While over open ocean, Ike's winds had maxed out at cat 4 strength, above 140 mph. But after clipping the tip of Cuba, his max wind speeds decreased. However, Ike's wind field spread out. So although it came ashore near Galveston as a Cat 2 with max winds near 110 mph, the cat 4 surge remained.
It devastated the Bolivar peninsula. The community of Gilchrist (Below) nearly wiped off the map by a 15' - 20' rise in water level. The storm surge is the most dangerous and deadly part of any hurricane.
This Friday, many communities on the outer banks of North Carolina will face a similar threat in Florence. Thanks to Ike, hurricane forecast now come with special storm surge forecasts. This one (below) suggests water level rise between 6' to 9' feet. It could be higher in many spots along those barrier islands.
We don't know exactly how it will all play out, but on this Ike anniversary, Houston and Galveston's thoughts and prayers are with the Carolinas and the outer banks (below) right now.
