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8/18/2008 Hurricane DayHurricane Fay - Here she comes!8/19/08 8:00 am Update Now on land, Fay is moving north to northeast as it moves across Florida. All hurricane and tropical storm warnings have been canceled for the Bay area. <big sigh of relief> Well it missed us. It was all those prayers in comments that kept it away. Well it still may bring rain but right now, it is absolutely beautiful. The weather station says it is 78 out but it feels cooler. The breeze is blowing and I can open both doors and let the air flow through the apartment. After being closed up for all these summer months it will be very nice to air out. I almost (almost being the operative word) feel guilty for not being at work. I have a project I can work on here at home (does anyone know Access 2007?) but I think I will clean with all this fresh air. Thank you everyone for the thoughts and prayers. They worked.
And the watch is on. Ok so let's not get too dramatic here. It's a storm, Maybe Cat 1 by now. When storms hit the land they weaken. If it does go into the Gulf it could strengthen. Regardless, I got the day off ! Woo Hoo. Like a snow day but a hurricane day.
One of the worse part of the storm is the rain. We have had so much rain that the ground is saturated and flooding is more likely. My porch floods often with a hard rain so nothing new there. I have lived here since I was a child and been through quite a few - most recent were Charley and Wilma. They weren't direct hits but close enough. But mostly it is like a bad thunderstorm. Rain, wind, more wind... The clearing from the eye of the storm is wonderful if you are close enough to get part of it. It clears, very suddenly and the sun is so very bright. There is such a silence and a calm. It feels as if some type of protection is surrounding you. Magical. I "glad to be alive" feel. Kinda hard to get into words... I'm all prepared. Dog has plenty of food, we have water, can foods (yuck), car has gas. I went to buy a cheap flashlight and they were sold out but for one at $10.50! I do have a little one and know I have several around here so that's fine. I also have candles, lots of candles, but they create heat which is not something we need. Cell phone is charging. Computer is charging. I got a new book. Hmm what else? Tonight we all sit in front of the tv tuned to weather and watch and wait. Tomorrow everything will be closed, stores, food places, gas stations - there will be one open - every so often, with cleaned out shelves. It is sort of surreal sometimes when you stand back and think about it. I put a circle around my area on the map over there but it is hard to see. Well I will let you know if anything exciting happens. Here's hoping for a quite night. 6/12/2006 StormWe still have a roof and no damage. Thanks to all for your concerns.
Let the games begin!! I will try to update this blog with new pictures and reports as they come in. On the left hand pane there are links and short updates. I am on the gulfcoast about the middle of the state.
Today has been rain and more rain. That is all that is expected but I did stack the lawn furniture last night and take in anything loose. The office is closing an hour early today to help with getting home without so much traffic. That will give me time to buy dog food and water (maybe beer) to hold us through if we are out of power for a couple day. Our hurricane preparation procedures (what an excruciating process, like pulling teeth) are in place so tonight I take home the laptop (woo-hoo).
6/13/2006 8:50 am Well the sun is shining! There is still gusts of wind but now that I don't have a high profile vehicle, I made it to work without any problems.
6/13/2006 6:20 am High winds and rains come through in waves. Our county is south of the "landing". We still have wind. A barge hit a major bridge during the night and they have closed part of it for repairs. By the look of the radar below, we are still due a few rain storms. Spent a wonderful evening watching the clouds pass by and the cool breeze blowing.
Tropical Storm Alberto is moving northeast at 9 mph with maximum sustained winds at 65 mph. The storm is 60 miles west of Cedar Key and is expected to make landfall sometime this morning. After making landfall, it is expected to make its way to the Carolinas as it weakens. 5:00 update Tropical Storm Alberto is poorly organized, though its maximum sustained winds remain 70 mph, close to hurricane strength, which is a minimum of 74 mph. It is expected to make landfall late Tuesday morning along northwest Florida's coast before it makes it way to the Carolinas as it weakens.  Hurricane warnings have been issued for a portion of the Florida Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Alberto strengthens. As of 10 a.m. CDT, Alberto's maximum sustained winds had increased to almost 70 mph, just 4 mph short of Category 1 hurricane strength. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions can be expected in the next 24 hours. The warning area covers the Gulf Coast from Longboat Key to the Ochlockonee River.
Some additional intensification -- possibly to hurricane strength -- is likely before Alberto swirls ashore somewhere in northwest Florida late tomorrow. It should be noted, however, that the most significant effects of the storm precede the center. A tornado watch is in effect for much of the Florida Peninsula, and flash flood watches are posted for portions of the Panhandle and west coast. Locally heavy downpours will soak northern Florida and extreme southern Georgia over the next couple of days. Many spots will pick up 4 to 8 inches of rain with isolated 10-inch amounts possible. A storm surge of 8 to 10 feet above normal tide levels can be expected in the warned area which extends from Longboat Key to the Ochlockonee River.
