iCyclone Chase: ISAAC

[bobbutts]

Josh needs to get himself a satellite phone.

Do these work under thick overcast?

[Uncle Bobby]

Do these work under thick overcast?

I used a satellite phone for chasing from 2001 to 2004, and I don't recall it ever failing to work due to overcast. Supercells can probably be harder for those signals to penetrate than hurricanes, too, because of the hail.

[HurricaneJosh]

Hey, guys! I owe so many thnak-yous, I don't even know where to begin. I'll deal with those later.

I'm rushing to the airport but wanted to post a short chase debrief here, in case anyone wanted the quick 411:

Tuesday afternoon, as Hurricane Isaac approached Louisiana, I made a last-minute (probably crazy) decision to head deeper into the swamplands to face the storm head-on. And so I threw my stuff in the car and headed E on Highway 24 and then S on Highway 1 as the rain started to come down hard.

My final destination: a small bayou town called Galliano, about 30 miles ESE of Houma and just a few feet above sea level. I stationed the car in the large parking lot of a Catholic church on Highway 1, and that's where I rode out Hurricane Isaac's front side.

The storm built slowly throughout the afternoon as rainbands lashed the town. The cyclone's inner core moved in with the evening darkness, and that beautiful hurricane howl started up as the storm kicked into high gear. Hurricane winds blasted the town with ferocious energy for many hours, until finally, around 1 am, we started to have intermittent calms—separated by sudden blasts of wind—as we skated along the N edge of the eye for a couple of hours. I took advantage of the lull to relocate to the parking lot of Lady of the Sea General Hospital, since it's on slightly higher ground. We weren't 100% in the eye at this point, and when the cyclone wobbled S and the edge of the eyewall again moved over the town, fierce winds blasted the front entrance of the hospital as workers struggled to fasten cyclone shutters over the glass doors.

But around 3 am, the cyclone jogged N and that put us squarely in the calm. A nurse—a black-haired Cajun dude with that distinct accent—came out to the parking lot and insisted I come in, which I did—and for several hours I chatted with staff and ate vending-machine food.

We were in the eye for a very, very long time—in fact, it wasn't until around 10 am that the cyclone's backside moved in. But by that time, Isaac had lost some strength and it slowly degenerated into a big, messy rainstorm throughout the day—winds were strong but no longer so dangerous.

Galliano was clobbered by Isaac, but got through it OK: despite the fallen trees, damaged roofs, and smashed signs, the levees held and it didn't flood too badly. But when I tried to head back to Houma, the cops turned me back: the town was on strict lockdown and no one was allowed leave. So I spent the day killing time, sleeping in the car, shooting some video, and eating lunch in the hospital cafeteria.

At dusk, conditions had improved a little and I was desperate to get back to Houma. I didn't want to sleep in the car again. I drove back to the highway checkpoint. It was no longer being enforced, so I slipped N into the rainy gloom.

The drive back was not easy—it involved a big detour due to fallen trees, navigating a long stretch of downed power poles, punishing rainbands, and conversations with five different cops—but I did finally get back to Houma, and was delighted to find my hotel had electricity!

This chase was difficult—in fact, I'd say it was one of the toughest ever, since Isaac kept us guessing until the end—but it was a success: I nailed the eye! The image here shows my location (blue symbol) as it passed over.

And it was a unique chase for a few reasons:

• Impressive Cat 1. Isaac is a great reminder that a hurricane is a hurricane—and even a Category 1 is serious business. The storm was large and powerful, raking a large region with devastating winds and storm surge.
  
• Long Lull. Isaac's large eye and slow, erratic movement kept me in the eye for over 7 hours! That is a record for me. I almost forgot I was in a hurricane, it took so long to pass. While a hurricane's eye is usually a time for fast decisions, quick relocations, or emergency adjustments to equipment, I spent Isaac's eye having coffee, chatting with people, and even doing some work!
  
• Bayou Chase. This was my second chase in the Louisiana bayous, but this time I went much deeper in. This is a dangerous, high-risk, difficult-to-navigate chase turf—and that makes the successful mission that much sweeter!
  
• Bayou Country. This is a rather exotic corner of the USA. The isolated towns, swampy landscapes, and odd dialects—so odd I sometimes had trouble understanding people—give you the feeling you're at the edge of the earth. By the way: people here know hurricanes like you wouldn't believe and the average person in these parts can have a surprisingly technical discussion about things like central pressure and different computer models!
  

