KAT Becomes A Cat 5

In a special advisory released at 7 a.m. CDT Sunday, Hurricane Katrina officially was designated a Category 5 storm.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS SPECIAL ADVISORY IS TO REVISE THE INTENSITY OF KATRINA TO CATEGORY FIVE. AN AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT REPORTED A PEAK 700 MB FLIGHT-LEVEL WIND OF 153 KNOTS...WHICH CORRESPONDS TO MAXIMUM SURFACE WINDS OF ABOUT 140 KNOTS. OBVIOUSLY...THE BIG QUESTION IS HOW STRONG KATRINA WILL BE AT LANDFALL. WE HAVE VERY LIMITED SKILL IN PREDICTING THIS. FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY...DUE TO EYEWALL R EPLACEMENTS... ARE LIKELY DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. NEVERTHELESS... KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO BE A DEVASTING CATEGORY FOUR OR FIVE HURRICANE AT LANDFALL.

Earlier, NHC found the storm's "wind field" had expanded. Consequently, the forecast advisory area for expected tropical force winds also was expanded. It now stretches from western Louisiana all the way to near Apalachicola, Florida:

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND A HURRICANE WATCH ARE IN EFFECT FROM EAST OF THE ALABAMA/FLORIDA BORDER TO DESTIN FLORIDA...AND FROM WEST OF MORGAN CITY TO I INTRACOASTAL CITY LOUISIANA. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA... GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS.

With that announcement, it seems all but certain the Pensacola area will suffer at least some serious damaging effects from what may well become the largest and most powerful monster storm to hit the Gulf Coast in decades -- or ever.