PART III: FIELD ACTIVITIES 



6. Prior to 20 November, it was uncertain if Kate would move northward 

 along the east or west coast of Florida. After emerging from the northwest 

 coast of Cuba, Kate appeared very likely to make landfall somewhere along the 

 Gulf of Mexico coastline. The Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC) 

 field teams had been placed on alert status on 19 November. On 20 November a 

 hurricane warning was issued from Bay St. Louis, Miss., to St. Marks, Fla., 

 and the field teams began to deploy the onshore gages. At this time Kate was 

 expected to make landfall sometime on 22 November. The first field team in- 

 stalled instrumentation in the reach of coastline from Pass Christian, Miss., 

 to Pensacola, Fla. The second team deployed gages from Fort Walton Beach to 

 Panama City, Fla. 



7. During the night of 20 November, the forward speed of the hurricane 

 slowed to almost 5 mph while maintaining a northerly course. On the morning 

 of 21 November, Kate was located about 145 miles due south of Fort Walton 

 Beach. By the morning of 21 November, instrument packages had been deployed 

 along the coastline from Pass Christian, Miss., to Panama City, Fla. At about 

 noon on 21 November, a hurricane warning was issued for the area from Pensa- 

 cola, Fla., to St. Marks, Fla. At this time, the center of Kate was located 

 about 95 miles south-southwest of Panama City moving toward the north- 

 northeast at about 12 mph. During the remainder of the afternoon, Kate con- 

 tinued to turn eastward and made landfall near Mexico Beach, Fla., during the 

 early evening hours on 21 November. 



8. Following the passage of Kate, the CERC field team returned to the 

 area of landfall and conducted a poststorm survey. Highlights of the survey 

 are contained in Part V. 