Big thanks to Adam, Jorge, Cory, and Bobby for their assistance behind the scenes-- and also a thanks to Kennethb for his insider's knowledge regarding Louisiana geography and emergency ops, which were extremely helpful as I charted my course. And of course a very big and special thanks to my right-hand man, Scott!

A full chase account and video will be coming soon!

[wxmx]

Have a good flight back. You'll probably have to hop in a plane again in a few weeks.

[Ginx snewx]

Nice synopsis Josh, heard you on local TV with Ryan yesterday. Great job, man it took forever for that eye to pass, did not fill in inland for an exceptional long period.

[NavarreDon]

Congrats Josh! It was a great chase to follow. Thanks for letting us on the board be a part of it. A special thanks to those who are behind the scenes of your chases & help make them possible.

[hm8]

Give it up for one of the best chasers out there. Another eye intercept, and judging by the spotter network map you where among the best positioned chasers.

Congrats

[kab2791]

Congratulation on another excellent chase! You and your chase partners do amazing work and have given us exceptional insight into experiencing the fury of these Hurricanes.

[SP]

Great summary Josh! Major kudos to the team who helped make it another success. Look forward to the videos etc.

[Voyager]

I'm rushing to the airport but wanted to post a short chase debrief here, in case anyone wanted the quick 411:

A full chase account and video will be coming soon!

Congrats on the successful chase. This was a great read, and for that reason, I can't wait for the detailed account and video!

[WXinCanton]

Excellent as always!! Nice job man!!

[Ben]

You never disappoint Josh! Congratulations and glad you are safe.

[Mallow]

Congratulations yet again!

[Brent]

Congrats Josh for another great ballsy chase.

[Ed Lizard]

Good work all around.

[Ridingtime]

Thanks for the chase! Been following it the whole time and have been thoroughly entertained and amazed

[Sky-Chaser]

Good afternoon, Josh

Thanks for the chase! Been following it the whole time and have been thoroughly entertained and amazed

Wow ... You were just east of me in that eye (I assume Lockport, LA)? The calm lasted very long because the eye basically stalled just southeast of Houma, LA with a 40 NM wide eye diameter. It was foggy in there, I wish I could have got a peek skyward through the stratus layer. I measured about 29.05" on my cheapo Wal-Mart WX console.

The conditions well away from the eye to the east looked like this (below)...

[Ed Lizard]

Good afternoon, Josh

Wow ... You were just east of me in that eye (I assume Lockport, LA)? The calm lasted very long because the eye basically stalled just southeast of Houma, LA with a 40 NM wide eye diameter. It was foggy in there, I wish I could have got a peek skyward through the stratus layer. I measured about 29.05" on my cheapo Wal-Mart WX console.

The conditions well away from the eye to the east looked like this (below)...

Galliano is farther down Bayou Lafourche. I used to drive down on the East Bank of B.LaF when heading offshore, and crossing over to LA 1 there, because there was less traffic. Golden Meadow was famous among offshore hands as a speed trap. Galliano also had fast food.

[Turtle]

Congrats on the successful chase. This was a great read, and for that reason, I can't wait for the detailed account and video!

Thanks for the chase! Been following it the whole time and have been thoroughly entertained and amazed

Yep, these! Everyone involved did a fantastic job.

Was waiting with baited breath each message that came from you, Josh. You can also tell that you trust your support team implicitly. A GREAT job all the way around.

So looking forward to your full account and video!!!

:clap:

--Turtle

[HurricaneJosh]

Metairie la getting pounded right now, watching a ustream. Be safe josh

Thanks, man. I took the necessary precautions—I think.

At this point I think he could be ok. Just need that westward movement/tug some of the models have been showing.

You predicted correctly.

I agree. I still think he's in a good spot.

And this prediction ended up being correct as well.

I just ran a loop back and forth, back and forth several times. I am convinced the synoptic motion is westward.

Yep—this hunch proved to be correct. The motion was W enough to get me in the eye.

Major league convective cell embedded in the eyewall headed your way, Josh.

Yep—that was when it finally kicked into gear—that band.

