Flight Planning
Ike blows into Gulf
As of today, Hurricane Ike remains in western Cuba, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. In its five-day forecast “cone of probability,” the National Hurricane Center projects that Ike will most likely make landfall near the Corpus Christi, Texas, area at 2 a.m. Saturday morning, September 13, with Category 3 maximum winds of 115 mph. Pilots still have plenty of time to prepare for Ike and leave the area.
But the Corpus Christi landfall isn’t a lock. Two forecast models give Ike a chance of hitting the Texas coast farther north, closer to the Galveston or Houston areas. Here’s a plot of the latest model tracks. Note that the UKMET model track puts Ike the farthest north. We’ll keep you posted as Ike nears land.
September 9, 2008
