Posted on 09/21/2002 8:37:47 AM PDT by blam
Hurricane Races Toward Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula
Sat Sep 21, 9:23 AM ET
MIAMI (Reuters) - Hurricane Isidore raced toward Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Saturday with winds near 105 mph after damaging houses and crops and forcing 300,000 people to flee their homes in western Cuba.
The storm was expected to strengthen into a major hurricane with winds topping 111 mph later on Saturday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Hurricane warnings were posted along the north and east coasts of the Yucatan Peninsula, including the tourist resort island of Cozumel.
Coastal flooding as high as 4 to 8 feet above normal tide levels was expected on the north Yucatan coast, the center said.
At 8 a.m., Isidore was located about 65 miles west-northwest of Cabo San Antonio on Cuba's western tip, or at 22.0 degrees north latitude and 85.8 degrees west longitude.
Its projected path showed it skirting Yucatan's north coast over the weekend and pointing straight at Mexico's east coast.
Isidore was moving west-southwest at about 7 mph and could jog more to the west. On its present track it was no threat to the United States but forecasters said it was possible it could turn toward the U.S. Gulf Coast next week.
Meanwhile in the north Atlantic, Subtropical Storm Kylie formed about 780 miles east of Bermuda. It was heading north at a speed of 9 mph with winds near 40 mph.
110 mph is a major hurricane??? Heck--the last storm I rode out in Baton Rouge had 90 mph winds when it passed over the city. I seem to recall it was about 130 when it came ashore.
I guess it is like "Super Jumbo", "Jumbo", and "Large" at the supermarket. Having ridden out a number of them, I don't consider anything under Category 4 as terribly hazardous to life and limb unless I were to be so unlucky (or stupid) as to be right on the coast and likely to get hit by the "storm surge" tide(s).
Can't recall the channel. A direct hit by a Category 4 into NO would submerge every one story dwelling, most of the 2 story buildings, washing the nutria (20 lb rats) and alligators into residential areas. Sewage everywhere; the estimated death toll would be 15-20,000. I am still shaking my head in amazement. Frightful!
As usual Dog Gone's got it wrong.
Gee, I wish I were like you instead of being STUPID because I live on the coast !!!!! You're such a genius and your intellegence just oozes !
Ah...be nice. These charts, depending on the time of day, can show this thing hitting anywhere. Yesterday it had the LBAR tracking right up Mobile Bay. It's to far out to get to serious about any forecast projections right now.
I think a turn to the north is likely, seems most huricanes turn north once in the open gulf.
Living on waters edge south of Houston, I have to take this one very seriously, not ready to board up the house yet.
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