The latest image here; http://www.ssd.noaa....sh-wv-long.html

looks like Josh is at Ground Zero. It appears that all the moisture convergence is atop Josh.

This ended up being true as well. I was right in—or very near—that deep core convection at this time. Good call.

Galliano is where I have placed the red square on here, +/- a mile or so.

I love your radar work.

There may be one or two others "off the radar" but according to spotter network he's either the best placed or close among chasers. Most everyone else is from NO to southern MS.

Oh, wow—that is awesome to hear.

Yeah, you got it man.

I think so.

You rock Josh. I think you are getting the best show out of all the chasers out there.

That is awfully nice of you to say that.

[HurricaneJosh]

well i didn't do an interview with reed timmer or jim reed so...

You have awesome taste, Ian.

Gusting to zero here. This is when the jealousy really sets in.

Sweeeeet!

Thanks, Weatherkid.

Good deal!!! (I think)

Oh, it was—even if I ended up crying for mercy after four straight hours of eyewall!

It was gratifying to punch the core.

Enjoy Josh

Thanks, Ben! Nice to see you after all this time.

You look to be in a good spot man. Enjoy.

Thanks, Scott! I did—mostly.

Josh: Be careful moving around. You can be assured there will be powerlines and debris covering Hwy 1 and Hwy 308.

You were totally right. In fact, during the eye, I came this close to running over a powerpole on Highway 1. I saw it just in time. Ugh—would have been a disaster.

Not sure if you already knew this, or if it matters at this point -- but the bridges in Houma have been locked down, per LE friend.

Thanks so much for the ton info you provided on this chase-- both in this thread and via PMs. I so appreciate it and I apologize for not always responding-- chases are so frenetic sometimes!! Thank you thank you!

One quick warning: where you are now, the Mississippi River levee system blocks the storm surge. Storm surge now exceeds 10 feet above mean lower-low water in Shell Beach, Saint Bernard Parish, but water levels actually fell below normal in Morgan City as northeasterly winds blow water from the marshes into the Gulf of Mexico. If the hurricane moves to the south of you, as it now is doing, southerly winds will begin to blow water from the Gulf of Mexico into the marshes and up the bayous west of the west bank of the Mississippi River. This water rise, not significantly heretofore observed, may occur quite suddenly or rapidly. It may be quite rough, especially in open or exposed areas, or possibly even deceptively steady.

Storm surge is the most dangerous part of this system for your part of Louisiana. It is coming soon. Be prepared.

Thanks so much for this warning. Yeah, I think SE LA has got to be the most surge-prone part of the USA. It’s pretty scary being out there and knowing you’re just so exposed and vulnerable. But the levees held and Galliano did OK.

76 mph gust at Galliano

Cool—nice to see verification of hurricane winds at my location.

[andyhb]

Congrats Josh!

[HurricaneJosh]

You don't have much time to wait since Isaac is pumping water into the marshes west of the river already. Once winds turn easterly you need to get out of there, if you wait till they have a southerly component it'll quickly become too late.

The levees did their job, praise the Lord.

KGAO in the past 15 minutes has been getting gusts to mid-70's as that band is going through. KGAO is about 30 miles SE of you.

Actually, James, I was almost right at KGAO! I was in Galliano for the storm—not Houma.

Scott and team iCyclone won't let him get in a bad way. Good luck down there hope you get some great video/readings!

Thank you! The equipment malfunctioned, which I’m very disappointed about, but I think I got some OK video. I haven’t sat down to look at any of it yet, but darn, I sure shot a lot on this chase! So I’m hoping there are some good scraps hidden in there.

Recon just found the center due south of Grand Isle.

Seems like the wobble west is real.

Stay safe Josh.

Thanks, Superstorm—always nice to see you in these chase threads.

Awesome, stay safe. You are a crazy dude. Nice storm!

Thank you very much—I take that as a compliment.

Hang in there, Josh! My hub will be totally jealous of you when I show him this later today!!!

--Turtle

Ha ha, thanks, Eleanor! Please tell him I say hello! I got so many hours of eyewall with this one, I would gladly have donated one hour to him! I was blue in the face with it!

It'll make a great edited video, no doubt.

