Posted on 09/01/2004 3:15:34 AM PDT by Patton@Bastogne
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Free Republic Community:
Welcome to Wednesday's Hurricane Frances news-twist !
It looks like a Melbourne Landfall after all, once again (to Section9's worst fears) churning it's way North along the Coast Highway ...
Excellent Hurricane Frances Websites:
HURRICANE ALLEY
U.S. Weather Observers
Patton@Bastogne
Free Republic Member since 1998.
General George S. Patton Jr. Website
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A hurricane this size will continually go through the eyewall rebuilding cycle. This is what can give the hurricane a "wobble" and also causes the intensity to fluctuate. It actually has had 2 eyewalls as an outer wall decayed while a new inner wall grew.
Here is a real sexy computer model of Frances:
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2004/images/frances090104-1215zb.jpg
I'm no hurricane expert but I think you were wise in pulling your daughter out of that trip. Prayer heavenward for the team in Florida <><
Is Cape Canaveral in the middle of the path? Maybe we'll see how well the Space Shuttle Vertical Assembly Building flies.
For all S. Florida Freepers - Monroe and Broward counties have closed schools for Tomorrow and Friday - Dade has not made a decision as of yet.
If nothing else, parents in those areas need to make arrangements for their children for the next two days.
You did the right thing. Gov. Bush has asked all tourists planning to come to FL for Labor Day weekend to reschedule their trips.
Those hotels and other resources are going to be needed by evacuees.
If the storm makes it intact into the Gulf, I don't think it would strengthen much before coming ashore again perhaps no further west than Pensacola. Of course, I may be the one who's all wet.
As a veteran of the Northridge earthquake, I can add another important tidbit: Keep some green cash handy; cash is king when there's no power and credit cards can't get processed.
Tom Terry WFTV Ch. 9 Orlando..."I don't want to give anyone false hope right now but there is still time for it to turn north if the Bermuda High breaks down. Right now we are going to act like it is coming into Florida. The breadth of the storm means more wind damage. Not just in the eye." Winds of 80-100 in Orange County if it comes in. Osceola to 120 mph.
I'm not a weather expert, and realize that hurricanes can quickly lose strength over land, but the areas on that map prjected to receive cat 2,3, & 4 winds seem awfully shallow for a storm that size.
The long term question is... does this deflection indicate that a turn to a more NW direction is beginning, therefore raising the possibility of landfall to the north of the latest median projections? Or is it just a wobble?
This little directional change, combined with the forecast slowing of its forward speed, makes me think that it may be too early rule the Carolinas out of harm's way.
Question for those more knowledgeable hurricane hands: if it makes landfall, or approaches the land, at a very oblique angle -- say it approaches the north Florida shoreline on a 320 heading -- is there a tendency for it to "bounce" off the land mass and be deflected even more to the right?
It never hurts to pack and be ready. If it takes a path as far north as you are it will most likely have slowed considerably and wouldn't get to you until Sunday late. But it would be a beast when it hit!
My brother designed the landscaping for Turkey Point many moons ago.
Gotta tell you a funny story...
I took a novice sailing in Biscayne Bay . We sailed over to Caeser Creek did a little fishing and were going to spend the night.
Nightfall came, mosquitos biting (summer) no fish.
Some phosphorescent algae floated by and my friend asked me what it was.
I pointed at Turkey Point. He freaked out.
Took me some time to calm him down. :)
Turkey Point is a Nuke plant.
Rumors are going round here that they'll bus us out of here if Frances makes it up this way as a Cat 4...
Will just have to wait and see what happens. If it starts to look bad this weekend I'll be packing my bags and waiting for the order to leave. I didn't stick around for Isabel either. Our complex was without power for at least a week in some parts, two weeks in others.
This thing is a monster.
Oh you're bad, very bad. Typical FReeper-style humor, though, I have to hand it to you :-).
Mr. Lu has an ex-wife (whom I like) in West Palm, and a son in Hobe Sound. Another son in Gainesville.
Good thoughts to all, b/c Frances is a b****.
I hope to also be in Raleigh on Saturday after two weeks in L.A. - hopefully before Frances... :-)
I hope he has his Potassium Iodide kit and a radio with batteries. When I worked in the Coral Gables area we'd go to this bar near the reactor after work. We got to know some of the regulars who would, after we'd been there for an hour or so, get up to leave saying their shift at Turkey Point was starting soon.
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