Has anybody gotten a look at those FEMA trailers? Are they nice? I may be living in one shortly . . .
I heard this morning that the models were all floundering aimlessly around in the Carribbean, unable to decide on what was going to happen in the immediate future, but that they had all freakishly pointed straight to HERE at the end of the week.
I hope Nico has gotten out of Sarasota by now . . .
Stay safe!! Perhaps go to an animal shelter. They’ll take care of you there. Baaaaa!
i’m heartily tired of hurricanes. you must be, too. do you ever get in practice for them?
I think that, with practice, some of the fear lessens. If you fear the unknown, everything is worse. Then again, the stress of waiting and seeing it coming at you is horrible. Not knowing until the last minute, when it’s too late to leave, is very stressful. Never knowing where it’ll go, or how strong it will be.
After 3 of them last year, I had been kind of dreading June 1. Trying not to think about it. I’d been deleting the NHC emails because it was so early in the season. Then, someone stopped by my office to tell us the hospital was instituting phase 1 of the hurricane plan. I got up from my desk, walked across the hall to the ladies room, and threw up. Then came back and started packing.
Later, I went to an office in another building to find several people sitting sobbing at their desks. And the ones who weren’t sobbing were eating–consuming entire huge bags of candy. You could hear frantic chomping noises everywhere. The retail store had nothing left.
I packed my household three times last year. After the second time, I just left most of it packed. I did not unpack some of it at the end. It is still in boxes. I know people who can’t bring themselves to take the plywood off their windows. They’ve just painted tropical scenes on them.
Good thing I got the waterproof container for my McGee last week, I guess.
I must ask, why do you still live there Lamby?
My uncle used to live there with the two kids they still had at home, and they just got sick of dealing with the constant hurricanes so they moved to Utah.
Are you a native of Florida, LC? I knew a lady from Stuart who could never get warm living here. I guess its whatever you get used to. And certainly Florida looks beautiful. I suppose each of us has to determine if the positives outweigh the negatives to where we live. Hurricanes may be a big negative, but surely there must be some positives about living where you do (?).
djm
I look after an elderly family member here.
Ok, that’s a pretty good reason then. 
I guess it’s time to gas up my generators.
Goodness, what a terrible sight. I guess I had thought the hurricane season was over–wrong about that! I wonder if it doesn’t cross such a wide space of water if that will prevent it from getting so bad. I sure hope so. I will get the hurricane website up on my computer. You poor guys in Florida!
They really need a better naming system for hurricanes. Wilma, and Rita make them sound like cuddly old grannies who are a threat to no-one but the unfortunate grandchildren they give gummy kisses to. What about names like Boadicea, Jezebel and Mother-in-law?
Good luck, Lambchop, I hope the hurricaine doesn’t come your way (and just sort of chokes itself off)
It’s such a relief to be living in an area where nothing much happens weather-wise (though we did have a couple of trees down a few years ago).
The name “Hurricane Mother-In-Law” would put an all-too-real face on the situation… 
bad for PR and all 
I’m here with you Lamby. We’re gonna ride out the storm!!! Yeehaw!!! I’ve grown to not pay much attention to the storms. I don’t mind them. It just so happens that our property has had no losses over the past few years from hurricanes except for one tree (bummer, and I really liked it). The only problem I have with hurricanes is because of the aforementioned text, relatives from all over FL come to stay with us. Aarrgghh!
And if Nico hasn’t left, well, he may have a story to tell people back home. That is, if the storm comes…
Now a category 1.
Sorry for your troubles down there folks. Someone go and give Lambchop a hug for me. She’s sounding very upset lately. 
djm
I definately would if I had a ticket to Floridar but I’m afraid we’re on bad terms lately.
That’s because you’re “west of Orlando.” Quite possibly the only good place to be, if you have to be here at all.
I can spit out my window and hit water.
Hmmm, maybe someone can post a map of our locations, like Joseph Smith did last time, so y’all’ll all know where to dig in the rubble.
Hmm, I just noticed . . . “definitely” has the word “finite” in it. Good way to remember the spelling . . . must make a note of that.