I think it should be OK. The eyewall moved into town early in the evening, while there was still some light, so I at least got the ramp-up period with some daylight. One thing’s for sure: I’ll be coming home with more footage than I have with any other chase, partly because of the sheer duration of the event. I think just because I shot so darn much, I should be able to find some decent stuff here and there. The quantity of footage is going to make this one a nightmare to edit. I’m dreading it.

Had a confirmed 106 mph gust off the coast so it looks like still the heart of the storm is coming. Looks better organized than it has ever as well which may attribute from the ocean barrier which can help in intensification so maybe you do get a triple digit gust mixing down

It’s so weird the way this cyclone—like Ernesto a couple of weeks ago—seemed to really pull together and spin up a nice core as it was coming ashore. What a freaky season.

Josh, what would you estimate the winds to be?

Great question, and so hard to say. The highest winds happened in the dark, so that makes it especially hard. Judging from the airport obs and also the damage around town, I think we had solid Cat-1 conditions, with max sustained winds of at least 65 kt and gusts over 80 kt. That would be my guess.

Get lee side behind a building

That’s my usual strategy. I didn’t in this case because I wanted exposure for the anemometer—but I was in the middle of a very large parking lot, downwind from a solid brick church—as opposed to a sheet-metal warehouse, for example—so I felt OK. I mean, there’s always going to be some risk, but… I feel like I managed it reasonably well. I think.

Hang in there Josh! I was once stuck in the mud under an HP supercell that evolved into a completely stationary MCS directly on top of me for about 6 hrs. So I know what it feels like to wish what you came for in the first place would finally give you a break.

Wow—that sounds like a nightmare! And, yeah, very similar to what I went through. Isaac was a real endurance test.

So is it way stronger than what you were expecting?

Totally. Definitely the strongest Cat 1 I’ve been in. The whole experience was so much bigger and more serious than what I expect from a Cat 1. My expectations were greatly exceeded.

[HurricaneJosh]

Natural optimist- perhaps the near stall on the radar is the first step torward predicted NW movement that would put Galliano in the eye.

Bingo—that is exactly what happened. A little after you posted this, it did kind of jog NW—and then I enjoyed the eye for 7 hours!

Excellent advice. Jim Leonard when he was on Guam for Typhoon Omar was in the lee of a substantial building thus avoiding getting slammed when that roof came off and passed over his car. He had something like 4 hours of typhoon force winds ahead of the eye and about 8 after so Josh is experiencing what would be a reasonable sized typhoon in WPAC-he's got some time to go and the backside could be worse.

Steve

Oh, I know exactly which video you’re talking about. I love that one.

Josh time to go, water has risen a quarter foot in 30 minutes in Grand Isle and now sits at 3.25 ft, and the tide is coming in. Good luck and awesome chase so far.

Thanks, Turtle—I really appreciate that.

Josh

Earlier you posted this.

I'd go with that local knowledge from someone who should know and stay put.

Bingo. This chase was a good illustration of that old truth, the locals know best. They really did, in this case.

Probably, yeah. Well, it wobbled a little south on the last few scans. That is not helpful.

Yeah, and that wobble S put us back in the N eyewall for a little while—ugh!

You seem to be good to go in that town http://www.slld.org/aboutus.html

"The Hurricane Protection Levees are designed to protect the area from Larose to south of Golden Meadow, LA from category two (2) hurricanes. To provide this protection the levees were built with a wide base with an elevation of +13 ft. above sea level on the south end and +9 ft. on the north end. The base of the levee varies from 150 to 400 ft. wide."

Yep! And they worked!

It was interesting—a nurse at the hospital was telling me about Galliano’s levees. He seemed proud of them and seemed to really trust them. I asked him he would ride out a Cat 4 there, though, and he was totally honest—he was like, “No—the levees are good but we’re not God,” or something like that. He said he would stay for a 3.

Not posting advice this go 'round...don't want to be another cook in an already crowded kitchen. You and Scott have been through enough of these to where he won't steer you wrong. Just want to say 'well done", and cheers to another awesome chase that's far from over! Chasing vicariously with you...one of these seasons, it'll be for real in my neck of the woods.

Thanks, Tony! I’m so glad you enjoy the chase threads.

Good stuff, Josh!

Thanks, Kevin! Nice to see you popping by in a tropical thread.

I am really happy that you are safe. Excellent chase coverage Josh! MASSIVE PROPS!