6/5/2006 Hurricane SeasonJune is the start of hurricane season and end November 30. I have lived here for 35 years and encountered storms. The worse being Charley which was scheduled to hit our area just 3 days after I bought my house. Hurricane Charley strengthened rapidly just before striking the southwestern coast of Florida as a Category 4 hurricane. Charley was the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Andrew in 1992 and, although small in size, it caused catastrophic wind damage in Charlotte County, Florida. Serious damage occurred well inland over the Florida peninsula. The storm was incredible even in our area that was about 80 miles away from where Charley hit. For the 2006 north Atlantic hurricane season, NOAA is predicting 13 to 16 named storms, with eight to 10 becoming hurricanes, of which four to six could become 'major' hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher.
Time is now to prepare. THE LIST OF NAMES FOR 2006 IS AS FOLLOWS: ALBERTO THE GREEK ALPHABET...ALPHA...BETA...GAMMA...ETC...IS USED SHOULD THE STANDARD LIST OF NAMES BE EXHAUSTED...AS IT WAS LAST YEAR. IN2005...A RECORD 28 STORMS FORMED...INCLUDING AN UNNAMED OCTOBERSUBTROPICAL STORM THAT WAS ADDED TO THE OFFICIAL LIST IN APRIL. THELONG-TERM AVERAGES FOR THE NUMBER OF NAMED STORMS...HURRICANES...AND MAJOR HURRICANES ARE 11...6...AND 2...RESPECTIVELY. THE NOAA SEASONAL OUTLOOK FOR 2006 CALLS FOR ABOVE NORMAL LEVELS OF ACTIVITY.
5/9/2006 Noon updateThe rain is gone and we are left with a glorious day of Florida sunshine. The sky is blue, a light breeze and everything is bright and shiney. Life is good.
 Now back to regularly schedule blog schedule. RainI interupt this regularly scheduled posting to announce that WE HAVE RAIN!!!
 Little dog loves the rain and when it started this morning (complete with thunder and lightening) he couldn't wait to go outside. He scratched at the door and jumped into bed to make sure I was awake. He runs outside and gets all wet then he comes inside and does the dive on the floor. Big dog on the other hand I have to shove out the door or go out with him. My poor orange tree was starting to wither without any rain. I could see the tree reaching up to the sky, leaves extended, gather all it could.
Have a great rainy day!!!
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10/24/2005 Bye Bye WilmaThe storm has left the state. I haven't wandered outside yet. It's still very windy (gusts up to 40 mph) and cold. Only 65 degrees! We had tropical storm winds and much needed rain. But I am still here.
Son was sent out into the storm in his box truck (like a UHaul) for work. He called to check on me and the dogs this morning. I couldn't believe they would send him out heading east to follow the storm! Being mom that I am, I immediately told him to hang up the phone and put both hands on the wheel.
Link below is to the Today Show live reports from this morning.
10/21/2005 WilmaFriday, Sunday, Saturday now Monday or is it Tuesday. When will it ever arrive? Part of the fun of a hurricane is waiting. Which direction will it take? Will it be to the south of us (good) or to the north of us (bad). I'm pretty sure it will land to the south of us this time. Just leave Ft Myers Beach alone! With it hitting south the biggest concern is wind and electricity. Last year, although I never lost power at home, my office was closed for a week. The wood floors buckled up from the humidity. Clients started showing up when no one answered the phones. I managed to get two full days of work done from the boss' home.
The rain is a given. Even today's radar shows that we have heavy cloud cover. Will the winds be strong enough to create the "wind monster" that runs up and down the streets? Hurricane Charley had "wind monsters" for almost a full day. The local Burger King sign ended up in the McDonald's parking lot along with many other signs that were blown into the street. Driving was hazardous and almost everything was closed. We managed to find a couple of small establishments open for "hurricane parties" and get a good meal.
So for the weekend the plan is watching weather channel, watching weather channel and then we will watch the weather channel.
Everyone else, Have a Good Weekend!
10/19/2005 Hurricane Wilma makes grim historySo today being Wednesday (checking Just Odds & Ends, Bits & Pieces site, yep hump day) and the effects of the storm should start sometime late Friday or early Saturday. We've had an absolutely beautiful day reminding us all why we live in Florida. So tonight's todo's:
Quote - Current
10/18/2005 Tropical Update
Wilma strengthens to hurricane forceSystem, likely to gain more speed, could hit Florida by the weekendHere we go again - Hurricane Wilma- Going to be an interesting weekend - Hold on to your hat! Hurricane insurance confirmed.
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