Gustav Becomes A Major Hurricane

GUSTAV UPDATE...
   Hurricane Gustav Now a Major Category 3 Hurricane; Additional Strengthening Is Likely...



     First before I start this post, I have made a mistake the past several posts. I have been saying Gustav will likely become the First Major Hurricane of the season, however it will be the second major hurricane of the season. I had forgotten about Hurricane Bertha, this is because Hurricane Bertha never affected any land. So Gustav will likely be the first major hurricane to affect land.
     So now onto information about Gustav. At 6AM this morning hurricane hunters found that Gustav had strengthened into a minimal major Hurricane. As of the 11AM advisory Gustav has continued to intensify and is packing sustained winds of 125MPH with gusts to 155MPH. Minimum central pressure is down to 954 millibars.
     Satellite trends have indicated that Gustav has jogged slightly to the North. Slight deviations like that are fairly common in Large Hurricane. So additional wobbles along its track are likely. They need to be watched though, because they can have a significant impact on track and landfall.
     Computer models have came into significantly well agreement. It looks like Gustav will make landfall somewhere on the South-Central Coast of Louisiana. This is the current forecast, however as Gustav approaches Louisiana it appears it will slow down significantly, which would cause major flooding problems. As far as intensity goes, Gustav will continue to intensify until it strikes Cuba, and then once into the Gulf of Mexico further strengthening is likely, and some additional rapid strengthening is not out of the question. Gustav could potential gain Category 5 strength for a short period of time. As far as intensity goes at landfall it depends on how fast it moves ashore. If it slows down significantly then land will have a longer time to batter the storm prior to landfall. If it comes ashore fast, then land wont have as much of a chance to weaken it. So Gustav could very well be a Category 3 or 4 hurricane at landfall. If you live in the path, it is recommended you evacuate. Stay tuned for further updates...