Oh, thanks, Jebman! I really appreciate tha—and nice to see you around.

Great job again, Josh! Been fun following along - again!

Thanks, Solak!

[HurricaneJosh]

Congrats, Josh! 2 for 2 this year

It’s funny you put it that way, because I absolutely do view chasing as a sport—a competitive one. I can’t help it.

Awesome job as usual, man.

Thanks, Scott!!

Congrats on another successful chase, Joshypoo!

Thanks, Katie—always such a treat to see you visiting the tropical scene.

Good job.

Thanks, Ed.

Congrats on punching another core! Great job for you and everyone involved! : )

Thank you. It is very satisfying to punch a core—feels good. And, yeah, the team is so awesome. There is so much that happens behind the scenes, and I’m so glad folks see that.

Awesome Josh, congrats on another intercept and 2 for 2 this season. Be safe and enjoy your tropical cyclone

Thanks, Dave.

Congrats man!! Sounds like it was quite intense! I loved the fact that you were able to report to us during the peak. Because normally we have to wait until several hours after to find out if you're OK haha

Hey, thanks, man—glad you liked it! It was really a pretty awesome ‘cane. This one plus nasty little Ernie have given me brand-new respect for Cat 1s. That’s my bug takeaway this season. And, yeah, it was so awesome having a solid data connection for the whole storm—such a rare treat! But funny enough, it finally went dead the next morning, after the worst had passed. I shouldn’t be greedy, but grrrrrr.

Good job on another successful chase Josh! Can't wait to see the pics and videos later on when you get a chance to upload them.

Hey, thanks, man—I’m going to try to get the video out soon! I’m curious to review the footage and see if I got anything good. It’s always so hard to know…

That has to be so weird just hanging out in the eye like that. Good job on the chase!

Did your Kestrel seal leak or something?

It was very weird being an eye so long that I kept forgetting I was in the middle of a hurricane. I was drinking coffee, chilling out, even sending work eMails!

I don’t know what happened with the instrument, but I was pretty bummed about it. You and I need to have a talk about instrumentation!

[HurricaneJosh]

Congrats on a safe and successful chase. I was very worried last night about your location. It ain't over yet though.

Thanks, Jason—I really appreciate it. It was kind of risky location—but I’m glad I took the risk. It paid off.

A incredible thread for sure. Congrats Josh! you are probably half way home. I am sure you are well aware but, as a reminder. Fatigue brings mistake....keep your guard up and stay aware.

Oh, totally!! You are so right. I am always worried about that—making dangerous driving mistakes because I’m sleep-deprived. Given this, I’ve been making an effort these last couple of years to really force myself to get at least some sleep in the nights leading up to a chase. It’s critical. I’m a sportsman, so I remind myself that chasing is a sport—a dangerous one—and as with any sport, I will perform best if I’ve slept.

I’m glad you enjoyed the thread—thank you.

Congrats Josh!!

Great thread all.

Question. Has Josh ever tried to use Skype and provide live reports to news etc? How about a radio show from the core?

Be safe through round two!!

Thanks, SP—so glad you enjoyed the thread.

I’m experiencing more with different communication technologies. After the cyclone, I did a TV interview (with Ryan Hanrahan of NBC) using Skype on my iPad, and it worked reasonably well.

Congrats Josh!

Thanks, kiddo!

Congrats Josh.

Thanks, Steve. I really appreciate your faithful support and friendship.

Hang in there. It gets better

Fascinating storm for it's size and for its duration over a single area. Glad you made it -- enjoy the show!

Tim in ILM

Oh, I did enjoy it! Thank you.

Gotta give credit to you or whoever sent you deep into bayou country given the model disparity 36-48 hours ago. Enjoying the play-by-play of your chase!

Yeah, like I mentioned above, it was a very difficult decision to go down there for two reasons: 1) I knew it was dangerous and 2) there was high bust potential: by committing to a position so deep in the bayous—so far S and E—I was making the other options less feasible if the cyclone turned right and hit up near Slidell/Gulfport, like a lot of the models were showing. This chase was full of tought choices. I’m glad that it worked out and that it’s done!

Congrats Josh, Scott and everyone else that helped to make this chase another success

Thanks, buckeye! The team really deserves a lot of the praise.

