For the weather pros out there - Tropical Storm Danny?

[kj2mom]

I am up in MA but the weather teams are covering it pretty closely (within the first couple of minutes of the news broadcast). The thing they keep repeating is how small Danny is. One weather guy just said tiny, super tiny, hard to find on the weather map.

 

[TDS533]

Hi everyone... Maybe it's too early to tell, but what does everyone think about the storm system which will be a hurricane and approaching Puerto Rico around Monday? I'm a self-proclaimed tornado expert but have no clue when it comes to hurricanes, lol, but we'll be in WDW from Aug 22nd to Sep 5th and I would rather not get hit by a hurricane

Here is the link: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?5day?large#contents

Even

 

[TravelingTotMom]

If that happens can you just do it on your phone and use data? If you have a smart phone.

I would die if that happened to me!

Yes, but sometimes the cell networks don't work great - or at all - during hurricanes. My mom actually keeps an old landline rotary phone around b/c of that.

I'm good though. My window opens up on Tuesday, and even if it's headed this way, it won't be here by then.

I'm more afraid of 90 minute lines than I am of a Tropical Storm or Cat 1 hitting (major hurricanes are another matter though).

 

[TDS533]

Even if it does happen to hit Orlando it shouldn't affect you too much. We were there for Hurricane Francis 2004. We had a camper at Ft. wilderness. They moved everyone out bcz it tends to flood, moved us to Port Orleans. They kept sending info to the rooms on paper. They advised us to be ready to stay in the room for 36 hrs. To make sure we had enough food, snacks , drinks etc. it did not play out that way though. It blew threw the night and by the next afternoon they had reopened the restaurant and all that was left was some excess water, pool chairs in the pool, think they may have put them there so they didn't blow away. They kept us very well informed and even brought characters to the resort for meet and greets. Didn't miss much park time at all. Really kind of a neat experience to go through. We ended up only missing 1 day in the parks.

 

[ZoZo]

Orlando hasn't been hit by a hurricane since 2004. We've had a couple of tropical storms since then (Wilma and Faye), but the chances of a hit are slim. Prior to 2004, Orlando hadn't experienced a hurricane in 40 years. The odds are with you!

Actually, Hurricane Wilma was definitely a hurricane, starting out as a Category 5 but weakening to a Category 2 as it crossed Florida. I was there! Luckily, Orlando is far enough inland that it's not impacted with the full force of most hurricanes (which often weaken as they pass over land).

We got some pretty significant wind and rainbands from Wilma, but nothing too bad. They closed the parks for about two-thirds of a day, then re-opened MK and Epcot about 2:00 the day the storm blew through. I remember as the storm started, we had gone into Maelstrom with no rain, but came out about 25 minutes later to a torrential downpour and winds that were blowing the rain sideways! Our ponchos were no match for those sideways rains.

I was very impressed with how WDW handles hurricanes and tropical storms. We were kept informed via resort-wide voice mail messages to our room. We never lost power.

FYI, we knew the storm was probably headed for Orlando before we left (it hit about two days after we got there), but chose to go anyways. So glad we went! It was one of our best trips - so many people had canceled because they were nervous about the storm, the park crowds were super-low. And the weather (after the storm) was perfect!

 

[Pemeberly]

This thread is making me feel SO much better, especially compared to the fear-mongering of the news outlets. Thanks, everyone!

 

[OKW Lover]

especially compared to the fear-mongering of the news outlets.

Indeed, it does seem like the "news" outlets today are focused on sensationalism rather that giving us the facts.

 

[GPC0321]

The Weather Channel and weather.com are enough to make me want to hide under my bed and never come out. I realize they want ratings and hits or whatever too, but goodness! Fanning the flames of panic and paranoia isn't nice.

I wouldn't worry about Danny. He's small, far away, and the likelihood that he'll zero in on Orlando is pretty darn slim. I'm near the coast of NC, so we watch the storms pretty closely this time of year, but Danny hasn't given me any reason to worry at this point. El Nino is supposed to be lowering the risk of hurricanes hitting us this year.

 

[walker0829]

The Weather Channel and weather.com are enough to make me want to hide under my bed and never come out. I realize they want ratings and hits or whatever too, but goodness! Fanning the flames of panic and paranoia isn't nice.

I'm not sure when weather.com decided it wanted to be the tabloids of weather reporting but I definitely agree with you.

 

[DisMom829]

This is great news for a Friday morning!!

