you could be right about the peak. charley was compact and fast-moving... the kind of damage usually associated with such high winds didn't occur for as long as would typically be the case with a landfalling 4. if you check the damage parameters for a 4 on the saffir-simpson, much of what you see in the film is in the 3-4 range.. spots of 4, generally 3... there isn't the degree of widespread structural failure you'd expect typical to cat 4 winds. localized sfc friction variability, hydraulic channeling, or eyewall mesos are the only explanations i can think up for what you see on the ride-around video. depending on whether you're using 1 min, 2 min, or 10 min sustained winds, or the exact elevation of the anemometer and location in relation to surface features.. there can be several mph worth of variation in readings. to be honest i'm not even sure which the nhc considers to be the actual true measurement. but anyway you can get your answers or mine depending on what criteria you use. we can fuss about it all day, 'cause i don't know any engineers who can come and verify our reasoning. they'd all probably get slightly different answers too, anyhow.
HF 1902z27march