The lack of debris and damage makes me suspicious, but it could have been from when the storm had  significantly weakened overland.

A video from 2004 of hurricane Charlie as the eyewall passed over with 155mph gusts - at the end they are filming outside inside eye.

https://youtu.be/unV5KcSrY-I

I have seen a clip of a video filmed yesterday at that airbase east of Panama city with similar winds as that 155mph gusts - I'm desperatly seeking/ waiting for the full video to be uploaded.

Originally Posted by: picturesareme 

I think it might be genuine, alot of trees uprooted on the footage, and damaged roofs, alot of surface water too.

Originally Posted by: Russwirral 

It may well be but I'm doubtful that this is from when it was at its strongest. Those pine looking trees would have been destroyed from 155mph sustained winds gusting to 175mph 

Originally Posted by: picturesareme 

This is why I'm skeptical. You only get a stunningly clear eye like this when the storm is really strong. This must have been taken very shortly after landfall before the eye had time to degrade which means the storm has to be at nearly its strongest.

I will say this, if it is real its nice for the 'rare video' title to be appropiate for once. If anything its an understatement, I've never seen footage this good before.

Originally Posted by: Quantum 

Anyway back to Leslie. Could this be the first TC ever to affect the Canary Islands while still tropical?

Answer seems to be a probable yes.

Originally Posted by: Quantum 

Looks more likely to hit Madeira as a tropical storm.

Originally Posted by: picturesareme 

QQ

Whats the longest lived Hurricane, and subsequent Tropical storm.

Reason I ask is some of those storms in the atlantic have been knocking around for a while now.

Originally Posted by: Russwirral 

So how come this Hurricane /(thank goodness) wasn't as devastating/fatal as Katrina (2005), Irma (2017) or Florence (Sept 2018) despite being much stronger!?

Originally Posted by: tallyho_83 

Latest model runs project European landfall in Portugal!

2nd European landfall ever and probably the strongest!

Chance of this happening may be as high as 50/50

Originally Posted by: Quantum 

This is why I'm skeptical. You only get a stunningly clear eye like this when the storm is really strong. This must have been taken very shortly after landfall before the eye had time to degrade which means the storm has to be at nearly its strongest.

I will say this, if it is real its nice for the 'rare video' title to be appropiate for once. If anything its an understatement, I've never seen footage this good before.

Originally Posted by: Quantum 

I'm certain this was genuine, because the guy in the video was said to be staying in a hotel in Panama City, if you look at his Facebook page.

If you look at the satellite animation, the eye of the hurricane passed directly over Panama City, but the worst damage appears to have been in Mexico Beach. The eye didn't cross Mexico Beach, but the eyewall, where the strongest winds were, was over Mexico Beach for longer.

This means that prior to the eye, Panama City will have had Easterly winds, coming along the coast rather than straight off the sea, so the strength may have been tempered, particularly the further west you go in Panama City. Meanwhile Mexico Beach will have had onshore winds the entire time the eye was crossing Panama City.

Certainly Panama City will have had some bad damage, particularly in more exposed areas. But probably less than Mexico Beach.

Originally Posted by: Darren S 

I'm certain this was genuine, because the guy in the video was said to be staying in a hotel in Panama City, if you look at his Facebook page.

If you look at the satellite animation, the eye of the hurricane passed directly over Panama City, but the worst damage appears to have been in Mexico Beach. The eye didn't cross Mexico Beach, but the eyewall, where the strongest winds were, was over Mexico Beach for longer.

This means that prior to the eye, Panama City will have had Easterly winds, coming along the coast rather than straight off the sea, so the strength may have been tempered, particularly the further west you go in Panama City. Meanwhile Mexico Beach will have had onshore winds the entire time the eye was crossing Panama City.

Certainly Panama City will have had some bad damage, particularly in more exposed areas. But probably less than Mexico Beach.

Originally Posted by: Darren S 

The forecast track of Leslie changes each time I check - why are the models having so much difficulty? This morning it was forecast to do a u-turn and head back out into the Atlantic via the Canaries, now it is forecast to head for southern Portugal:

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at3.shtml?cone#contents

Bizarre.

Originally Posted by: Maunder Minimum 

The eye didn't pass over Panama city it passed east of Panama city.. Tyndall AFB which is located 12 miles outside of Panama city was directly under the eye, and Mexico beach was just clipped.

Originally Posted by: picturesareme