Fellow FL Res. How are you faring with the weather??

[Disney845]

I live in Central FL, (a little north of the DVC Vero Resort actually) and the morning/afternoon weather has been odd. It is going from perfectly calm, no rain/ minimal clouding to raging winds, pummling rain and vicious dark clouds, and then back again. The thunder at times is so loud that the house seems to vibrate. I have been outside (in the rain mind you) 3 times now to check and make sure nothing is blowing around too much and getting damaged. Just yesterday we installed some new garden lights and I can see that two have already uprooted. I have noticed that a hanging coconut basket has broken one of its 3 metal chains and I am afraid it might take flight out of its tree and sail into our back porch. I am waiting for SO to come home from work and take it down because it is in a tall tree in the backyard that even he needs a ladder to reach. Yesterday when SO's mother called to talk about the storms and tell us we should put our hurricane shutters up, we checked the news and decided we would wait. Will probably decide tonight if we will put them on the house.

So fellow Floridians...how is the weather treating you? Any damage yet? Anyone putting up their hurricane shutters, or are you waiting to see further weather reports as Charley gets closer to us?

 

[Trish Bessette]

Although I'm way up here in Vermont I just wanted to thank you for the storm updates. I've been wondering what it may be like.

Stay safe and I would put up your storm shutters!!

 

[Jungle Skipper]

I'm praying for all you Floridians out there...I hated that hurricane weather when I lived down there...be careful all of you!

Jungle Josh

 

[JoNo]

Well here it is... 3:30 in central florida and it just got pretty dark. Luckily I got to mow outside before it started to rain

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Well here in North Florida I haven't received any rain yet...but she (Bonnie) is coming...sky is getting darker...Tornado Warning and flood watch has been issued...Doppler radar showing a tornado touch down a few miles away...Thunderstorms have started a few miles south of me at my Mothers house in Green Cove Springs, still no rain here in in Orange Park...Other then that..(gulp) I'm fine


Well one of the rain bands has just arrived...it is now raining and it's supose to rain for the next few days...

 

[doxdogy]

We are getting some rain here in Jacksonville. There have been some tornadoes sighted on the westside of town and up near Fernandina Beach. The weather has been so eerily calm today. A couple of times I went out to smoke and the air was so still! Waiting to see what happens with Charley. He suppose to pass to the north of us. I have already told my boss, that if it is storming bad tomorrow, I am taking a vacation day.

 

[Disney845]

Weather has been calm for a few hours now. SO came home from work and we sorted out all the storm shutters in the garage and attached the trackings for the shutters in the rear of the house. Have news that local Walmarts have depleated their supply of water and C and D batteries. Definitely doesn't look like we are in serious trouble with the current projected paths, but as anyone knows who has been through other major storms in the past, the forcasts may not always be accurate.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Make sure you have all your supplies!! I can just imagine the empty shelves in the stores now. Stay safe!! Even in our area we have a tornado watch until 8 p.m. I bet you anything they'll be extending that time. Just started raining a bit ago. We've been told to expect heavy rain because of those hurricanes, but not the hurricanes themselves.

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Well here in North Florida Bonnie has left the building...other then a little rain here in Orange Park, that was it... the heavier cells were south and north of us DH works in downtown Jacksonville in a high-rise they could see the tornado moving across north Jacksonville but no serious injuries...looks like power-outage and trees down...Round one is over now we are waiting on Round Two (Charley) predicting sundown tomorrow... I think they should have named the second Storm Clyde. Bonnie and Charley doesn't have the same ring as 'Bonnie & Clyde."

 

[gshoemate]

We just got back from the pool. It rained a bit this afternoon then it was sunny for the rest of the day. We do have a tornado watch out until 9:00pm but so far nothing. Luckily I went to the store yesterday for supplies because Wal-mart was bare today. Not a flashlight on the shelf. According to my yoga instructor (who has lived here most of her life and went through Hurricane Andrew) she said it will be nasty. Everyone should be alright but there will be alot of damage. I spent the afternoon clearing off my decks, putting everything in storage and inside the house. I think we are ready. I still wish we would of headed north though.

