Nine days into Hurricane Season...and there's a Tropical Storm brewing off the Gulf....already.. ABNT20 KNHC 091524 TWOAT TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 1130 AM EDT FRI JUN 09 2006 FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO... WIDESPREAD CLOUDINESS AND SHOWERS OVER THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA AND ADJACENT LAND AREAS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE CENTERED A COUPLE HUNDRED MILES EAST OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA. THIS SYSTEM IS SHOWING SIGNS OF ORGANIZATION THIS MORNING. DESPITE THE CLOSE PROXIMITY TO LAND...AND UPPER-LEVEL WINDS THAT ARE ONLY SOMEWHAT CONDUCIVE FOR ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT...A TROPICAL DEPRESSION COULD STILL FORM DURING THE NEXT OR TWO AS THE SYSTEM MOVES SLOWLY NORTHWARD. AN AIR FORCE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT IS SCHEDULED TO INVESTIGATE THIS SYSTEM TOMORROW AFTERNOON...IF NECESSARY. EVEN IF A TROPICAL DEPRESSION DOES NOT FORM...HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS OVER PORTIONS OF HONDURAS...BELIZE...THE YUCATAN PENINSULA...THE CAYMAN ISLANDS...AND WESTERN CUBA.
Oh, woe!! Woe!! The sky is falling, the sky is falling! Just ask the weather weenies. SOS, they are riding headlines, screaming wolf until we are so used to it that no one will pay attention when reality gets real. (No, we do NOT know why you are still in FL.)
:dunno: Working in Corpus for 6 months helped me appreciate the wet soggy Pacific NW more than ever. I'd rather be wet from rain than sweat, the warm Gulf humidity was a bitch to get used to. However, Spring Break on Padre Island wasn't bad on the eyes.
To: ex-Floridians, present Floridians, and future Floridians or those who know a Floridian. We're about to enter the peak of the hurricane season. Any day now, you're going to turn on the TV and see a weather person pointing to some radar blob out in the Gulf of Mexico and making two basic meteorological points: (1) There is no need to panic. (2) We could all be killed. Yes, hurricane season is an exciting time to be in Florida. If you're new to the area, you're probably wondering what you need to do to prepare for the possibility that we'll get hit by "the big one.'' Based on our experiences, we recommend that you follow this simple three-step hurricane preparedness plan: STEP 1. Buy enough food and bottled water to last your family for at least three days. STEP 2. Put these supplies into your car. STEP 3. Drive to Minnesota and remain there until Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, statistics show that most people will not follow this sensible plan. Most t people will foolishly stay here in Florida. We'll start with one of the most important hurricane preparedness items: HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE: If you own a home, you must have hurricane insurance. Fortunately, this insurance is cheap and easy to get, as long as your home meets two basic requirements: (1) It is reasonably well-built, and (2) It is located in Minnesota. Unfortunately, if your home is located in Florida, or any other area that might actually be hit by a hurricane, most insurance companies would prefer not to sell you hurricane insurance, because then they might be required to pay YOU money, and that is certainly not why they got into the insurance business in the first place. So you'll have to scrounge around for an insurance company, which will charge you an annual premium roughly equal to the replacement value of your house. At any moment, this company can drop you like used dental floss. Since Hurricane Andrew, I have had an estimated 27 different home-insurance companies. This week, I'm covered by the Bob and Big Stan Insurance Company, under a policy which states that, in addition to my premium, Bob and Big Stan are entitled, on demand, to my kidneys. SHUTTERS: Your house should have hurricane shutters on all the windows, all the doors, and -- if it's a major hurricane -- all the toilets. There are several types of shutters, with advantages and disadvantages: Plywood shutters: The advantage is that, because you make them yourself, they're cheap. The disadvantage is that, because you make them yourself, they will fall off. Sheet-metal shutters: The advantage is that these work well, once you get them all up. The disadvantage is that once you get them all up, your hands will be useless bleeding stumps, and it will be December. Roll-down shutters: The advantages are that they're very easy to use, and will definitely protect your house. The disadvantage is that you will have to sell your