Hurricanes & Zip Codes

Potential exists for snowstorm for Atlanta and points north to Kentucky come Tuesday

2009-01-29T08:56:00.000-08:00

While there is a lot of uncertainty, and my gut feeling tells me that this will be an Alabama/Mississippi event, there still exists a good possibility of an Atlanta snowstorm next week. Now, there will almost certainly be a storm, but the track is uncertain. Ironically, the most likely place to get hit hard is Kentucky, where they are still dealing with lots of ice and snow, and power could take two weeks to get restored.

Cold air is in place, but possibly not enough cold air to keep it all as snow. The snow pack currently goes down to about Knoxville, but also covers NW Mississippi, most of Arkansas, and NE Texas.

Keep you posted...

Ice and snow from Texas to Maine, but not for Atlanta

2009-01-27T06:49:00.000-08:00

The "Ice Storm of 2009" is continuing, but it's a very tricky storm and varies wildly depending on where folks live. Just around the southern Tennessee border, the temperature went from 71 in Muscle Shoals, Alabama to 37 in Jackson, Tennessee...about an hour's drive.

Yesterday there were winter storm warnings up from just north of Laredo, Texas, on the Mexican border, to Caribou, Maine. The main icing was occurring from Tulsa and Jonesboro, Arkansas up through Lexington, Kentucky. Paducah, where Jim Cantore is stationed, is getting hit particularly hard.

The good news is that this should all be over in the Bluegrass/Midwest by about 1 PM today. That's a pretty long storm though...about 36 hours worth of freezing rain, sleet and snow!

For the Bluegrass, apparently the saving grace was that there was a huge ice storm in 2003, which broke all the smaller branches, which means there are less power outages now. However, in Danville & Berea, Kentucky, most of the power is out, and in Jessamine County, they are requesting water conservation because the water pumps are out.

In Atlanta it's been holding in the high 50's for about 48 hours, but it'll get cold tonight again, and get back to more normal weather after that. The ryegrass is not looking especially awesome because it has been so cold, but that and the pansies seem to be coming back nicely, at least for now.

In other news, as of yesterday it is only 4 weeks until Mardi Gras, and come Monday we can sign up for Keeneland reservations (for April 18).

Christmas decorations are down...sort of

2009-01-07T14:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday being 12th Night and all I got down all the decorations, and they are either in the guest room or sitting on the garage floor. Now just time to check the lights and pack everything away. Our house seems so much bigger now than it did before! Now it's time to move on to Mardi Gras!

The weather has been crazy, warm and alternating downpours and sun. I hope we get some snow at some point soon!

Speaking of snow, we're off to Keystone next Friday (as if we didn't get enough fun already in Kentucky over Christmas and Murrells Inlet after New Year's!). Even though I don't officially get off on MLK Day, we're taking it anyway and skiing for three days up there.

It's getting to be that time of year....

2008-11-18T09:14:00.000-08:00

This weekend is a big weekend, as I'll be putting out the Christmas lights. Tuesday before we leave, I'll put the candles in the windows (because I'll FINALLY be done washing all of our windows, which I've done a few a day of since the beginning of November!). The traditional "Grand Illumination" day for me is November 27, but this year that is Thanksgiving and we'll be in Williamsburg, so I'll turn everything on Sunday, November 30. This year I'm still doing the candles, the foundation plantings and the archway in the back, but instead of doing all three front trees, I'm going to try to do a fountain effect on the middle tree right at the corner of the two streets we live on. This weekend I'm off to Lowes in Austell to stock up on any new extension cords and replacement lights I may need (since I have a gift card to use). Hopefully at the end it will all look like Monument Avenue in Richmond!

I think Hurricane Season is about done. We had Paloma a few weeks ago which caused havoc in the Cayman Islands and Cuba. The election is over and CNN is now just downright depressing (plus their hologram thing on election night was downright creepy).

It's off to Williamsburg next week, and then we're having a Lexington Christmas. Bowl season does not look promising for UVa, as we still need to win a game just to be eligible, and then most likely we'll be shipped off to Boise!

Football, Elections and Weather

2008-10-29T18:15:00.000-07:00

In terms of football, the Texas Longhorns are #1 in the country yet again. They have a big matchup in Lubbock this weekend against Texas Tech, who I am still upset at for ripping my heart out on New Year's Day this year. Gameday will also be there.

UVa had a huge win this weekend, on the road in Atlanta, beating nerds from Georgia Tech by a touchdown. We are in the "also receiving votes" tally now, and could move up if we beat our homecoming opponent, Miami (who schedules these things??!). If you remember, last year we beat Miami 48-0 in the last game ever to be played in the Orange Bowl. Right now we're riding a 4 game win streak and in sole possession of 1st place in the Coastal Division of the ACC.

The election is also next Tuesday, and despite everyone's best efforts, it looks like we won't be putting two Mavericks in the White House, and instead voting in a Socalist. Tonight Barack had a sickening self-serving ad that ran for 30 minutes on the major networks plus some cable channels just before the World Series game 5 (which was postponed from Monday because of rain, snow, wind & cold) resumed in the 6th inning. Well, us Republicans can at least emulate the Democrats in critizing every move Obama makes. I thought about going to the polls early, however with so many people voting early, it appears that election day actually won't be that bad (let's hope!).

Finally, it's gotten really cold all of the sudden here in Atlanta (and the rest of the east). I don't know if we've officially had our first freeze, but temperatures have been in the 30's on multiple occasions, and with the winds, the days haven't been much better. The orange & blue pansies are in, and the grass is growing quite well, and will be cut for the first time on Saturday once I get my mower back (and I got my 10 week exemption which lasts through Christmas to water that grass!). Kentucky had some flurries, and some parts of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have actually gotten some decent snow!

Unusual almost hurricane heading towards Maine

2008-09-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

Well this is unusual. A strong tropical storm, currently located due east of Palm Beach County, Florida and due south of Portland, Maine, is gaining in strength, and could become a Category 2 hurricane before it hits land as a Category 1 or strong tropical storm. Will the Weather Channel cover this one?

Currently the storm is supposed to hit sometime between Sunday midday and Sunday night. This could be anywhere from the Rhode Island/Massachusetts line all the way up to Halifax, Nova Scotia. However, the most likely path takes it to the Nova Scotia/Maine line late Sunday. The current forecast for Lubec, Maine, which is right on the international border, calls for gusty winds and temps in the 60's on Sunday...not exactly classical hurricane weather!