7:00 AM EDT, Friday, August 21, 2015
Hurricane Danny is near 13.8N, 47.6W, or about 890 miles east of Martinique. Max sustained winds are near 85 mph. Danny is moving WNW at 10 mph. Danny is a very small storm, measuring less than 100 miles across.
Our forecast takes the center of Danny across the islands of the northeast Caribbean early next week. By that time, Danny should be experiencing an increasingly hostile environment that should lead to steady weakening. We expect Danny to dissipate over Hispaniola on Wednesday. Very strong wind shear across the Gulf of Mexico next week means that it is very unlikely that Danny will survive to reach the Gulf.

 

[JessicaW1234]

This is great news for a Friday morning!!

7:00 AM EDT, Friday, August 21, 2015
Hurricane Danny is near 13.8N, 47.6W, or about 890 miles east of Martinique. Max sustained winds are near 85 mph. Danny is moving WNW at 10 mph. Danny is a very small storm, measuring less than 100 miles across.
Our forecast takes the center of Danny across the islands of the northeast Caribbean early next week. By that time, Danny should be experiencing an increasingly hostile environment that should lead to steady weakening. We expect Danny to dissipate over Hispaniola on Wednesday. Very strong wind shear across the Gulf of Mexico next week means that it is very unlikely that Danny will survive to reach the Gulf.

Do you think this will result in more rainstorms (more than the norm) next week?
Are there any predictions of when it would impact Orlando weather? I am trying to plan our waterpark day & wanted to have a general sense if it would affect the beginning or end of the week.

 

[OKW Lover]

Do you think this will result in more rainstorms (more than the norm) next week?

No way to tell. Just keep watching the National Hurricane Center's web page for updates without the sensationalism you get from the "news" outlets.

 

[Tgrgrl]

We live near Cocoa Beach and no one here is worried about Danny. But, I have to say, don't be fooled into thinking a hurricane won't hit or cause significant damage to Orlando. Hurricane Charley caused millions of $$ of damage to Orlando and most people were caught unaware & unprepared for the week long power outages in the area.

 

[MINNIEANN MOUSE]

This is great news for a Friday morning!!

7:00 AM EDT, Friday, August 21, 2015
Hurricane Danny is near 13.8N, 47.6W, or about 890 miles east of Martinique. Max sustained winds are near 85 mph. Danny is moving WNW at 10 mph. Danny is a very small storm, measuring less than 100 miles across.
Our forecast takes the center of Danny across the islands of the northeast Caribbean early next week. By that time, Danny should be experiencing an increasingly hostile environment that should lead to steady weakening. We expect Danny to dissipate over Hispaniola on Wednesday. Very strong wind shear across the Gulf of Mexico next week means that it is very unlikely that Danny will survive to reach the Gulf.

This makes me happier, and because it's factual! Thanks for posting!

 

[JessicaW1234]

We live near Cocoa Beach and no one here is worried about Danny. But, I have to say, don't be fooled into thinking a hurricane won't hit or cause significant damage to Orlando. Hurricane Charley caused millions of $$ of damage to Orlando and most people were caught unaware & unprepared for the week long power outages in the area.

So generally, would Danny affect Orlando next week?
I understand there's no way to predict the weather, but. I am not sure what is significant (is it once it hits the islands, or does it need to hit Florida to have effects?)

 

[walker0829]

So generally, would Danny affect Orlando next week?
I understand there's no way to predict the weather, but. I am not sure what is significant (is it once it hits the islands, or does it need to hit Florida to have effects?)

At this point it looks unlikely but because hurricanes are generally hard to predict outside of a couple days, it's really hard to say with any certainty. I wouldn't alter plans but it's always good to keep an eye on updates to the track and strength.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Do you think this will result in more rainstorms (more than the norm) next week?
Are there any predictions of when it would impact Orlando weather? I am trying to plan our waterpark day & wanted to have a general sense if it would affect the beginning or end of the week.

We're going to be there next week too and I'm bracing myself for a rainy day towards the end of the week just in case, even if it's not a hurricane/TS at that point. I think that's a good idea to do the waterpark day towards the beginning of the week if it is a must-do! (depending on how hard it is to move days around)

 

[JessicaW1234]

At this point it looks unlikely but because hurricanes are generally hard to predict outside of a couple days, it's really hard to say with any certainty. I wouldn't alter plans but it's always good to keep an eye on updates to the track and strength.

What is the best local weather to follow? If you have it, can you provide a link?

 

[Tgrgrl]

What is the best local weather to follow? If you have it, can you provide a link?

CFL News 13 has the best Orlando local weather, IMO

 

[Tgrgrl]

So generally, would Danny affect Orlando next week?
I understand there's no way to predict the weather, but. I am not sure what is significant (is it once it hits the islands, or does it need to hit Florida to have effects?)

i would expect a few rain showers and thunderstorms. Might be a bit windier than usual but the breeze should help with the heat.