Hurricane Ike Live Thread

NOAA/NHC ^ | 7 September 2008 | NOAA/NHC

[NautiNurse]

Hurricane Ike is the fifth tropical cyclone of the 2008 hurricane season to threaten U.S. Gulf Coast states.

Reports from Turks & Caicos Islands describe 80 per cent of homes damaged or destroyed. On Sunday, Hurricane Ike's position just north of Hispanola was hampering relief efforts for devastation incurred by Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Fay. The death toll in Haiti from Gustav reached 200 people.

Florida Governor Charlie Crist held a press conference Sunday morning shortly after a Hurricane Watch was issued for the Florida Keys.

Public Advisory Updated every 3 hours

Discussion Updated every 6 hours

Buoy data:

Florida & Eastern Gulf of Mexico

Western Gulf of Mexico

West Caribbean

Forecast Models

South FL Radar Loop
FL Keys Radar Loop
Cuba Radar Warning: site gets overloaded
FL Long Range Radar Image

Ike
Single Image		Image Loop
Lat/Lon	No Lat/Lon	Short	Long
Visible	Visible	Visible	Visible
Shortwave	Shortwave	Shortwave	Shortwave
Water Vapor	Water Vapor	Water Vapor	Water Vapor
Infrared Channel 4 Enhancements
None	None	None	None
AVN	AVN	AVN	AVN
Dvorak	Dvorak	Dvorak	Dvorak
JSL	JSL	JSL	JSL
RGB	RGB	RGB	RGB
Funktop	Funktop	Funktop	Funktop
Rainbow	Rainbow	Rainbow	Rainbow

Additional Resources:

Navy Tropical Cyclone
Storm Pulse Very cool site--scroll down for Ike

KeyNews.com Key West News
Miami Herald
NOLA.com
KPLC-tv Lake Charles News
WEAR-tv Pensacola FL
TBO.com Tampa Bay Online
KHOU Houston
WKRG-tv Mobile-Pensacola

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

[NautiNurse]

Feeder band. Good sized one too South FL radar

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

The problem you have in the Keys is that with a number of near misses under our belt everyone starts ignoring the weather broadcasts.
~~~
We seem to have that problem all over,,,

Sometimes they get away with it,,,

Sometimes they don’t,,,

NOAA Floater - Visible Loop seems to show IKE still heading

nearly west on 21 N. over water,,,(hard to see),,,

We’ll see if the 5 day forecast shifts west...

[eastforker]

5 Day still headed to Houston I’m looking at!

[floriduh voter]

Take care. Ike’s due to gain some strength and turning north is less likely.

[abb]

Latest computer models. More westward track now.
http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200809_model.html

[mewzilla]

I wonder what the Cuban government did with all the tourists.

In the interests of good PR and future money-making, evacked them most likely. I just hope the gov't took the same care with the locals.

[NautiNurse]

Forecast models are tight between Galveston and Corpus Christi.

[Centurion2000]

Well, at least north Texas looks like it's going to get a LOT of rain.

[NautiNurse]

I’ve heard there are sturdy hurricane bunkers in Cuba. Another question is: What do these people have to go home to when they exit hurricane bunkers?

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

Yup,,,saw that,,,

Looks like they have shifted it a little more west,,,

Mite move it a little more next update,,,

I just hope the damned thing don’t stall like some have in

that area...:0/

[mewzilla]

I’ve heard there are sturdy hurricane bunkers in Cuba. Another question is: What do these people have to go home to when they exit hurricane bunkers?

Sigh. I don't know. I just hope the gov't doesn't use the storm as a way of shedding itself of some of the needier members, say the elderly for example, of its society.

[jpsb]

I don’t like that a little more west stuff, at some point this thing will turn nw or nnw, much better to have it heading right at you then that turn happens. Heading south of you before the north turn is not good. But maybe it will do an Allen and never turn, just keep on truckin right into the Mexican desert.

[Old Professer]

TS Fay.

[NautiNurse]

much better to have it heading right at you then that turn happens.

I know what you mean. There is some small comfort in having the center of the track pointed exactly at your location five days out. It doesn't often end up that way.

[metmom]

Well, it’s not like they’d be able to get much spying done in those conditions if that’s what Castro is worried about. Might as well let them have a look at the hurricane.

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

Well,it’s all still a krap-shoot at this point,,,

NOAA Floater - Visible Loop shows IKE heading WNW from what

I can tell,,,

That 5 day forecast mite be moved west in the next few updates,,,(WU),,,

More toward Corpus Christi I think...

[lainie]

This is true, though it was under gritty and rather extreme circumstances (and they still go the job done). I was looking for pics showing the rain but none of them show much more than drenched uniforms. Cuba's destruction looks pretty bad, though.

[rodguy911]

Looks like its cuba coast bumping.

[rodguy911]

The trick is to put in more on air time then the politicos, then they are afraid of you!!

[rodguy911]

We are in between bands now but wind is steadily picking up maybe 35-40 knots by now.Just check the neighborhood docks and if it keeps coming up it will be close by 6 or 7 eastern.