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September 18, 2005

All eyes on the south...

Tropical Storm Rita threatens Florida- Hurricane Philip moving North

A lot can happen in just a few days. Two new storms formed this weekend. One which will pose a SERIOUS threat to the gulf coast region late this week. After looking at many different forecasting tracks, the mostly likely path will take Rita between Cuba and the southern Florida Peninsula as a Cat 1-2 Hurricane in the next 2 days.

As Rita emerges into the Gulf of Mexico, she will continue on a westerly track and most likely turn into a powerful cat 3-4 storm. The good news from this is that the New Orleans area should be clear. The bad news however- residents from Corpus Christi Texas to Lake Charles Louisiana need to take this storm seriously and keep an eye out. This could be another extremely dangerous storm and if you are within an evacuation area, don't mess around, leave...

Posted by Jeff at 10:23 PM | Comments (2)

September 15, 2005

Hurricane Katrina Washes Trained Dolphins into Sound

NOAA and the Marina Life Aquarium of Gulf port Mississippi plan to rescue eight dolphins from the Mississippi sound. The dolphins were swept from their tanks by a 40 ft wave during Hurricane Katrina. Since the dolphins were held captive, they cannot find food and they don't have the survival skills to keep away from boat traffic and predators. NOAA fisheries have been feeding the dolphins every day which include 2 mothers and 2 young in tow.

Posted by Jeff at 11:13 PM | Comments (1)

Ophelia's Fury Lashes North Carolina

Logan Mock-Bunting, Getty Images
Ophelia's fury breaks apart a dock at
Wrightsville Beach, N.C. The storm is
expected to do serious damage because it
is moving slowly.

Logan Mock-Bunting, Getty Images
Rough waves tear away a protective dune fence
in Wrightsville Beach, N.C. Ophelia's pounding
surf has eaten away at the beach and dunes.

Posted by Jeff at 10:20 AM | Comments (0)

Shot taken from Acronym's webcam- Rain on the way

Effective till 11 am the entire area has been issued an urban flood advisory. Doppler indicated an area of very heavy rain moving into the area.

Posted by Jeff at 09:47 AM | Comments (1)

September 14, 2005

Finally - Rain in New York

At 5:00 PM a number of strong rain bands were moving toward the north. Be on the lookout for tropical downpours...

Posted by Jeff at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)

Eyewall slamming coast

Posted by Jeff at 02:53 PM | Comments (0)

Hurricane Ophelia Aproaches

Still going.. Ophelia now with a lowering barometric pressure and increased wind speed, she continues to hang in there as a category 1 storm -- sustained winds are currently at 80 mph, 10 mph greater than yesterday. The center of circulation is located just off the coast of North Carolina. Wind gusts in Wilmington have been reported at 55 mph. With the slow moment of Ophelia, flooding will be the biggest result throughout most of coastal North Carolina. Doppler radar indicated as much as 6 to 8 inches of rain already.
A storm surge of 5 to 6 feet is likely along the Outer Banks later today and tonight with as much as 7 to 9 feet possible in the Neuse and Pamlico Rivers.

Posted by Jeff at 09:36 AM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2005

Bush on a recent vacation in NOLA

Bush Sr. and Jr. enjoy a little strip bass fishing as they observe the devastion in the south....

Barbara Bush along for the ride as well says "Things are going 'Very Well' for poor NOLA evacuees
.....She, along with ex-prez husband George H.W. Bush on Katrina
Hurricane relief, Bush commented on the poor who'd been displaced by Katrina:
" This is working very well for them. (...)Almost everyone I've talked to says we're going to move to Houston.
"What I'm hearing which is sort of scary is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality.

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this (she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them."

Posted by Jeff at 10:37 AM | Comments (3)

September 12, 2005

Weather Gizmos

Don pointed out this cool little contraption call the thunderbolt. The ThunderBolt is a handheld storm detector that provides lightning protection by detecting thunderstorm activity from as far as 75 miles away. Once a storm is detected, it calculates the actual distance in miles and displays warning information on an easy-to-read LCD display. The ThunderBolt then continuously monitors the storm and provides 15-second updates on the distance, approach speed, intensity, and Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) to the user’s exact location.
Visit the site here Thunderbolt

Posted by Jeff at 03:39 PM | Comments (1)

September 11, 2005

Ophelias Impact

Still churning off the south East Coast, Hurricane Ophelia remains a cat. 1 storm. As of this morning, the storm looked very ragged. Good news is that the pressure has started to rise which is not good for development. Ophelia may weaken once more to a tropical storm. It is still almost stationary. Meterologists expect Ophelia to turn to a more northerly track. By Wednesday, heavy may be the primary impact from the storm as inches closer to the coast.
Heavy surf and rip currents will remain significant threats all along the Southeast coast.