[HurricaneJosh]

Since you have an iPad, the Radarscope app has Level II data now. It's super sweet.

Omg, I looooooove Radarscope. This was the first chase where I really used it—as my last few chases have been in Mexico—and man, was it awesome!! It’s indispensable.

You could use iMessage on the iPad with 3G service to text anyone with an iPhone.

Thanks—I’m going to get that. It never occurred to me to do that, because usually the opposite happens: I lose the data connection while the phone service remains.

What?! No camera on your iPad which you can use to upload it?!

I have an iPad 1. I know—I need to upgrade.

Congrats!

Thanks, Ian!

Very well done Josh! You are very close to the SE edge of the eye. Prepare for round 2 and some daylight footage. Major kudos to you and Scott (and the whole team assisting you)!

Thanks, Jorge.

Re: daylight footage… The storm camped out over us for so long that by the time it started moving again and the eyewall moved back over us, it didn’t have the same punch—was not nearly as strong as the night before—and so there weren’t a lot of great daytime shots to be had.

Josh: here in Baton Rouge we are awaiting the northeast eyewall. We have had strong TS gusts all night increasing this morning.

Stay safe as there will be lots of debris on the roads. Those south Louisiana folks will take care of you.

With power out the next step is to have a cookout with all of the stuff in the freezers and refrigerators.

You are right—Louisianans were very hospitable. Cool that you got some storm, too. And, yeah, Re: the debris! There was a lot in the roads—trees, power poles, you name it.

Wow, what an awesome thread to read with the good play X plays.. Congrats Josh and thanks to all who has been providing him with up dates

Hey, thanks—glad you enjoyed. Yeah, it’s an awesome team!

Cool. ATT 3g IPAD can run skype or google talk. We use both alot, even for instant messaging/since you can collaborate real time. TMo is rough, in some places they have awesome HSDPA cable of quality data speeds to 30-40mbps, however the coverage is rough in areas with elevation, even for 1G/2G voice calling.

Finally, add one of the popular txt apps to your iPad. Some even offer free VoIP telephone numbers that take your ipad or ipod and make it a telephone. TEXT NOW is very popular and you get a free telephone number.

I use Skype on my iPad as a phone sometimes and it works pretty well. I did my NBC Connecticut interview with that and the quality was reasonable. I’m going to get a text app for my iPad—that makes sense. Which do you recommend?

Josh, I'm super-impressed that you and your team got you placed in a sweet spot.

You coulda been in Port Sulphur or some other "missed-the-eye" ragtag road crossing.

Thanks, Richard! I really appreciate that!

P.S. Did Port Sulphur miss the eye? I haven’t reviewed the radar too closely, but it would seem they should’ve gotten nailed pretty good!

[HurricaneJosh]

Very cool to sit in the eye that long-- Congrats on the awesome chase.

Thanks, Keith.

YEAH Josh!!! Great job by all!!!!

Keep hangin' in there, got the other side to go.

--Turtle

The backside was not nearly as bad as the front. I was slightly disappointed, since it hit by daylight and therefore I could’ve gotten footage of any sexy action.

Congratulations on another successful chase! Safe travels home, Josh.

Hey, thanks, NC! As I type this, I am safely back home in L.A.

Josh took some time from his chase to talk with us for a story I put together about people chasing Isaac early this afternoon.

http://www.nbcconnec...Media/167900145

Check it out

Thanks again Josh!!!

Ryan, great piece! I love how you put it together and I think you picked some good clips from my portfolio! Thanks very much for this exposure—it’s great to be able to share some of my experience with a wider audience.

P.S. You have a great broadcast voice. When the piece started, I was like, “Wow—is that Ryan??” Of course, we’ve met before (at one of the conferences), but since we were just chatting you didn’t sound all “newsman”.

Josh was inside the levees that protect Galliano which is located along Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish. I have not heard of any levee problems in Lafourche Parish. Levee problems have been in Plaquemines Parish. BTY, it appears they will implode a section of levee in Plaquemines Parish to relive pressure.

Yep—those levees worked—just as the locals said they would. It was cool.

WOW!!! That was GREAT!!!

So good to hear your voice, Josh...and great get, Ryan!!

--Turtle

Thanks, Eleanor! Glad you liked the way it sounded. I was totally mega-fried when we did the interview, so I was worried I’d come off like a dingbat.