For previous reference, the strongest hurricane to hit Maine was a Category 2 storm back in 1869 that struck right around the international border (but officially in Canada), and Hurricane Gloria, which struck Connecticut but was still a 1 going through Maine.

Also, everyone is gearing up for the HUGE Alabama/Georgia game tomorrow. We are leaving around 8:30 or so and hoping to get there by 10. The game is at 7:45 PM (yeah, that's how WE do it in the South). However, with the gas shortage, no one is sure how they are going to get to/from the game. As for us, we are making sure our tank is completely full before leaving Atlanta, and then hoping to make it there/back on 1 tank.

No gas, no water, and a tanking economy...awesome day huh?

Gas shortages and no tropical systems yet

2008-09-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well I finally had to buy gas today considering my gas light came on. I went to 5 different gas stations and found some at a station on Moreland Avenue in East Atlanta for the bargain basement price of $4.69/gallon. The rest of the stations were completely out. Apparently the problem is centered in metro Atlanta as most of the rest of the country seems to be okay.

In addition, no tropical systems have formed, however the system down by Puerto Rico still has a good chance, and there is a new system that may be tropical or subtropical just off the coast of North Carolina. We'll wait some more.

Potential Kyle near Hispanola, Football season in full effect

2008-09-23T11:42:00.001-07:00

There is a disbturbance vaguely around Puerto Rico and Hispanola that is bringing lots of rain to that area (but not really so much for Haiti fortunately for them), and could become Kyle at any time (or at least a tropical depression). Early word is that it may become a minimal hurricane and strike the New York or New England coast, however until it becomes a system, it is almost impossible to know where it would go.

I'm headed to Athens, Georgia (assuming there are adequate gas supplies to get me there!) for the Top 10 matchup of Alabama at Georgia this weekend. It is a "blackout" and UGa is wearing their black jerseys. Very exciting. Meanwhile UVa is struggling and is not favored against Duke (who is having, for them, a somewhat amazing season). Argh.

Houston/Galveston still a mess but the tropics are quiet.

2008-09-16T12:31:00.000-07:00

Ike finally dissipated on Sunday night near Orilla, Ontario, Canada, which is due north of Toronto and Buffalo. However, after hitting Galveston Island with 110 mph sustained winds and a huge storm surge more like a Category 4, it flew up through Oklahoma and Missouri, but not before leaving 15.75" of rain in Houston and blowing 75 mph gusts in Louisville (incidentally every house in Anchorage, Kentucky, a suburb had damage to some degree).

Nothing on the tropical front for now, but 49 days until the election!

Ike update & Hanna Recap

2008-09-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

Ike made landfall as a Category 2 at downtown Galveston at 3:20 AM EDT. It then moved up to San Leon, Texas, at the Chambers/Galveston line in Galveston Bay. Then it moved up to Morgans Point/Baytown, at the mouth of the San Jacinto River on the north end of Galveston Island. By 6 AM EDT it was in Crosby, then went up to Huffman, Texas in far eastern Harris County. By 8 AM it was in Conroe, near Cut & Shoot in Montgomery County, and then by 11 AM had moved up to Trinity, Texas in Trinity County, still as a Category 1.

Since I didn't get to it last week, Hanna made landfall last Saturday, 9/6, at the North Carolina/South Carolina border as a strong tropical storm. Then by 5 AM it was in Council (Bladen County), NC. 8 AM: Kenly, NC in Wilson County at exit 107 of I-95. By 11 AM it was in Greenville County, Virginia near Skippers. By 2 PM it was in Saluda, Virginia in Middlesex County, Virginia, near Deltaville. By 5 PM it has moved across the Chespeake Bay to Dorchester County, Maryland, near Vienna, Maryland and the SW corner of Delaware. By 8 PM it had strengthened some and was near Egg Harbor City (Atlantic County), New Jersey. By 11 PM it was in the Atlantic, just south of West Islip, New York Long Island, south of the Suffolk/Nassau county lines. By 2 AM, it was at Jewett City (New London County), Connecticut, near the border with Rhode Island. The last advisory was issued at 5 AM Sunday when it was off the coast of Rockport/Gloucester/Essex County, Massachusetts, where it was becoming extratropical.

New watches and warnings, Ike's pressure drops

2008-09-11T06:22:00.001-07:00

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for eastern Cameron, Vermilion, Iberia, Saint Mary, Terrebonne, Lafourche, Jefferson, Plaquemines, Assumption, Ascension, Livingston, St. Bernard, Orleans, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany and Tangipahoa Parish, and Hancock, Harrison & Jackson Counties in Mississippi.

The Hurricane Watch is still the same.

Most likely track now is making landfall as a 4 around Freeport, Texas, which would basically be worst case scenario for Houston.

Today is 9/11...MSNBC is showing the Today Show from that day. Creepy.

Watches & warnings posted

2008-09-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

A Hurricane Watch has been posted for Kenedy, Kleburg, Nueces, Aransas, Calhoun, Matagorda, Brazoria, Galveston, Chambers & Jefferson Counties in Texas and western Cameron Parish in Louisiana.

A Tropical Storm Watch was posted for eastern Cameron, Vermilion, Iberia, Saint Mary, Terrebonne, Lafourche, Jefferson and western Plaquemines Parish.

The MOST likely track, is a Category 4 hurricane hitting just north of Corpus Christi, Texas. However, the track still includes all the areas in which a Hurricane Watch is now posted.

Waves were high here in Sandestin, and the water was actually closed to swimmers.

Ike in the Gulf, headed to Texas

2008-09-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

Ike is currently a Category 1, and has just emerged from the Gulf. It is now forecast to make landfall anywhere between extreme northern Mexico up to Cameron Parish, Louisiana, however, the most likely scenario is Corpus Christi as a Category 3.

In Sandestin, the surf is starting to get higher now that he's on the Gulf side of Cuba. Red flag are up on the beach.

Ike update

2008-09-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

We're in Sandestin, Florida now, but Ike should miss us.

As for Ike, the cone of error includes all of Texas, all of Louisiana, and a bit of extreme north Mexico. The most likely track has it hitting just north of Corpus Christi on Saturday afternoon as a Category 3. However, the NHC says they aren't quite sure! We'll keep an eye.

Hanna & Ike Update

2008-09-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

First the Watches and Warnings:
The Hurricane Watch from last night, from Edisto to Currituck Light, remains the same.