Posted by Jeff at 10:22 PM | Comments (3)

Photo of the Day

Photo by Jim Sparks- Portsmouth, NH

Posted by Jeff at 01:23 PM | Comments (1)

Hurricane Ophelia Drifting

HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEAST COAST OF THE
UNITED STATES FROM NORTH OF EDISTO BEACH SOUTH CAROLINA
NORTHEASTWARD TO CAPE LOOKOUT NORTH CAROLINA. THE HURRICANE WATCH
MAY HAVE TO BE SHIFTED NORTHWARD LATER TODAY. A HURRICANE WATCH
MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH
AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS.

INTERESTS ELSEWHERE IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES COASTAL REGION
SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF OPHELIA.

Posted by Jeff at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)

September 09, 2005

Ophelia Continues to churn

Hurricane Ophelia continues to churn off the south east coast. This storm has been downgraded, then upgraded, then downgraded, then upgraded for the third time. A hurricane watch is now in effect for the Southeast Coast from the Savannah River, SC, to Cape Lookout, NC. Ophelia will likely become stationary again before it hits somewhere along the carolina coast.
The exact track still remains uncertain. What meterologists do know, its that a ridge of high pressure ( clockwise winds) will stear the storm closer to shore.

Posted by Jeff at 10:37 PM | Comments (0)

Rapper Kanye West Ruins NBC Katrina Relief Show

Alright....I am certainly not a Bush fan by any means. Actually I hate him. Nevertheless, I can't say I agree with what some people are pointing at Bush. During a live televised Katrina relief show, rapper Kayne West went off his mind and let the American people know that Bush is a racist and doesn't give a crap about minorities. West said "George Bush doesn't care about black people," "They're saying black families are looting and white families are just looking for food...they're giving the (Army) permission to shoot us". Talk about creating a hostile enviornment in times of need. I mean, Laura bush said "The president cares about all the people of America" Thats good enough right?? "After all, I live with him, and know him best.. OK LAURA...

While I am sure George Bush has his own views -- it is a known fact that the hardest hit areas by Katrina happened to have been low income areas. It also just happens to be that most of the population is black. West then suggested that the slow relief efforts are based on the fact that most of the region is Black and that it was completely a deliberate attempt at slow relief efforts. Personally, I think the government could have done a a better, speedier job at this. But folks, lets face it -- it was a fucking aquarium and almost impossible. It was also the biggest natural disaster in history -- We are still not sure how to tackle problems like that.

And last- Michael Brown steps down as FEMA cheif. He will be replaced by Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad W. Allen. Allen was overseeing the relief efforts during Katrina.

Posted by Jeff at 02:08 PM | Comments (1)

The summer that keeps on giving

High pressure will move into the area the next few days which will pump unusually warm temps for mid septemeber. Before you turn the air off, it will be in the upper 80's to near 90 most of next week.

Posted by Jeff at 12:07 PM | Comments (1)

September 08, 2005

The Tale of Two Forecasts

Accuweather and the National Weather Service have two very different scenerios for Tropical Storm Ophelia. Check it out..
Accuweather Forecast has Ophelia crossing Florida and into the gulf.

National Weather Service has Ophelia heading out to sea.

Posted by Jeff at 09:26 AM | Comments (3)

September 07, 2005

Major Concern for the Gulf States

Those living in or around the gulf states region should monitor the track of Tropical Storm Ophelia. While the storm is moving fairly slow at this time, the concern is that the storm will miss a connection to the NE as steering currents dip toward the Southeast.
This must happen within the next 36 hours. Should Ophelia miss this connection, it will either 1. cross over Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico, the result-- a similar path as Katrina; or 2 - meander off the coast of Florida creating major flooding. If path 1 is taken, oil and gas prices may rise again as early as Monday and it will create a wave of concern among coastal residents.
The exact path of this storm is still uncertain at this time.

JR

Posted by Jeff at 02:24 PM | Comments (1)

Photo of the Day

Sat. View of Hurricane Maria, Hurricane Nate and Tropical Storm Ophelia.