Josh, that took some very serious stones to go out into an unfamiliar bayou in a major storm at night with uncertain storm surge potential by yourself AND find the freaking eye. Out there in the bayou you had to have known whatever happened you were pretty much on your own. Maybe you can sell your adventures as a series to TWC.

Thanks, Ozark! This chase did have a really risky feel to it. As I drove from Houma to Galliano, I was wondering if I was being stupid. I just wanted to push to the edge, and it was like I couldn’t help myself—I was gonna do it.

I would rank Josh up there with Jim Leonard when it comes to hurricanes and that's no mean accomplishment since Leonard has produced some of the most graphic tropical footage ever-the long form version of typhoon Omar is awesome.

Steve

Wow. Thank you, Steve—I take that as a very serious compliment.

Have a good flight back. You'll probably have to hop in a plane again in a few weeks.

Omg, please, no. I so need a rest.

Nice synopsis Josh, heard you on local TV with Ryan yesterday. Great job, man it took forever for that eye to pass, did not fill in inland for an exceptional long period.

Thanks, Sultan—glad you liked it, and thanks for contributing to the thread.

Congrats Josh! It was a great chase to follow. Thanks for letting us on the board be a part of it. A special thanks to those who are behind the scenes of your chases & help make them possible.

Thanks, Don—I am so glad you enjoyed the chase—and thanks for participating in it. This one felt pretty unique—I’m definitely going to remember it!

[HurricaneJosh]

Give it up for one of the best chasers out there. Another eye intercept, and judging by the spotter network map you where among the best positioned chasers.

Congrats

Awww, thanks, hm8. That’s awesome to hear (Re: my position).

Congratulation on another excellent chase! You and your chase partners do amazing work and have given us exceptional insight into experiencing the fury of these Hurricanes.

Hey, thanks, kab! That’s really why I do it—it’s a sort of burning curiosity. I want to see that fury up close, in person.

Great summary Josh! Major kudos to the team who helped make it another success. Look forward to the videos etc.

Thanks for reading it, SP—and, yeah, the team is such a big part of this. I think of when I used to chase totally alone—before the Internet—with no advice or inputs from anyone. It was a very different game back then.

Congrats on the successful chase. This was a great read, and for that reason, I can't wait for the detailed account and video!

Thanks, Steve! I’m hoping to get the video out within the next couple of weeks. I’ll be curious to hear what you think of it. I shot a lot so there’s a ton of editing that needs to happen. Ugh.

Excellent as always!! Nice job man!!

Thanks, Canton!

You never disappoint Josh! Congratulations and glad you are safe.

Thanks, Ben!!

Congratulations yet again!

Thanks, Mallowberry.

Congrats Josh for another great ballsy chase.

I try. Thank you.

Good work all around.

Thanks, Ed!

Thanks for the chase! Been following it the whole time and have been thoroughly entertained and amazed

Oh, hey! How are you? Nice to see you popping in like this—haven’t seen you for a while. Thanks for following the chase—I’m delighted that you dug it.

Yep, these! Everyone involved did a fantastic job.

Was waiting with baited breath each message that came from you, Josh. You can also tell that you trust your support team implicitly. A GREAT job all the way around.

So looking forward to your full account and video!!!

--Turtle

Eleanor, you are always so sweet! Thank you. Yes, I totally trust the team. Scott in particular is like my right hand—I always want to at least run ideas by him when those difficult decisions need to be made. Video should be out in a couple of weeks!

Congrats Josh!

Thanks, Andy-- always nice to see you in the tropical threads.

[HurricaneJosh]

Good afternoon, Josh

Wow ... You were just east of me in that eye (I assume Lockport, LA)? The calm lasted very long because the eye basically stalled just southeast of Houma, LA with a 40 NM wide eye diameter. It was foggy in there, I wish I could have got a peek skyward through the stratus layer. I measured about 29.05" on my cheapo Wal-Mart WX console.

The conditions well away from the eye to the east looked like this (below)...

Hi, Chris!

Lockport? No, I was nowhere near there or Houma. I was way S and E, down in Galliano—about 30 mi from your location—closer to Grand Isle. It was a good spot—got the full force of the cyclone right off the Gulf!