Thanks for all the very interesting data and your explanations.

I noticed this interesting advisory:

ZCZC MIATCPAT3 ALL
TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM
BULLETIN
HURRICANE CHARLEY ADVISORY NUMBER 20
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
11 PM EDT FRI AUG 13 2004

(...)

CHARLEY IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 25 MPH...AND THIS
MOTION IS EXPECTED TO WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED DURING THE
NEXT 24 HOURS.

(...)

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 85 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SLOW
STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST ONCE THE CENTER OF CHARLEY MOVES BACK
OVER WATER.

Which brings one question to my mind: could Charley actually have strengthened at the time it was over Volusia County? After all, if winds were at 85mph and the system was moving forward at 25mph and accelerating then that would mean that for those who were in the right hand corner right next to (and later inside) the eyewall - as New Smyrna Beach was - would have 110mph sustained winds (with higher gusts) which would give us locally near Cat 3 force winds (25+mph + 85+mph = 110+ mph)

Does this make sense, or am I missing something?

Many thanks,

VS

PS: please take a look at the attached file. It shows a radar image of Charley's eyewall right over my house (right under the red dot of Charley's miniscule but rapidly rotating eye). At that time a good chunk of the system had already returned over water. Could that have made Charley even stronger?