Posted by Jeff at 01:23 PM | Comments (0)

A Hat Trick of Storms

Once again, it goes down in the record books for the earliest date on record for the 15th named Tropical Storm. Tropical Depression #16 formed off the Florida coast on Tuesday and has now been upgraded to Tropical Storm Ophelia. Ophelia is not a particularly strong storm as maximum sustained winds are just 45 mph, but, strengthening is expected in the next day or so as it slowly moves to the North and west. Warnings are posted from Sebastian Inlet to Flagler Beach along the East coast of Florida. Elsewhere, Maria and Nate are churning the waters in the Atlantic, but are no threat to US interests.

Posted by Jeff at 07:25 AM | Comments (1)

September 06, 2005

Tropical Depression # 16 Forms

Hard to believe that in just three days there are now three systems in the atlantic. Tropical Depression 16 is about 115 miles ENE of Miami, Fla. There is some strengthening expected as it moves closer to the Florida Peninsula. Tropical storm warnings have been posted along the soustheast coast of Florida between Titusville and Jupiter. This next system will be called Ophelia.
Stay tuned...

Posted by Jeff at 06:58 PM | Comments (0)

Depression 15 becomes Tropical Storm Nate

Posted by Jeff at 07:28 AM | Comments (0)

September 05, 2005

Tropical Depression 15 Forms

Today a new tropical depression developed in the western Atlantic. Gradual strengthening is possible and its name will become Tropical Storm Nate. The forecast track could impact Bermuda in a couple of days.

There is also an unsettled area of showers and thunderstorms off of the eastern Florida coast. This low pressure will need to be monitored for tropical development.

Hurricane Maria continues to spin to the east of Bermuda and the forecast to move further out to sea over cooler waters.

Posted by Jeff at 09:27 PM | Comments (1)

September 04, 2005

What the Jellyfish!

I was kayaking in the ocean yesterday, just about 100 yards off the beach. It was one of the most pleasant days of the summer. Temperatures were hovering just around 80 and the water was slightly cooler, yet refreshing. I noticed a discoloration in the water a about two hundred feet away. Curious, I paddled closer to the slick, it became apparent that it was thousands of jellyfish all moving together. I have never seen anything like it. Does anyone know anything about this?

photo:John Wang

Posted by Jeff at 10:33 AM | Comments (2)

September 02, 2005

Another one for the record books

Tropical Storm Maria is strengthening to the north east of the Leeward Islands. This is the earliest formation for the 13th storm in any season since 1851. September is the most active month for hurricanes to form.

Posted by Jeff at 10:29 PM | Comments (0)

Tropical Storm Maria

Recent satellite indicated that # 14 has no developed and strengthened into Tropical Storm Maria. Maria is 800 miles east northeast of the northern leeward Islands and about 1185 miles southeast of Bermuda. Maria was moving westbound but is expected to make more of a northerly turn. If continuted on this track there will be no threat to land.

Posted by Jeff at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)

September 01, 2005

Carol, would you let him talk...

CNN weatherman Chad Myers loses it on air with anchor Carol Costello. ... Honestly, Carol, shut the F* up...
Go ahead, click on the image for the video. You'll be sure to get a good laugh..

Here’s the transcript:

Myers: It has filled in a little bit, filled in with some air, but this lower portion, but…

Costello: Chad, Chad, Chad…

Myers: Let me talk Carol!

Costello: Translate that for us, I don’t know what that means, what does that mean—
Myers: Well if you would let me talk!

Costello: [Laughs] Go ahead.

Posted by Jeff at 03:41 PM | Comments (4)

Depression # 14 Forms

Tropical Depression 14 has formed well east of the northern Leeward Islands. It is expected to slowly strengthen to a tropical storm.

Posted by Jeff at 01:51 PM | Comments (0)

Photo of the Day

Navarre Beach, Florida at midmorning Sunday. Photo by: Margaret Wallek
Photo Date: 8/28/2005
Photo Location: Gulf Breeze, FL

photo NOAA

Katrina at cat 5 strength-Noaa

Posted by Jeff at 01:39 PM | Comments (0)

Tropical Storm Lee Downgraded

Tropical Depression #13 strengthened into Tropical Storm Lee Wednesday evening and then weakened a few hours later back to a depression. The system is forecast to move northward and out to sea and not toward the mainland.

Posted by Jeff at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)