The Tropical Storm warning, as of 11 AM includes the following:
Georgia: McIntosh, Liberty, Bryan, Chatham
South Carolina: Jasper, Beaufort, Colleton, Charleston, Georgetown, Horry
North Carolina: Pender, New Hanover, Brunswick, Carteret, Onslow, Hyde, Dare, Currituck, Tyrell, Camden, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Chowan, Bertie, Washington, Beaufort, Pamlico
Virginia: Counties of Accomack, Chesapeake, Isle of Wight, Northampton, York, Gloucester, James City, Lancaster, Matthews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Surry, Westmoreland, Arlington, Fairfax, King George, Prince William, Stafford; Independent Cities of Chesapeake, Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia beach, Falls Church, Alexandria, Manassas, Manassas Park
Maryland: Cecil, Caroline, Kent, Queen Annes, Talbot, Worcester, Dorcester, Somerset, Wicomico, Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Harford, Prince Georges, Baltimore, City of Baltimore,
District of Columbia: The entire district
Delaware: The entire state, including Sussex, Kent, New Castle
New Jersey: Salem, Cumberland, Cape May, Atlantic, Ocean, Burlington, Monmouth
This includes, DC, Hampton Roads, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Wilmington, the Outer Banks, Baltimore, and Atlantic City.

A new Tropical Storm Watch is now in effect for:
Connecticut: New London, Middlesex, New Haven, Fairfield
New York: Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Bronx, Queens, Kings (Brooklyn), Richmond (Staten Island), New York (Manhattan).
This includes the New York Metro area.

The winds are at 65 mph & 980 mb. It should make landfall between Hilton Head and Cape Lookout, however the most likely spot now is Pawley's Island, just south of Myrtle Beach. This should occur early Saturday morning. It will move up through Hampton Roads Saturday afternoon and on Long Island just after midnight Saturday/Sunday, being by Boston on Sunday morning. For Williamburg in particular, rain should start by 1 PM, with winds by 7 AM Saturday, the worst of the storm by 5 PM Saturday, and it should clear up by 1 PM Sunday.

Ike's track has shifted significantly south this morning, and is now expected to miss Miami and go through the Keys as a Cat 4, and eventually be off the coast of Punta Gorda by Wednesday morning still as a Cat 4. Everywhere on the Florida peninsula and panhandle from Panama City/Mexico Beach on the Gulf to Jacksonville on the Atlantic is in the 5 day cone.

7 PM UPDATE: The following counties are now under a Tropical Storm Watch:
Massachusetts: Barnstable, Dukes, Essex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Nantucket, Bristol & Suffolk
Rhode Island (the entire state): Includes Bristol, Kent, Newport, Providence & Washington.

Winds are at 70 mph & the pressure is 984 mb.

Gustav, Hanna, Ike & Josephine, still...

2008-09-04T07:36:00.000-07:00

Gustav - Gustav is still around as a depression, and has moved on this path and is now located in Johnson County, Arkansas, near Fort Douglas adn the Pope County line. 19" of rain has fallen over Larto Lake in southern Catahoula Parish in northeast Louisiana.

Hanna is up to 65 mph winds with a pressure of 989 mb. A Hurricane Watch has been posted for Carteret, Onslow, Pender, New Hanover & Brunswick Counties in North Carolina, including Cape Lookout, Cape Fear and Wilmington. In South Carolina it includes Horry, Georgetown and Charleston Counties, including Charleston, Myrtle Beach and Pawley's Island. A Tropical Storm Watch has been posted for Colleton, Beaufort and Jasper Counties in South Carolina and Chatham, Bryan, Liberty & McIntosh Counties in Georgia. This includes Savannah and Hilton Head.

The 3-day track has it hitting anywhere from Hilton Head to Portland, Maine. However, the most likely option is a NC/SC border hit as a minimal Hurricane in the early morning hours of Saturday. By Sunday morning, it will probably be on Long Island, New York.

As for Ike, it is a Category 4 storm, with 938 mb. In 5 days, it could be anwhere from Tampa south, down to the Keys, and up to Flagler Beach north of Cape Canaveral, but the mostly likely scenario has it reeking havoc in the Bahamas as a Category 4. Some talk that it may be another Andrew, but I think it will now turn north (and not head into the Gulf) and hit the Carolinas, although one model has it hitting New York as a major hurricane...yikes!

Josephine has 50 mph winds and 1000 mb of pressure. It's still in the middle of the Atlantic.

7 PM UPDATE:
Gustav: It is in Godfrey, Jersey County, Illinois, near Alton and the Missouri border. It moved this way, just past Saint Louis. It is to the point now where the storm is considered dissipated, but it is still bringing heavy rain to Chicago.

Hanna: Hanna is at 65 mph and 988 mb. It should make landfall as a strong tropical storm (or very weak Hurricane) early Saturday morning near Wilmington, North Carolina. However, it will affect the entire east coast, and it could make landfall anywhere between Charleston & Cape Hatteras. The storm will move up through the Hampton Roads area on Saturday afternoon, and by Sunday at lunchtime, should be near the Maine/Nova Scotia Border. The weather channel is in Wrightsville Beach near Wilmington and up at Cape Hatteras. Many schools are cancelled tomorrow, and many football games are being played tonight.

Tropical Storm Warnings have been posted for: SC: Jasper, Beaufort, Colleton, Charleston, Georgetown & Horry. NC: Pender, New Hanover, Brunswick, Carteret, Onslow, Hyde, Dare, Currituck, Tyrell, Camden, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Chowan, Bertie, Washington, Beaufort & Pamlico.

The Hurricane Watch has been extended to include southern Currituck (Corolla and below), Dare, Hyde, Beaufort & Pamlico.

A Tropical Storm Watch has now been posted for: VA: The Cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Hampton, Poquoson, Newport News, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Alexandria, Falls Church, Manassas & Manassas Park, and the counties of York, Gloucester, Matthews, Middlesex, Lancaster, Northumberland, Westmoreland, King George, Stafford, Prince William, Fairfax, Arlington, Accomack, Chespeake, Isle of Wight, James City, Northampton & Surrey. DC: The entire District. MD: Prince Georges, Charles, St. Marys, Calvert, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, Cecil, Kent, Queen Annes, Talbot, Dorchester, Somerset, Worcester, Wicomico, and the City of Baltimore. DE: The entire state (Sussex, Kent, New Castle). NJ: Salem, Cumberland, Cape May. This watch includes the Hampton Roads metro, the Washington, DC metro and the Baltimore Metro.

