On a more serious note.. Hurricane season..

[I Love Pluto]

This thread is making me NERVOUS!

We'll be at POFQ next week. Please - no hurricanes, no hurricanes, none.

We were chased out by Bonnie & Charlie a few years ago. (August)

Why are we returning in August? I have no clue. Stupidly dumb, I suppose. But - who can resist Mickey Mouse???

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Just a thought... Hurricane Andrew was during an El Nino season, didn't form until mid-late August, and was the first named storm of that season. We all know what happened with Andrew.

For those of us closer to my neck of the woods, you're of course familiar with Alicia. Also the first storm of the season -- and the only named storm of the season in 1983, and it hit dead-on at the Galveston/Houston area.

It only takes one... so don't let a "slow" season be a reason to let your guard down at ALL.

Hi! Just wanted to say we are 'neighbors' about an hour and half north, northeast of you!! I have been soooo happy to see "the tropics are quiet" every night on my local weather website! We already had several named storms by this time last year. I agree that small hurricane systems are good for the atmosphere and the oceanic ecosphere....but no damage please!! Ha!! I like to follow the Farmers Almanac and the prediction they have for one that's suppose to take notice is around 9-10 or 9-11... Which is close to when we had Rita, Katrina and Ike!!!

 

[Gina]

Hi! Just wanted to say we are 'neighbors' about an hour and half north, northeast of you!! I have been soooo happy to see "the tropics are quiet" every night on my local weather website! We already had several named storms by this time last year. I agree that small hurricane systems are good for the atmosphere and the oceanic ecosphere....but no damage please!! Ha!! I like to follow the Farmers Almanac and the prediction they have for one that's suppose to take notice is around 9-10 or 9-11... Which is close to when we had Rita, Katrina and Ike!!!

Hiya neighbor! Ike is a bad, bad word... we definitely don't need any storms this year, because so many people are still struggling from last year! Several houses in my subdivision still have the dreaded blue roofs, and most of us still have repairs to make. And now, as of Sept. 1st, it will be law in Texas that they can arrest people who don't leave when a mandatory evacuation is called! Many employers won't let their employees leave until the last minute, so now people have to choose unemployment or arrest?? One more thing to stress about...

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

I just read about that day before yesterday. What's up with that? Our officials are super lenient here...most don't even leave, so are they gonna arrest each other!!? In fact, when Ike came, our local high school was where all the surrounding mayors, police, official-type people spent the night and the next few days...we didn't do mandatory here. I don't think...I know if they did it was a last minute decision. They had called Mandatory for the storm right before it..Gustav?...then that was a bust and the guys here took a lot of flack for calling the M E. So, they were afraid to call a 2nd one and risk it not being needed either. In fact.. this was so crazy,, people were trying to sue them for the days that they took off work for gustav!!! I could NOT believe that.

 

[kellyg403]

I live on the coast of NC, near Wilmington. I can remember only one Hurricane in July and that was either Bertha or Fran..both of which were devastating for us. Typically we get named hurricanes in Aug and Sept. and in the last five years or so Sept has been our magic month. I am keeping my fingers crossed that things stay calm. We have had so much rain in the last month even a small category hurricane could possibly have catastrophic floods and wind damage. At this point, the trees are standing in wet ground with a close water table. Think Floyd back in '99 when we had so much rain in the month of July that when Floyd came on the coast as a category 2 it was the flooding that was catastrophic. My little town was like an island as all the areas around us flooded, we couldn't get in or out for about a week.

For us, if we have had a dryer season, a category three storm is not so bad. We can get through it with maybe power outages and a little bit of flooding. A rainy summer like this is just a recipe for disaster.

Kelly

 

[karibritt01]

Fran was in Sept for sure, so it must have been Bertha you are remembering.

We are in Raleigh, and have had tons of rain, too. Our problem is that when the ground is this wet, the big oak trees will fall with the slightest wind. We have enough big trees close to the house and shed that we have the potential for major damage if a large storm makes it inland.

 

[kellyg403]

Fran was in Sept for sure, so it must have been Bertha you are remembering.

We are in Raleigh, and have had tons of rain, too. Our problem is that when the ground is this wet, the big oak trees will fall with the slightest wind. We have enough big trees close to the house and shed that we have the potential for major damage if a large storm makes it inland.

Yes, we have a few trees closer than I would like near the house as well. DH and I have been back and forth about it, I want them gone he wants them to stay. It worries me a lot.

Yeah, a storm anytime soon will really not be a good thing for any of us.

Kelly

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

I don't know how August is for ya'll in NC, but for us it's not usually a super rainy time. Hopefully ya'll can dry out this next month!!!

 

[C.Ann]

Saw a graph type thing on the Weather Channel today in regards to hurricanes.. (Actually it was a bar-type graph..) July was about halfway up the bar; August three-quarters; and September looked like it was about to go off into orbit!

So I guess that answers my question.. I have friends leaving their home in Florida today to come up to the northeast and they won't return home until a week after Labor Day.. I spoke with my friend today and they have hired someone to "hurricane-proof" their home while they're away - should the need arise.. One less family I have to be concerned about..

For all you folks in hurricane prone areas, I'll be keeping you in my thoughts and hoping that nothing major occurs this year..

 

[onelilspark]

This was on the Weather Channel's Website:

Where are the hurricanes this year?



Why no hurricanes yet?
Because it's nearly August and there have been no hurricanes as of yet, many people believe that 2009 is shaping up to be a very slow season. Heck, just last year the first named storm of the season occurred on May 30!

But this seemingly slow start is really not that unusual at all.

25 to 30% of the time, the first named storm of the season does not occur until the month of August.

We have a long way to go.

The trough that has been situated over the eastern half or third of the country this summer (the same trough providing a cool summer in the Midwest and Northeast) has been responsible for creating a high wind shear environment over the Gulf and off the Southeast U.S. coast.

This has put a lid on the early part of the Atlantic hurricane season.

Second, there is also a high shear environment over the Caribbean Sea as westerly mid and upper level winds tear apart any organizing thunderstorm complex.

You need thunderstorms for a tropical depression to form - without thunderstorms, there will be no further development.

In the central Atlantic, high pressure has been displaced farther south; right over the breeding ground for tropical storms and hurricanes. This high pressure provides a dry and stable environment. Areas of low pressure that emerge off the African coast are quickly dismissed and dissipate due to this stable atmospheric environment.

All of these factors are the reason why there is a lack of tropical storms and hurricanes so far this year.

The last time there were no named storms until August was back in 2004. But if you remember that year (and many of you do), it turned out to be a very active and destructive season.



2004 Atlantic hurricane season

Four hurricanes made landfall over the state of Florida. Overall, nine storms struck the United States including the highly destructive Hurricane Ivan.

Remember 1992? The first hurricane to develop didn't do so until August 17. That infamous hurricane was Category 5 Andrew. It just takes one.

Dr. Lyons believes this will likely end up being an average or near-average season but also remain vigilant as it just takes that one or two storms to strike a highly populated area.

Little to no activity during the early part of a hurricane season doesn't mean much. What does matter is how strong the hurricane becomes and who gets hit in the end.

It only takes one.

2009 is still a big question mark.

 

[C.Ann]

This was on the Weather Channel's Website:

Thanks for sharing that info..

 

[crocko]

Will be watching this thread since I have a mid-late September trip planned.