house to pay for them. "Hurricane-proof'' windows: These are the newest wrinkle in hurricane protection. They look like ordinary windows, but they can withstand hurricane winds! You can be sure of this, because the salesman says so. He lives in Minnesota "Hurricane Proofing Your Property: As the hurricane approaches, check your yard for movable objects like barbecue grills, planters, patio furniture, visiting relatives, etc.; you should, as a precaution, throw these items into your swimming pool (if you don't have a swimming pool, you should have one built immediately). Otherwise, the hurricane winds will turn these objects into deadly missiles. EVACUATION ROUTE: If you live in a low-lying area, you should have an evacuation route planned out. (To determine whether you live in a low-lying area, look at your driver's license; if it says "Florida" you live in a low-lying area.) The purpose of having an evacuation route is to avoid being trapped in your home when a major storm hits. Instead, you w ill be trapped in a gigantic traffic jam several miles from your home, along with two hundred thousand other evacuees. So, as a bonus, you will not be lonely. HURRICANE SUPPLIES: If you don't evacuate, you will need a mess of supplies. Do not buy them now! Florida tradition requires that you wait until the last possible minute, then go to the supermarket and get into vicious fights with strangers over who gets the last ca n of SPAM. In addition to food and water, you will need the following supplies: 23 flashlights. At least $167 worth of batteries that turn out, when the power goes out, to be the wrong size for the flashlights. Bleach. (No, I don't know what the bleach is for. NOBODY knows what the bleach is for. But it's traditional, so GET some!) A 55-gallon drum of underarm deodorant. A big knife that you can strap to your leg. (This will be useless in a hurricane, but it looks cool.) A large quantity of raw chicken, to placate the alligators. (Ask anybody who went through Andrew; after the hurricane, there WILL be irate alligators.) $35,000 in cash or diamonds so that, after the hurricane passes, you can buy a generator from a man with no discernible teeth. Of course these are just basic precautions. As the hurricane draws near, it is vitally important that you keep abreast of the situation by turning on your television and watching TV reporters in rain slickers stand right next to the ocean and tell you over and over how vitally important it is for everybody to stay away from the ocean. Good luck and remember: its great living in paradise! Those of you who aren't here yet, you should come. Really.....
Tropical depression one UPGRADED to Tropical Storm Alert Complete info at... http://www.emergencyemail.org/tropicalstormalberto2006.asp
Don't laugh....It's looking pretty good right now.. as is Idaho....thinking along those lines anyway.... Hey..do they talk funny in Idaho??
Stupid Stupid Weather.. NOW thinking about not going until this weekend? Projected strike path update for Florida interests at... http://www.emergencyemail.org/tropicalstormalberto2006.asp Did I mention I hate driving long distance in the rain????
It's Fun time again! Nope..no way am I driving across the state in this.. I'll wait it out..until next week...unless anyone has an apartment ready to be occupied...soon? Woooo Freakin' Hoooo. Looks like the whole East Coast is in for some bad weather...??
Worst winds on the East Side? Emergency Weather Warning for my area..just in my email... TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO IS MOVING NE ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO. ALBERTO IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE FL BIG BEND BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THE STRONGEST WINDS & HEAVIEST RAINS ARE ON THE EAST SIDE OF ALBERTO & TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT THE REGION MON EVENING & CONTINUE UNTIL ALBERTO MOVES NE OF THE AREA. SUSTAINED WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 35 TO 45 MPH ON TUES WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 60 MPH WITH THE STRONGER RAINBANDS. WINDS WILL DECREASE BY EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. SOME ELECTRICAL WIRES WILL BE BLOWN DOWN.& LOCAL POWER OUTAGES ARE LIKELY. BE SURE TO HAVE A WELL STOCKED SUPPLY KIT. POTABLE WATER.FLASHLIGHTS & A TRANSISTOR RADIO. AN INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS WINDS OF 39 TO 73 MPH ARE EXPECTED DUE TO A LANDFALLING HURRICANE OR TROPICAL STORM WITHIN 12 TO 24 HRS.
My folks just made it to Clearwater. Adding a few extra lines to the mooring posts tonight. Going to ride it out.