Ike: He's still a Cat 4 with 945 mb pressure. It could make landfall as a strong 3 or a "weak" 4, and unfortunately the most likely track is downtown Miami on Tuesday afternoon. However, the track includes the Gulf Coast from Cedar Key down to the Keys, and from Miami up to Flagler Beach. Here is a timeline for folks in south Florida to follow.

Josephine: She's still out to sea.

Finally, there is a potential Kyle out there, however he's not in any hurry to form up yet.

Hurricanes update

2008-09-03T06:39:00.000-07:00

Gustav is now in Little River County, Arkansas, near the Red River and Bowie County, Texas, closest to the town of Ashdown, Arkansas. Since yesterday afternoon he has moved this way. Rain up to 10" has been dumped in that area, and tornado warnings are still out in central Louisiana. Orleans residents are also now allowed to go home to check their property.

Hanna is at 60 mph and 996 mb. It should hit Charleston as a Category 1 hurricane around midnight Friday, but in the next three days COULD hit anywhere from Boca Raton to Morehead City, North Carolina (near Cape Lookout). The Clemson game could be moved because of it (they are playing the Citadel). In the next five days, it will make its way up the east coast, being in Maine by the end of the weekend.

Ike is still churning its way west. In five days, it should be a Category 3, and could be anywhere from Miami to the upper Keys, but in reality shouldn't quite be that far. New Orleans and Houston should be on alert for this one. Now its at 65 mph and 996 mb, but will most likely strengthen to a hurricane today.

Josephine is at 60 mph and 1000 mb, but will most likely stay out at sea.

No words on any evacuations, but The Post and Courier is showing the contraflow routes (although I don't know if they call it contraflow in SC).

2:30 PM UPDATE: Gustav is still in Little River County, Arkansas, near Winthrop, and still dropping heavy rain. Areas between Alexandria & Shreveport have gotten up to 17" of rain so far.

Hannah is now projected to make landfall in the Grand Strand area near Georgetown, but not until Saturday morning, and then skirt the coast and be over Boston as a tropical storm on Sunday morning.

9 PM UPDATE: Hanna looks like it now might be on course to hit Hampton Roads and the Outer Banks by Saturday afternoon...and Ike is a major hurricane that may follow in her footsteps.

Gustav, Hanna, Ike & Josephine??

2008-09-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

Gustav is now a tropical depression, and the hurricane center has issued the last advisory on it. It made landfall as a Cat 2 just west of Cocodrie in Terrebonne Parish. It then moved through western Terrebonne, moved near the intersectino of Terrebonne, Saint Mary's and Assumption Parishes and then went up by Patterson and Morgan City in St. Mary's Parish. It then weakened to a Category 1, passing by Charenton in St. Mary's, up to Catahoula after moving through Iberia to St. Martin's Parish (the largest French-speaking area in the country), then went near the intersection of St. Landry/St. Martin/Lafayette, near Sunset & Grand Coteau. It then moved up to Evangeline Parish near Plattville. Finally it weakened to a tropical storm near Calcasieu in Rapides Parish, then moved to Vernon parish, near its intersection with Natchitoches & Rapides (near Temple). It was weakened to a Tropical Depression in Sabine Parish, near Marthasville on the Natchitoches Parish line.

Folks in NOLA can't go back in yet, but that evacuation order should be lifted by the end of the week. There was quite a bit of damage in Baton Rouge surprisingly because of the surprisingly northward turn it made, which includes the LSU campus. Hurricane winds hit all of south central Louisiana, including the NOLA metro area except for the north shore, which only got tropical storm winds. Those extended all the way from just east of Houston to Pensacola. Now there are tornadoes in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi.

As for Hanna, in the next three days, she could make landfall anywhere from Fort Lauderdale to Jacksonville. However, the 5-day cone includes the east coast from Fort Lauderdale all the way to the Maine/Nova Scotia border. Landfall is most likely around Charleston, South Carolina as a strong Category 2. Currently it's a strong tropical storm with winds of 70 mph and 987 mb.

For info on this storm, check out WSAV in Savannah, WITN in the Outer Banks, and WAVY TV in Hampton Roads.

On to Ike, in five days, Ike could be a strong Category 2 hurricane sitting in the Bahamas and aiming towards the Florida Straits and possibly the Gulf. There's no real chance of a US landfall by Sunday afternoon though.

Finally, Tropical Depression 10 formed this morning, and will most likely be Josephine by the 11 AM advisory. This could be a Category 1 by Sunday afternoon, however by then it will still only be in the middle of the Atlantic.

If you're wondering what's coming, Kyle, Laura and Marco are the next names on the list, however there are no other "trouble" areas to be concerned with right now. As for comparison, the last time there were 3 named systems was in 2005 with Maria, Nate and Ophelia. By Friday, all Hanna, Ike and Josephine could be all hurricanes at the same time. Also by comparison, in 2005 we were already on storm M - Maria.

Now the big question (especially since I'm obviously not going to my work trip in NOLA today...is where the heck do we go to the beach next week??!

11:45 UPDATE:
Gustav: He's now in Bossier Parish, near Taylortown and Elm Grove and has moved through Natchitoches and Red River parishes, 13 miles SE of Shreveport.

Hanna: This is now forecast to be a Category 1 by Friday noon. This is when she should make landfall around Charleston, although it could be anywhere from Miami to Hilton Head, or on the Gulf from Tampa to Saint Marks (panhandle). It's 70 mph with pressure of 987 (unchanged).

Ike: He should be a Cat 2 by Monday, or possibly even a 3. The winds are at 60 mph and the pressure is 1002. The track is the same and he should be upgraded to a Hurricane by tomorrow.

Josephine: Jo is official, and will still be a Tropical Storm likely by Monday. It may recurve out to sea but it's too early to know.

5 PM UPDATE: Hanna is treking along and northern Florida, Georgia and southern South Carolina coastal communities are getting prepared just in case. Gustav is now in Caddo Parish just near Ida, right at the corner of Miller County, Arkansas & Cass County, Texas.

Gustav, Hanna & (Ike)

2008-08-31T13:12:00.000-07:00

Gustav looks bad, but not horrific. It's planning to come in between Grande Isle and Cocodrie, and that's not good b/c Grande Isle, where Betsy made landfall in the 60's, is the worst possible place to land which puts NOLA in the dirty side of the storm. That's also worrisome because most storms tend to jog right just before landfall (think Edouard, Wilma, Katrina, Rita, Ivan, etc. etc.). However, the official cone of death still includes everywhere between Houston and the Mississippi/Louisiana border. It's a 3, but could strengthen to a 4 by the 5 PM EDT/4 PM CDT advisory, but will most likely (I think) make landfall as a weak 3 (which is STILL a bad storm).

