HURRICANE TOMAS DISCUSSION NUMBER 5
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL212010
1100 AM AST SAT OCT 30 2010

AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INVESTIGATING TOMAS
THIS MORNING FOUND MAXIMUM 700 MB FLIGHT-LEVEL WINDS OF 68 KT IN
THE SOUTHEAST QUADRANT ALONG WITH SEVERAL 64-66 KT RELIABLE SFMR
WINDS. IN ADDITION...A DROPSONDE IN THE NORTHEAST EYEWALL INDICATED
A SURFACE WIND OF 72 KT. HOWEVER...THE BOUNDARY-LAYER WIND PROFILES
SUGGEST A SLIGHTLY LESSER SURFACE WIND SPEED ESTIMATE OF AROUND 66
KT. A COMBINATION OF THIS DATA EASILY SUPPORTS A 65-KT HURRICANE...
AND TOMAS HAS BEEN UPGRADED ACCORDINGLY.