Well I can spit out of my window and hit water…with some good wind projection, into by pond. And I don’t tend to spit anywho. I was raised with it having a negative connotation. Sorry, but I love to make jokes. Nonetheless, I do have worries with any storm. (I worry more about microbursts than I do full-blown hurricanes). I’m thinking about you and your family throughout the next few days Lamby. Hope everything turns out for the best. 
A map sounds interesting…
So does Bill Gates. 
djm
HURRICANE WILMA DISCUSSION NUMBER 16 CORRECTED
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
5 AM EDT WED OCT 19 2005
IN ADDITION TO THE SPECTACULAR CLOUD PATTERN OBSERVED ON SATELLITE
…AN AIR FORCE RECONNAISSANCE PLANE MEASURED 168 KNOTS AT 700 MB
AND ESTIMATED A MINIMUM PRESSURE OF 884 MB EXTRAPOLATED FROM 700MB.
UNOFFICIALLY…THE METEOROLOGIST ON BOARD THE PLANE RELAYED AN
EXTRAPOLATED 881 MB PRESSURE AND MEASURED 884 MB WITH A DROPSONDE.
THIS IS ALL IN ASSOCIATION WITH A VERY SMALL EYE THAT HAS BEEN
OSCILLATING BETWEEN 2 AND 4 N MI DURING EYE PENETRATIONS. THIS IS
PROBABLY THE LOWEST MINIMUM PRESSURE EVER OBSERVED IN THE ATLANTIC
BASIN AND IS FOLLOWED BY THE 888 MB MINIMUM PRESSURE ASSOCIATED
WITH HURRICANE GILBERT IN 1988. HOWEVER…ONE MUST BE VERY CAREFUL
BEFORE IT IS DECLARED A RECORD MINIMUM PRESSURE UNTIL A FULL AND
DETAILED CALIBRATION OF THE INSTRUMENTS AND CALCULATIONS IS
PERFORMED. SO PLEASE DO NOT JUMP INTO CONCLUSIONS YET…BE PATIENT.
**WILMA IS A CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE THAT IS MOVING OVER
VERY WARM WATERS…**TYPICAL OF THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA…AND
WITHIN AN ENVIRONMENT OF LIGHT SHEAR. HOWEVER…DESPITE THE
FAVORABLE LARGE SCALE ENVIRONMENT…WILMA IS NEAR ITS MAXIMUM
POTENTIAL INTENSITY AND FURTHER STRENGTHENING IS NOT ANTICIPATED.
MOST LIKELY…THE SMALL EYE WILL COLLAPSE FOLLOWED BY SLIGHT
WEAKENING OR SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY. EYEWALL REPLACEMENT
CYCLES WILL LIKELY CONTROL THE INTENSITY FOR THE NEXT 2 TO 3 DAYS
WHILE THE HURRICANE IS OVER THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA.
THEREAFTER…ONCE WILMA REACHES THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO AND
ENCOUNTERS THE WESTERLIES AND HIGH SHEAR…WEAKENING SHOULD BEGIN.
THE HURRICANE IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST OR 295 DEGREES AT
7 KNOTS. IT SEEMS THAT DATA FROM THE HIGH ALTITUDE NOAA JET
INGESTED BY MODELS CAUSED THE TRACK GUIDANCE ENVELOPE TO SHIFT
SLIGHTLY WESTWARD FOR THE 2 TO 3 DAY PERIOD. HOWEVER…NO CHANGE IN
TRACK IS INDICATED OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO AND GUIDANCE CONTINUES
TO TURN WILMA SHARPLY TO THE NORTHEAST OVER FLORIDA. BASED ON THE
LATEST GUIDANCE…THE OFFICIAL TRACK FORECAST HAS BEEN SHIFTED
SLIGHTLY WESTWARD BUT IS KEPT ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE ENVELOPE.
THIS IN CASE THE TRACK GUIDANCE SHIFTS BACK TO THE EAST IN THE NEXT
RUN.
IN SUMMARY…THE OFFICIAL FORECAST BRINGS THE CORE OF THIS
CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE NORTHWARD THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL AND
THEN SHARPLY TURNS A WEAKER HURRICANE TO THE NORTHEAST TOWARD
FLORIDA WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED. NO CHANGE IN WARNINGS
OR WATCHES IS REQUIRED AT THIS TIME.
FORECASTER AVILA