To the folks in Florida’s Panhandle and places which will be impacted by Hurricane Michael…
At this hour, the storm is quickly approaching land and seeing the images on my TV of the heavy waves hitting those beaches and the beginnings of the storm surge fill me with incredible dread.
Please be careful out there, people. If you can still do so, evacuate.
I can’t help but also dread what the news will show us tomorrow.
I’m just one lonely voice in the vast internet but for those in the path of Hurricane Florence, whose effects will be felt starting today in the Carolinas, please heed all the warnings issued and keep yourself informed of the latest track.
On the good side, the storm appears to have weakened to a Category 2 (it was up to a Category 4, which is devastating). Category 2 storms, however, are nothing to be trifled with. The rain alone is going to prove a very big problem and, again, heed whatever warnings are issued.
Good luck out there and keep safe.
There are two websites I recommend for those who track these storms. The first is only too obvious, the National Hurricane Center. This website offers the official government tracks of these systems. The latest, as of 8 AM this morning, is presented below:
These prognostications are updated every five or so hours usually but when a storm approaches landfall the updates are issued more frequently.
The other really good site is this one:
This site presents the so-called “spaghetti” models of all storms throughout not only the Atlantic, but also the Pacific. This site is also updated frequently and it offers a good behind the scenes look at what will eventually show up on the NOAA site above.
For those living ’round the parts I’m living in, September 10 represents something pretty big. The below graph shows you why…
This graph, as you may surmise, shows the average number of hurricanes/storms encountered during a hurricane season. September 10, today, looms quite large because this date is often referred to as the “peak” of the hurricane season.
And, ho boy, is that turning out to be the case this year. After a very tranquil hurricane season 2018, things have gone into a super-overdrive these last few days, with a whopping THREE active hurricanes in the Atlantic as of this morning…
Yikes.
In the United States, the one that’s of particular concern is Florence. She’s projected to hit along the South/North Carolina coast by a the end of this week:
She’s also predicted to be a MAJOR hurricane when she does hit. Her wind speeds are projected to be in/around 140 mph.
Ladies and gentlemen: This is a VERY dangerous storm. If you’re living in the general areas predicted to face it, please, please, please take this storm very seriously.
Be very careful and pay particular heed to any information and updates.
And though its only words, good luck out there. As someone who’s lived through too many of these things, I feel for anyone who has to face these nasty events.