 

[mickeyfan33]

i don't live in florida but I have close cousins who live in Palm Harbor which is in Pinellas County- I am pretty sure they have been evacuated-they are in the path of Charley.

 

[legs22]

Looks like we'll escape it all down here UNLESS Charley pulls an Irene maneuver!! Just a flood watch here. I have no supplies and I'm running out of food. The stores are probably wiped out.
The schools are still open tomorrow.

My family is in Brevard County. I think they're under a Tropical Storm watch. We had planned on going to Disney on Saturday for my sister's birthday.

Saw film of the tornado in Jax. YIKES!

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

In the path here too, about 15 minutes north west of WDW. Charley tracking right for us and now a category three.

Done everything there is to do, now just wait. Local police have asked everyone to "keep their tempers under control" and "be off the streets by 2 P.M. tomorrow."

Power was already out here for roughly two hours. Practice for tomorrow, I guess.

Tampa is reportedly shutting down their electrical plants tomorrow. Evacuating folks from the west coast are arriving in the Orlando area. Lucky thing that many hotels are having special rates for Florida Residents.

Sanibel, Captiva and the other barrier islands have been evacuated (mandatory).

Hoping for the best, that Charley loses strength and no lives are lost.

Take care all. It could get rough.

 

[chyam]

Well I guess my area is going to get hit tomorrow by Charley.......actually at this time it is headed right towards us, They have issues mandatory evacuation orders for 3 zones in my county and 2 zones in the Tampa area. I am in one that is supposed to evacuate. The police just rode through the neighborhood about an hour ago with the PA saying "this neighborhood is under mandatory evacuation please leave as soon as possible" I have decided to stay as have the neighbors on both sides, the bridges are in gridlock and I don't imagine there are any hotels within 500 miles of here with rooms with 2 hurricanes in the area, so my only other choice would be to head to a shelter and leave all my furbabies. Not only that I cannot see myself in a shelter with a bunch of screaming kids! So say a prayer for my neighborhood, looks like it will be knocking on the door tomorrow late afternoon.
I knew it was serious when I went to work this morning and there were generator trucks already onsite and they let us go home........I was one of the first at the grocery store and just picked up a few extra things, also got gas.............alot of the stations are already out of gas. I will soon go to bed and ask for a miracle that this Charley guy takes a left turn!

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Be safe chyam! I know there are rooms available here still (in the greater Orlando area) but I also know that MANY of them will not accept pets.

I would have made the same decision as you have. Be safe!!

 

[Pongo69]

You guys are in my prayers. Stay safe and God Bless

 

[legs22]

Originally posted by DVC~OKW~96
In the path here too, about 15 minutes north west of WDW. Charley tracking right for us and now a category three.

I haven't found any info that says it was upgraded to a Cat 3. It is still a Cat. 2 according to the 8:00pm advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

000
WTNT33 KNHC 122340
TCPAT3
BULLETIN
HURRICANE CHARLEY INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 14A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
8 PM EDT THU AUG 12 2004

...CHARLEY PASSING THE ISLE OF YOUTH AS IT APPROACHES WESTERN
CUBA...

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 105 MPH...165 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. THIS MAKES CHARLEY A CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE
SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS
FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS AND CHARLEY COULD BECOME A MAJOR
HURRICANE LATER TONIGHT OR FRIDAY.

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
HURRICANE CENTER AT 11 PM EDT.

 

[Peter Pirate]

Marathon, Florida Keys checking in. Getting breezy and cloudy with lots of thunder. Nothing much yet but some bad bands are just offshore (according to radar)...We've shuttered and sandbagged and are hoping for a westward turn. Our house is 90 feet from the Atlantic (oh my).

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Be safe Peter Pirate! Hoping Charley decides to visit the center of the gulf and fast!

Local news reporter calling it a category three.

 

[suzannews]

We cleared everything off the front and back porches, all hanging baskets and plants are in the garage and took the flag down so it didn't fly away or fly into anything. The grocery store was pretty calm this afternoon even though most of the shelves were empty. School is closed tomorrow for almost all of central Florida, I was planning on keeping my daughter home anyways. So, now we just wait and see what happens.