Arrived in this area about 5:30 this am. Woke up to a huge crash of thunder, bright flashes of lightning. Since then it's been raining heavily in the area with one major highway shut down in two places. Luckily I live in a non-flood zone. Even under normal August Florida Rainy Seasons this area floods but that will increase while number nine is out there. From the tracks I'm seeing at this time it will cross the Florida "Big Bend" most likely being a Tropical Storm and will pass through Georgia and the Carolinas and up the East Coast. Looks like some Labor Day plans will sour out there. While this area is seeing a lot of rain, wind speeds are minimal. For those of you on the East Coast be prepared to get wet, stay indoors and safe.
...we've been watching it pretty close and hoping it would go a little West of where it is projected to go, because we REALLY need the rain. But they are saying it should cross Fla and SE Georgia before going back out to sea again and then hug the East Coast and quite possibly turning West again near the NY/NJ area on Labor Day. ...don't under-estimate what this storm might do...start preparing for the worst but hope for the best.
It better stay away from NY, I had enough of that shit with Hurricane Sandy a few years ago. That was a complete nightmare.
...^^^Lil, just as most folks down here don't have much experience with snow and ice and how to deal with it, most people up north don't have much experience with hurricanes...especially people along the coast. Many people have lost their lives by being stubborn and deciding to "stay home and ride it out"...these storms can easily become killers. ...no need to be foolish...best thing to do is to go inland 30-40 miles or so and stay in a hotel/motel for a day or 2.
Ron it wasn't the rain, it was the wind and all the trees that fell. We lost power for 5 days and I had to throw all my food away. That pissed me off, but others didn't have power for weeks so I guess I was lucky.
...yeah, I remember Sandy and how she hammered the Jersey Coast area...pretty much shut them down for days.
There are legends about the Tampa Bay Area allegedly being "Hurricane Proof". Those come from it's location in conjunction with given paths, and old Seminole Indian lore. If this area was hit dead on like Miami was in '92 it would be mass chaos. I'm about 7 miles from the beach driving distance and even rains will put a hurt on the local coastline, at times like this you have to factor in storm surge, not a good thing. And around here they like to build right up to the beaches. If I ever had the slightest thought that a major storm would hit this area direct I'd put myself, the Squeeze, and dog in the car and get the hell out of here. Whatever gets lost goes, that why I have insurance. Just saw that Depression number 9 has been renamed Tropical Storm Hermine!!
...when I lived in the Orlando area as a kid we had several hurricanes go by but because we were so far inland all we got was a bunch of rain and maybe 50-60 mph winds. ...Mom and my Brother still live in central Fla...and I have a house just north of Orlando and me and the wife go down there a few times a year...that area has really grown since I was a kid...not sure I'd want to live down there all year...too much traffic...I've morphed into a "country boy". Hell, I'm 12 miles from the nearest gas station/convenience store. My neighbors are all trees.
...loling at Jim Cantore and the rest of the Weather Channel geeks... they're all having orgasms over this storm.
...Lil, you wanna laugh...here's Cantore's orgasmic "thunder snow". ....uhh, Jim...get your dumb ass back inside. . . . . .
And wouldn't you know it, this storm is now headed more west & northwest........looks like Tampa Bay will miss the brunt force. Looks like it's taking aim at southern Georgia, South Carolina & North Carolina coastal areas.....and of course Florida's upper gulf coast line. Yes, the weather geeks are lovin' this...... hoping all heed the warnings and are moving to higher ground.
Down here in Tampa Bay we are at the 12 hour mark of rainfall which is forecast through Friday as well. Though my neighborhood is not in a flood zone, many parts of the property have standing water happy days for the mosquitos. Schools have been closed for tomorrow and videos shown of Pinellas Park, Bellaire, and the beaches are not good. Going to be real hairy around here for the next few days, glad I'm not still working.
^^^^take care. As soon as weather people said this thing has shifted westward, I just got the feeling this storm is going up the coast and not out to sea. Forecast for Labor Day weekend up here has turned from nice & less humid to rain Sat nite, Sun, & Mon........experts don't know for certain where it's going? So, we should just prepare.
Been relatively calm today, Florida Governor on TV now passing information on potential conditions. Per National Hurricane Center this storm could hit hurricane strength and will make landfall in the Big Bend area about 2 am tomorrow. For you folks on the east Coast especially in Georgia and the Carolinas stay safe, that storm has already dumped many inches of rain and will continue to do so.
Sarasota got 7 inches of rain yesterday and probably more today. Siesta keys is totally flooded right now.
Looks like it wimped out a bit upon landfall. Hope it continues to wimp out for you folks up the coast. There are a lot of areas around Tampa Bay that have to be negotiated by kayak or better and you'd best have a chain saw to clear the trees.
...rain should stop here around 11 AM...we were hoping for 4-5 inches but will end up with only 2 inches...winds were maybe 30 mph, tops.