Tropical Storm WARNINGS are in effect for Franklin, Gulf, Bay, Walton, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa & Escambia (Florida) Counties. Then a Hurricane WARNINGS are in effect for Baldwin & Mobile (Alabama) Counties, Jackson, Harrison & Hancock (Mississippi) Counties, and St. Tammany, Orleans, St. Bernard, Tangipahoa, Livingston, Ascension, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Charles, Lafourche, Terrebonne, Plaquemines, St. Mary, Iberia, Vermilion & eastern Cameron (Louisian) Parishes (this includes metro NOLA and Lake Pontchartrain). A Hurricane WATCH is up for western Cameron Parish, and Jefferson and Chambers Counties in Texas.

That is not all yet though. Tropical Storm Hanna is on track to strike the Atlantic Coast, possibly as a Category 3. The 5 day cone includes all of Florida except for Key West and areas west of Saint George Island in the Panhandle. It also includes areas of Georgia (coastal, southern and central), South Carolina, and North Carolina up to Surf City.

To keep up to date with Gustav: WWL.

Finally, Ike could form any minute, and could strike ANYWHERE, or NOWHERE (we won't know until it forms and we get a track!).

St. Charles & St. Bernard are starting evacuations

2008-08-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

Scene in Baton Rouge:

St. Bernard and St. Charles are starting assisted evacuations, and may start (along with others) mandatory evacuations by tomorrow. Right now Gustav is leaving Jamaica, and could hit anywhere between Corpus Christi and Destin, Florida in the next five days. However, it is most likely to hit Houma around midnight Monday night. My flight on Delta is now in a situation where I can change it without penalty up until September 8. Lafourche has a mandatory evacuation by 3 PM tomorrow. The Saints will most likely be going to Indianapolis.

Hanna is also still out there, and is taking a weird hook south at the end of the 5 day track.

More updates to come...BTW though, if I had plans this weekend anywhere from the Louisiana/Texas border to Panama City, I would SERIOUSLY consider cancelling my plans. Good luck everyone.

11 AM UPDATE: Gustav is reorganizing after heading back over water, and now eastern Louisiana from Lafourche Parish all the way to the Mississippi/Louisiana border including New Orleans and all of Jefferson Parish is in the 3 day cone.

Also, John McCain's running mate will be Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Finally, if you're going to get gas, get it NOW, because gas is going to quickly rise with the threat of Gustav!

Here are the Contraflow maps for New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana. This will probably start tomorrow.

Gustav, possible Hanna and football season

2008-08-28T06:58:00.000-07:00

Gustav update: The tracks for Gustav are a mess because unexpectedly, Gustav jogged south this morning and is now expected to go around the southern coast of Jamaica instead of the northern coast. New models are being run now, but basically the model tracks mean nothing. However "officially" the track has it possibly making or having made landfall somewhere between Corpus Christi and Panama City. Winds are at 70 mph and the pressure is 988, and Gustav should be a hurricane again possibly within the hour.

There are no decisions yet on evacuating New Orleans or other surrounding parishes, and the LSU game, for now is still going on schedule. Evacuations could still start as early as Saturday afternoon, and contraflow could start Sunday. This is mainly due to the fact that now it seems if the track still has Gustav headed towards NOLA or just west, it won't be until Tuesday morning, probably as a Category 3. My trip to New Orleans next week however is already cancelled.

TD-8 formed as well this morning, and it could be Hanna within the next hour. Right now the storm is pointed towards Palm Beach, however within 5 days from now (next Tuesday morning) it would still be only as close as eastern Bahamas.

Today is the start of football season, and I'm headed to the Georgia Tech v. Jacksonville State game, which should be exciting in that Ryan_Perrilloux, formerly of LSU, will be the starting QB for the JSU Gamecocks and GT is unveiling its brand new offense. Also, the Gameday tents are all set up in the middle of Centennial Olympic Park for the big Alabama v. Clemson game at the Georgia Dome on Saturday. I'm nervous for our (Virginia) game against Southern California in Charlottesville, but figure it's a win-win...either we lose big and it's as expected, or we win and our stock goes way up.

More updates through the day.

11 AM UPDATE: Gustav is still at 70 mph but could become a hurricane at any time. The track has settled out to hitting Houma/Lafourche Parish, Louisiana on Tuesday as a Category 3. Hannah has also been named, and is still headed towards Florida.

Fay is finally a thing of the past as the last advisory has been issued on her. She moved from North Jackson County, Alabama, through Niota, Tennessee, near Exit 56 of I-75, up past the Cumberland Gap at the VA/TN/KY border, and at 5 AM was located near Williamsport, Kentucky in Johnson County. Here is her path.

No update on evacuations yet, but those plans are all ready to go at any minute.

Also, John McCain will announce his VP selection today or tomorrow...I hope it's Romney.

Gustav could be dangerous...my trip to NOLA next week could be cancelled.

2008-08-27T12:57:00.000-07:00

Gustav is south of Cuba is and is heading apparently straight for New Orleans. Within the next 5 days (by Monday afternoon), the storm could have made landfall anywhere from Port Arthur, Texas to Punta Gorda, Florida, although the models seem in good agreement that NOLA is the target.

Plans are in place to start evacuating coastal Parishes by Friday morning, and contraflow could start as early as Saturday afternoon (which could make coming back from the LSU game in Baton Rouge on Saturday tricky with no eastbound lanes on I-10).

I'm supposed to be headed to New Orleans on Tuesday, however that trip looks in jeopardy. We'll see what happens. I'm not going to get stuck in a city below sea level, especially if the levees don't hold up! In any event I'm listening to WWL to get the latest.

The Louisiana delegates have left the Democratic National Convention, and Mayor Nagin is on his way home.

This is all coming on the heels of the 3rd anniversary of Katrina on Friday, and comes on a Labor Day weekend. We were SUPPOSED to go to Sandestin, Florida next week, but I can't imagine that is going to happen either!

Gustav strengthens, Fay still making rain, potential Hanna, Ike and Josephines?

2008-08-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

Fay is now just west of Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama. She has moved up from Meridian in the last 12 hours. Thomasville, Georgia has gotten 27.5" of rain from this storm, and Lake Lanier, Atlanta's water supply, has gotten 3.41" so far, but probably more with this morning's storms.

