10:00 am August 28, 2005: NHC Advisory: Katrina, Already as Strong as Camille, is Still Gaining Strength

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warns that Katrina, already a potentially catastrophic hurricane headed for the Northern Gulf Coast, continues to gain strength. Katrina is getting stronger-and bigger. The NHC notes that Katrina is now as strong as Hurricane Camille was in 1969, only larger, and warns that storm surge flooding will be 18-22 feet above normal, with surges to 28 feet in some areas. Although hurricanes rarely sustain these extreme winds for long, the NHC reports no obvious large-scale effects that could cause Katrina to weaken substantially. Katrina’s path likely will move northwest, then north-northwest over the next 24 hours. Other aspects of the NHC Advisory include:
Location: 225 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River
Direction and Speed: West-northwest at 12 mph
Maximum Sustained Winds: 175 mph with higher gusts
Estimated Central Pressure: 907 mb
Size: Hurricane winds now extend 105 miles from the center; tropical storm force winds extend to 205 miles
Probability that in the next 69 hours, Katrina’s eye will pass within 75 miles of:
Panama City, FL: 12 percent
Gulfport, MS: 33 percent
New Orleans, LA: 35 percent [National Hurricane Center, 8/28/2005; National Hurricane Center, 8/28/2005; National Hurricane Center, 8/28/2005]