A Hurricane Watch is now in effect from New Smyrna Beach southward
on the Florida East Coast...
On/Off Hurricane Ping list, mash ---> 
.
Posted on 08/28/2006 7:27:21 AM PDT by NautiNurse
Florida Governor Jeb Bush ordered a state of emergency in advance of Ernesto's anticipated Florida landfall as a hurricane. During his press briefing, Governor Bush emphasized the need to, "Have your family plan in place. Be prepared to be on your own for 72 hours. I know it sounds like a broken record." Jeb then repeated his message in Spanish.
All of the South Florida peninsula and Keys are under a hurricane watch, and portions of the watch areas may be upgraded to hurricane warnings later today.
NASA is moving Space Shuttle Atlantis from the launch pad back to its protective hangar, with the launch postponed until at least Sept. 7-8.
Hurricane Ernesto was downgraded to Tropical Storm status after battering Haiti and the Dominican Republic all day Sunday. The death toll in Haiti from Ernesto currently stands at 1 person; storm reports from Hispaniola are scarce this morning.
Ernesto has approached the eastern portion of Cuba, where the government issued a hurricane warning for six provinces, tourists were evacuated, and baseball games were played earlier Sunday than originally scheduled.
Public Advisories Updated every three hours.
Tropical Storm Discussion Updated every six hours
Ernesto Storm Track Archive Nice animated progression of 3 & 5 day forecast tracks
Buoy Data Florida & Eastern GOM
Satellite Images
Additional Resources:
Central Florida Hurricane Center
Hurricane City
| Category | Wind Speed | Barometric Pressure | Storm Surge | Damage Potential |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Depression |
< 39 mph < 34 kts |
Minimal | ||
| Tropical Storm |
39 - 73 mph 34 - 63 kts |
Minimal | ||
| Hurricane 1 (Weak) |
74 - 95 mph 64 - 82 kts |
28.94" or more 980.02 mb or more |
4.0' - 5.0' 1.2 m - 1.5 m |
Minimal damage to vegetation |
| Hurricane 2 (Moderate) |
96 - 110 mph 83 - 95 kts |
28.50" - 28.93" 965.12 mb - 979.68 mb |
6.0' - 8.0' 1.8 m - 2.4 m |
Moderate damage to houses |
| Hurricane 3 (Strong) |
111 - 130 mph 96 - 112 kts |
27.91" - 28.49" 945.14 mb - 964.78 mb |
9.0' - 12.0' 2.7 m - 3.7 m |
Extensive damage to small buildings |
| Hurricane 4 (Very strong) |
131 - 155 mph 113 - 135 kts |
27.17" - 27.90" 920.08 mb - 944.80 mb |
13.0' - 18.0' 3.9 m - 5.5 m |
Extreme structural damage |
| Hurricane 5 (Devastating) |
Greater than 155 mph Greater than 135 kts |
Less than 27.17" Less than 920.08 mb |
Greater than 18.0' Greater than 5.5m |
Catastrophic building failures possible |
Tropical Storm Ernesto I
Hurricane Ernesto
Very wise. Ernesto could well end up tracking just off the Florida coast. But if it was on that track and made a sudden left turn, it could be on top of the coast in a few hours.
Most of the mets are concerned that it has the potential to intensify, and that's what we have to prepare for.
Thanks for checking in from FLL. Please provide local updates when you can.
On/Off Hurricane Ping list, mash ---> .
If it stays on track, even with minimum winds I bet we lose power. That will suck.
Last yr with Rita he said Galveston would be destroyed. And that's just one of them...there are many more.
If you look at the floater sat loop, tropical forecast points move toward the Bahamas, no Florida landfall.
Mel
It's going to reach Cane status over land??? Isn't that unusual?
Wait and see...
Good question--and I don't know. However, I did find a very interesting site with vehicle traffic count--many locations in So FL have hourly figures. The Key Largo table indicates merely average traffic southbound and northbound into/out of the Keys since yesterday, with a slight increase in northbound traffic the past couple of hours.
I'd wager you're correct.
And while it might regain Category 1 status before coming onto the Florida peninsula, this isn't nearly the storm that it could have become.
We are very fortunate to get off this easy. Late last week it looked very likely that this storm would shoot the Yucatan Channel and impact Texas or Louisiana as at least a Category 3 storm, probably more.
A category 1 storm in Florida is more of a photo-op for tv reporters than a life threatening event. I'm not dismissing the hassle for Florida residents. A Category 1 is nothing to ignore. But it could have been much, much worse.
What it does when it emerges over the Gulf Stream remains to be seen. It's possible the Carolinas could be battered harder than Florida will be.
Yer welcome.
Gosh, "traffic count" brings back memories from last year with links to Ms, La, Ala state sites. Still does not seem like one year ago, NN. Seems much fresher to me - and it has nothing to do with the present commemorative coverage.
I imagine they are forecasting it to reach hurricane status right at landfall, just like Katrina did when it hit Florida.
Even here in Central Florida where it's supposed to come through I'm expecting nothing more than a normal summer storm..thunder, lightning and some wind.
OT: Eeewww...just turned on FOX and hear KuckooKofi making a speech ......
Checking in ... half the models have it coming to casa NVA, the other half to my evac location. If I split the difference and visit the Mouse House, it will probably go there like Charlie. Sigh. Time to do the 72 hour drill.
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