Gustav is now a strong Category 1 storm with winds of 90 mph and 981 mb. He is expected to keep strengthening, especially before he makes landfall in Haiti today. In 5 days he is expected to be just west of the tip of Cuba as at least a Category 3, or a major hurricane. Everywhere from the entire Mexican Yucatan peninsula to the southern coast of Miami Dade and the Keys is in the cone of uncertainty by Saturday night/Sunday morning. As of right now, New Orleans is the most likely target.

In addition, there are at least 3 other potential waves out there, two of which with a moderate potential to form, that could turn into Hanna, Ike and Josephine. It's the beginning of the height of hurricane season!

In Atlanta metro, a tornado warning was posted during the morning rush hour for the entire city limits. Nothing was spotted, although the storm was located right over our house in NW Atlanta. Yikes. Things have cleared up a bit, but more rain is on the way and we're under a Tornado Watch until 7 PM this evening.

11:45 AM UPDATE: Gustav is about the same, but the track is going farther westbound and is still heading for New Orleans (listen to WWL for more details). Fay has now moved towards Courtland in Lawrence County, west of Huntsville. We're not getting rain now, but should get more this afternoon.

TD-7 Forms, Post Olympic Depression Syndrome

2008-08-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

First, the Beijing Olympics ended with a ceremony so over the top just like the opening ceremonies! London came in with a this video, then a double-decker bus, Beckham and Leona Lewis after a rousing rendition of God Save the Queen (the tune is the same as My Country Tis of Thee). Only 18 months until Vancouver, and Sochi is the 2014 Winter host. Chicago (who was awarded the 1904 games but had them taken away so Saint Louis could combine them with the World's Fair), Tokyo (who were supposed to hold the cancelled 1940 games and held the 1964 games), Rio (would be the first to be held in South America) and Madrid (Spain also held the very successful Barcelona games, partly because the former IOC president, Juan Antonio Samaranch, was from there).

Now unfortunately it's time for Post Olympic Depression Syndrome (PODS) to set in.

Tropical Depression Fay was sitting over Marion County, near Morgantown and the Louisiana border for most of the night, but is now up near Lake and Forest, in Scott County, still south of Jackson. The weather is fine there, but Atlanta is under a Flash Flood Watch from 4 PM this afternoon through tomorrow night. A Tornado Watch is posted just to the west of the city of Atlanta, and Tornado warnings have been popping up for eastern Alabama, including Cleburne County, which is in the Atlanta metro area and is where I-20 enters Alabama. Could be a wild day, with 5-8" of rain expected in Atlanta (hopefully right over my house and Lake Lanier!!!).

Also, Tropical Depression 7 formed south of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, prompting tropical storm watches and warnings for those countries. This storm has the chance to be over Miami-Dade or Key West by Saturday. We'll have to keep an eye on it. It probably will be "Gustav" by this afternoon, and could be nasty.

Well tonight is some yardwork and catching up on non-Olympic DVR that's been stored for 2 weeks!

2 PM UPDATE: Gustav has been christened and is already packing 60 mph winds. Hurricane Warnings have been posted for Hispaniola.

Fay now a depression and starting to rain itself out

2008-08-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

Fay crossed over Eglin Air Force Base in Okaloosa County, then moved up to Berrydale in northern Santa Rosa County, went into Alabama up through Washington County near Bigbee, and is now located just north of I-59 Exit 118, Vossburg/Paulding, in Jasper County Mississippi, just SE of Jackson.

No other storm has formed yet, but this could change any minute...

Fay on the Nature Coast, headed to New Orleans

2008-08-23T06:20:00.000-07:00

Fay has been moving at a decent clip finally. As of 8 PM yesterday she was back out in the Gulf, west of Keaton Beach and south of the Taylor/Jefferson county line. By 11, she had moved due south of Saint Marks and Wakulla County. At the 2 AM she was in the Saint George Sound after crossing Dog Island, and shortly after made landfall just southwest of Carabelle in Franklin County. At 5, she had almost crossed Franklin County. At 8, she had crossed the time zone line and was near Port Saint Joe in Gulf County.

At 5 PM yesterday, all warnings for the Atlantic Coast were discontinued. At 11 PM, Warnings for Hernando, Citrus and Levy Counties were discontinued in the big bend area. In addition, the Watch for western Okaloosa, Santa Rosa & Escambia Counties in Florida and Mobile and Baldwin Counties in Alabama switched to a Warning. Also, a new Watch was posted for Jackson, Harrison & Hancock Counties in Mississippi, and Saint Tammany, Saint Bernard & eastern Plaquemines Parishes for Louisiana. At 5 AM this morning, the warning was extended to cover the Mississippi coastal counties above, and a Watch was extended to include Lake Ponchartrain and metro New Orleans, including the Parishes of Jefferson, western Plaquemines, Orleans, Saint Charles, Saint John the Baptist, Livingston and Tangipahoa.

As evidenced by the watches and warnings, Fay is expected to scrape the coast and maintain tropical storm status. Scary however, is the fact that after 48 hours, the models conflict in where she will go, and she may actually do a loop over New Orleans, which would bring unwelcome rain and possibly some flooding. We can only wait and see.

In Atlanta we are getting gusty winds but no rain at all. Meanwhile Macon, who does not really need the rain that bad, is getting socked!

It'll be a long day of watching the Olympics today as tomorrow is the Closings!

NOON UPDATE: Fay is currently in the East Bay south of Callaway and east of Tyndall Air Force Base in the Panama City area. Winds are near 45 mph, pressure is at 998 mb, and although some fluctuations could occur, it's not expected to get a lot stronger or weaker.

2 PM UPDATE: Fay is now over Walton County, near Bruce.

Fay finally moving

2008-08-22T07:20:00.000-07:00

Fay is FINALLY moving, and although she's weakened a bit, down to 45 mph with the pressure up to 996, it's not as much as expected, and it's not expected that she'll lose Tropical Storm status as she crosses over Florida.

A Tropical Storm Warning has been posted for Hernando, Citrus, Levy, Dixie, Taylor, Jefferson, Wakulla and Franklin Counties on the Gulf, and the Tropical Storm Warning for the Atlantic remains the same except it has been cancelled for Indian River and northern Saint Lucie Counties. A new Tropical Storm Watch has been posted for Gulf, Bay, Walton & eastern Okaloosa Counties, which includes Panama City & Destin (including where we're going next month, Sandestin).

