Look Into The Eye of The Storm: 32 Hours Til Isabel Arrives

NHC | 9-17-03 | my favorite headache

[My Favorite Headache]

Good Morning Freepers....

[Miss Marple]

HA! I want to see Rather standing on the beach in North Carolina! He got his start in Camille, if I remember, and has chased hurricanes ever since.

[NittanyLion]

Departures will only occur when the plane is cleared to land at the destination, so the flight will not leave the departure airport. Also, there will be a residual effect up and down the East Coast because equipment will be in short supply (as it sits in hangars and can't takeoff), thus delaying and cancelling flights between cities unaffected by the storm.

[Howlin]

Especially from Roanoke to DC to NY Thursday evening??

That's not going to happen, IMO.

[Howlin]

Don't even THINK about that. But it's true.

[U S Army EOD]

You mean on a small sailboat? I rode two out at anchor but not as bad as this one and was in a protected area. However, I got in one in the Bay of Biscay, (hurricane force winds, BBC confirmed Force 12), wind speed incicator was pegged at 60 knots for 8 hours and I am sure it got much worse. My mast was about 50 feet off the waterline and we had waves about on average 3/4 the height of the mast with some larger. During the worse of the wind the ocean got blown almost flat for a while. We turned over three times and put the mast underwater that night. We had five adults and two children age 6 months and 22 months on board. I had horrible guilt feelings that I was going to be responsible for everyone dying. This was in October of 1977. Lessons learn, don't try to cross the North Atlantic during the winter in a 36' sailboat. We made it but the first 1,500 miles were basically a nightmare. I have often wondered since then how many sailors have prayed or in my cased begged God just to make it quit for 10 minutes or so, so you can get reorganized.

[Howlin]

Look, the eye is closed!!


Vortex Data Message

---

000
URNT12 KNHC 171128
VORTEX DATA MESSAGE
A. 17/1128Z
B. 29 DEG 36 MIN N
72 DEG 23 MIN W
C. 700 MB 2719 M
D. 55 KT
E. 139 DEG 098 NM
F. 229 DEG 96 KT
G. 142 DEG 056 NM
H. 957 MB
I. 11 C/ 3035 M
J. 15 C/ 3018 M
K. 13 C/ NA
L. CLOSED
M. E09/30/20
N. 12345/7
O. 0.1/2 NM
P. AF977 1913A ISABEL OB 30
MAX FL WIND 101 KT NE QUAD 0936Z.
RADAR PRESENTATION FAIR

;

[Molly Pitcher]

If Rather tries that stunt once to often & gets blown away, well, let's just say I wouldn't be be too disappointed.

[Gabz]

Everybody keeps talking about him - and I can't for the life of me figure out who he is................

[Slip18]

The Pitt County man won't have to worry about the hurricane. May he RIP.

[Howlin]

Yoohoo:

"At landfall on Thursday along the North Carolina will occur with expected rainfall amounts of 6-10 inches with locally higher amounts. Storm surge flooding of 7-11 feet above normal tide levels can be expected in the area just to the right of where the center makes landfall. Also expect waves of 20-30 feet with offshore waves of 35-55 feet. Isolated tornadoes are also a possibility as common in tropical systems. However tornadoes are usually short lived and weak in tropical systems.

Further up the coast along the Maryland portion of the bay, hurricane watches are up. This means that hurricane conditions are possible within the next 36 hours. Even as isabel weakens, that could be a very strong storm system. Part of the reason for this hurricane watch has to do with the pressure gradient. The pressure gradient is simply winds between high pressure and low pressure. High pressure centered over new england will have winds cuculating around it in a clockwise matter. Winds around low presure circulate in the counterclockwise matter. Thus the wind move from high pressure into low pressure. The closer those features are and the stronger they are, the tighter the pressure gradient. Thus winds sustained at 40-60 miles per hour are expected in Baltimore and DC Thursday night into early Friday with gusts possibly over 75 mph in squalls near the center. Rainfall amounts of 3-6 inches can be expected. Storm surge flooding of 2-5 feet above normal tide level can be expected at Baltimore Harbor and the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Yes tidal flooding may occur at Baltimore Harbor, at least minor!!"

[U S Army EOD]

Maybe I should take him on one of my sailing trips.

[NittanyLion]

I think the cold front sitting off the East Coast will prevent further strengthening. The reorganization and dry air behind the front will likely negate each other.

[steveegg]

Translation for those of us inlanders?

[Molly Pitcher]

Then you're lucky! Don't fret about it. He's an older man...dark hair, I think still, a Texas accent. He's also famous IIRC for giving Nixon a hard time, so that tells you he's been around the block a few times.

He's the CBS anchor for evening news. Oh, and good buddies with Fidel.

[keeper53]

AppyPappy please see my post 114, as I know you are in that area of VA. Does everything shut down(University) in situations like this? thanks in advance!
Thanks NittanyLion and Howlin!

[Gabz]

I'm surprised my husband hasn't done something like that to me - he's doing all the labor intensive preps - while I've been sitting here FReeping!!!!

[Molly Pitcher]

YES! He'd accept in a flash, never thinking about the possibilities....

[AppyPappy]

Flight operations will probably stop in Roanoke if the wind gets high enough. Oddly, there is a B-2 Stealth Bomber flyover scheduled for the Thurs night game between VT and Texas A&M.

[Hatteras]

I'll use the Blockade Runner cam from time to time as a screensaver. Right click on the cam and change it to full screen.

[Gabz]

What I want to know is when will Dan Rather show up? This isn't an official hurricane until we see a shot of him getting pummled by wind and rain.

Please, oh Please let him show up on Chincoteague or Assateague - I would defy my fear of the danged causeway and the authorities to be on the Island to watch the locals dump his sorry a$$ into the channel!!!!!!!!!!