice and brutal pounding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cory Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Congrats, Josh! Can't wait to see the video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil882 Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Aw, thanks, you guys. P.S. Does *anyone* have (or have access to) the final microwave image(s)-- or any other porn-- from during or right before landfall? I'd pay money to see those. If you have 'em, please post 'em. Pretty please? This was the last higher resolution microwave from SSMIS before landfall. There was an AMSU pass after this time, but its of much lower resolution and is only really useful for general structure. Interestingly enough, it shows that the eyewall became closed again as it make landfall, implying it might have intensified a bit before landfall in the last 2-3 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypatia Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Congrats Josh! How exciting! I am jealous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wannabehippie Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Glad to know are safe and sound (or at least fairly sound). When do you anticipate in getting back to the states? Aw, thanks, you guys. P.S. Does *anyone* have (or have access to) the final microwave image(s)-- or any other porn-- from during or right before landfall? I'd pay money to see those. If you have 'em, please post 'em. Pretty please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srain Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Congrats my friend, as well as major kudos to Scott, Jorge and Adam for working so hard to get Josh in the best possible location for a sucessful intercept. So much goes on behind the scenes to make these chase chances so sucessfull. Josh even took time to check on me while I was in the hospital upon his arrival in Mexico and see how I was doing. Say what you want about the so called 'tropiclique', but we care about each other and are bound together by our love of all things tropics. I am proud to call all these guys and gals my friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Smith Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Reminds me in presentation of Juan 2003 making landfall at Halifax NS (recorded as a strong cat-2) ... also gave a very concentrated band of 120 kt gusts in the northeast quad of the eyewall. Given the 10 deg warmer seas for Jova's final approach, perhaps you were in fact in a major with this, could have been at cat-3 when it landed. Anyway, perfectly executed plan. Looking forward to videos or pix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toad strangler Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 awesome Josh, and MAN do you ever deserve a daylight raid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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