The storm has traversed across Florida, starting near Ormand Beach at 11 PM last night, heading through Lake Disston, Marion County near Kerr City, Rochelle near the intersection of FL 20 & 325 in Alachua, and finally near Exit 384, Old Archer Road off of I-75, right by the University of Florida campus (and as a result, rush has been cancelled for today...haha).

Landfalls appear to be coming for Saint George Island and then the Florida/Alabama border. Although if it goes a bit to the south, we could have a tropical storm hitting New Orleans Sunday night into Monday morning.

News stations to watch: For Panama City, NBC/WJHG (wjhg.com), ABC/WMBB (wmbb.com) & CBS/WTVY (out of Dothan, wtvynews4.com). For Mobile/Pensacola, NBC/WPMI (nbc15online.com), ABC/WEAR (weartv.com), & CBS/WKRG (wkrg.com).

11 AM UPDATE: Fay has moved into Gilchrist County, still as a Tropical Storm. She's about 6 hours or 36 miles from the Gulf but should be able to retain her Storm status. Tropical Storm Warnings for Volusia & Brevard Counties on the Atlantic have been dropped (Warnings to the GA/SC line remain), a Warning has been posted for Gulf, Bay, Walton & eastern Okaloosa Counties, and a new Watch has been posted for western Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Escambia Counties in Florida, and Baldwin & Mobile Counties in Alabama (to the Alabama/Mississippi line).

I also forgot to mention that there are 2 very good candidates out there for Gustav and Hanna, either of which could be a dangerous storm!

5 PM UPDATE: Fay is barely hanging on as a tropical storm but is almost over water. Now she's at the Lafayette county line in Dixie County, near the intersection of US 19/27 and FL-51. She's expected to exit between Steinhatchee & Keaton Beach, roughly due east of Saint George's Island.

Fay just east of Daytona Beach

2008-08-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

Fay is pounding the shores of Volusia county and is dropping torrential rains. A good part of Brevard County is flooded out, with reports of up to 25" of rain in Melbourne!!! Winds are up to 60 mph. Rain has currently spread up to Valdosta and Waycross, Georgia.

The Tropical Storm Watch from the Altamaha Sound to the SC/GA border has been replaced with a Warning, which includes the Savannah area.

The track takes Fay skirting along the Gulf of Mexico Coast, either just onland or just in the water. We'll have to wait and see because as of now she is not moving.

5 PM UPDATE: Fay has made her third Florida landfall near Flagler Beach. Her winds are still 60 mph and the pressure is 993 mb.

Because the storm is still holding so well together, a tropical storm watch has been issued for Dixie, Taylor, Jefferson, Wakulla and Franklin Counties (where Eastern Time becomes Central Time), basically the big bend of Florida. The track is right along the Gulf so if it goes over land, it'll be a depression, and if it goes over water, it might regain Tropical Storm status (assuming it loses that status across Florida).

No idea what Fay will do at this point!

2008-08-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

Fay is currently at 50 mph with a pressure of 995, up from 994 at 8 AM. She is currently stationed, and hardly moving, over Merritt Island, between Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center, and is dumping torrential amounts of rain on the Space and Treasure Coasts.

The forecasts call for her to move just barely into the Atlantic over the next 12 hours, then come back over Florida, where she will weaken again. She could emerge into the Gulf, become a strong hurricane and threaten New Orleans, or she could stay over the Panhandle and bring a bunch of rain to those areas. Who knows?

All Hurricane Watches have been dropped, and the Tropical Storm Warning south of Fort Pierce has also been dropped. This leaves the followin in a Warning: northern Saint Lucie, Indian River, Brevard, Volusia, Flagler, Nassau and Duval in Florida, and Camden and Glynn in Georgia. The Tropical Storm Watch up to the Georgia/South Carolina line remains.

All this Olympic watching has made me tired! I can't wait to start getting some sleep! Well, that is at least after I catch up on my non-Olympic DVR shows!

Fay inland over Florida...could make 2 more landfalls in Florida???

2008-08-19T06:23:00.001-07:00

Fay is currently inland, near Felda in Hendry County. Her path has been like this since 5 AM when she made landfall just south of Marco Island.

All Hurricane Watches and Warnings have been cancelled. Torpical Storm Warnings have also been cancelled on the west coast from the Sarasota/Manatee line at Longboat Key northward. The east coast watches and warnings are the same. A Tropical Storm Warning also remains in effect for the Florida Bay and the Keys from Ocean Reef to Seven Mile Bridge (basically the middle and upper Keys).

Pressure is at 988 mb (the lowest she's ever been), and winds stand at 60 mph, which are the same as when she made landfall. Tropical Storm Winds have affected all of Florida at some point (and now) from Lake O southward.

The current path has Fay exiting somewhere around Daytona into the Atlantic on Wednesday afternoon, restrengthening, and then making a third landfall in Florida around Jacksonville sometime on Thursday afternoon. Fay would then continue along the Georgia/Florida line and possibly reemerge into the Gulf. However, it's possible Fay could reemerge into the Gulf as early as midnight tonight out by Tampa and head up to Saint George's Island, or Fay could exit into the Atlantic by Fort Pierce and then hit Charleston sometime Friday. We'll have to wait and see! In any event, the prospect of Fay rain for Atlanta looks not promising at all!

The other area of interest has not yet formed, but appears headed towards Miami-Dade...we'll keep an eye on that.

This is getting distracting trying to keep up with hurricanes and the Olympics!

11:30 AM UPDATE: Fay is now near Port La Belle in northern Hendry County, about to head to Moore Haven in Glades County near Lake O. Winds are still at 60 mph and pressure has actually dropped to 986! Spotters said they noticed an eyewall trying to form even though the stom was over land. Current forecast has it coming out into the Atlantic, and could possibly get even as strong as a Cat 2 before it makes landfall on the First Coast.

2 PM UPDATE: Fay has not weakened, and in fact has maintained 986 mb and the winds have gone UP to 65 mph! Fay is about to go over the very warm waters of Lake O, and that at minimum could prevent weakening, but also could help even strengthen the storm further so that she is almost already a hurricane by the time she gets to the really warm Atlantic. The tornado warnings have moved up to the space coast and tornadoes have done some damage.

Here are the stations to follow the storm with:
Palm Beach/Gold Coast: NBC: wptv.com, CBS: news12now.com, ABC: wpbf.com
Orlando/Space Coast: NBC: wesh.com, CBS: local6.com, ABC: wftv.com
Jacksonville/First Coast: NBC/ABC: firstcoastnews.com, CBS: cbs47.com

7 PM Update: Fay is STILL at 65 mph and STILL at 986 mb. This is wild, and I think it's totally confounding weather forcasters! In any event, it's expected to emerge into the Atlantic tonight around midnight and then strengthen to a Category 1 or Category 2.

It's location is currently in extreme northeastern Okeechobee, near the Fort Drum Service Plaza at Mile 184 of Florida's Turnpike. It's very near Osceola County but expected to exit Florida (for now) around the Indian River/Brevard line near Sebastian or Melbourne.

The Watches/Warnings have also been updated. The Tropical Storm WARNING is now just in effect for Martin, Saint Lucie, Indian River, Brevard, and Volusia Counties. A Tropical Storm WATCH is in effect for the Georgia Coastal Empire counties of McIntosh, Liberty, Bryan and Chatham, including Savannah. Most importantly however, a Hurricane Watch is now in effect south of the Altamaha Sound at Darien for Glynn and Camden Counties, including Sea Island and Saint Simons Island, and for Nassau, Duval, Saint Johns and Flager Counties on the First Coast, including Jacksonville. The official track has it heading down the Florida/Georgia line after it makes landfall around Thursday afternoon, but it's a very good possibility it might enter into the Gulf and cause more trouble! Wow.

10 PM (AND FINAL FOR TODAY) UPDATE: Fay has now entered Indian River County, and is about due south of Vero Beach. More to come tomorrow.

Fay update for 8/18

2008-08-18T06:03:00.000-07:00

Fay has just finished crossing Cuba and is a 60 mph tropical storm with pressure of 1002 mB. It is expected to keep strengthening, but not rapidly, and although the forecast track changes just about every update, right now most likely it will make landfall in Port Charlotte (landfall location of Charley), although it could be anywhere from the Everglades at midnight tonight all the way to St. George's Island on Wednesday afternoon. Everyone on Florida's west coast to St. George's should be on guard, and everyone on the Atlantic from Jupiter Inlet up to Cape Lookout, North Carolina should be on guard.

Tropical Storm Warnings currently are in effect for Lee, Collier & Monroe Counties on the West, and Palm Beach, Broward & Miami-Dade Counties on the right.

Tropical Storm Watches on the east have been extended up to Sebastian Inlet, so this area now includes Indian River, Saint Lucie and Martin Counties on the Treasure Coast.

in Georgia, Tropical Event Statments have been posted all the way to Turner and Worth Counties, which is only 160 miles from my house. Atlanta REALLY needs the rain from this, but I'm afraid it might head between Augusta and Columbia, which would most likely keep us high and dry.

Some evacuations are currently in place, including those in trailers in Sarasota County and the Keys, visitors to the Keys (hence why there are no tolls on the Florida's Turnpike Extension up to the regular Florida's Turnpike), and those in Collier County west of Tamiami Trail (US 41), which includes my grandparent's house.

UPDATE: Although the storm hasn't changed in intensity or pressure, a new Hurricane Warning has been posted for mainland Monroe, Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota & Manatee Counties. The Tropical Storm Warning is to the right of that, including Miami-Dade, Broward & Palm Beach, but also now extended to Indian River, Saint Lucie, Martin and southern Brevard Counties. The Watch has been extended all the way to the Georgia line, which includes northern Brevard, Volusia, Flager, Saint Johns, Duval and Nassau Counties. This means it will affect almost the entire Florida peninsula at one point or another. The storm track is looking more and more like it might miss Atlanta completely, and it may even reemerge in the Atlantic and then threaten the Carolinas.

The latest track has it hitting somewhere between Cape Sable in the Everglades this afternoon all the way to Saint Marks by Wednesday morning, and if it emerges in the Atlantic, that would happen between Port Saint Lucie Tuesday afternoon up to Charleston Thursday morning. Information is a bit limited because the National Hurricane Center website has crashed.

Links to follow include NBC 2 in SW Florida, NBC 6 in Miami/the Keys, and TBO in the Tampa Bay area.

5 PM UPDATE: The Tropical Storm Warnings have been extended all the way up from Anna Maria Island to Tarpon Springs (basically Tampa Bay metro), and have been extended up to Flager Beach, meaning northern Brevard & Volusia are now under a Warning (basically Daytona). The Hurricane Watch has been cancelled for the Keys, and for the south coast of Miami-Dade (although there have been tornado watches through the day, and a possible one is now near Homestead, site of the Andrew landfall in 1992).

The Storm is currently stalled between Key West and the Dry Tortugas after making landfall just after 3 PM on Key West proper.

The newest storm track keeps shifting to the East and she may not have time to reach Hurricane status before making landfall near Marco Island (near midnight) most probably (although it looks certain to at least be a very strong Tropical Storm). Landfall could be as far east as the Collier/Monroe line all the way to the Franklin/Wakulla line in the Big Bend.

The track after it crosses the peninsula is anyone's guess, and most are saying it can go anywhere from making a landfall at the Georgia/South Carolina border near Savannah to crossing back over the Florida peninsula and hitting New Orleans. Who knows!?

NBC 2 out of Fort Myers is streaming live if you're interested.

Also, there is another something that could be Gustav forming in the Atlantic. Although it's very unreliable, the early model runs have it pointed towards Miami.

9 PM UPDATE: The storm is currently just north of Key West and just west of the southern coast of mainland Florida. Landfall is still expected this evening as a strong TS/weak Cat 1, probably in Charlotte County. The path now takes it out to the Atlantic around Jacksonville, but back on land somewhere on the southern coast of Georgia. Atlanta should then (hopefully) get Fay as a depression on Saturday afternoon/Sunday which would greatly help our drought, assuming the winds aren't too bad.

Fay forms, US updates

2008-08-17T16:09:00.000-07:00

Fay formed on Friday evening and although it originally was supposed to head up the Atlantic, plans have changed and it now looks like a Gulf Coast storm.

As of 5 AM, A Tropical Storm Watch was posted for Jupiter Inlet to Ocean Reef, or Palm Beach, Broward, and the east coast of Miami-Dade County. Also, a TS Watch was issued for Glades, Hendry, Martin, Palm Beach and Okeechobee Counties along the coast of Lake Okeechobee. A Hurricane Watch was posted for Ocean Reef to Key West, or the Florida Keys (Monroe County), and Card Sound Bridge to Bonita Beach (Collier, mainland Monroe & the south coast of Miami-Dade).

As of 11 AM, the Hurricane Watch was extended to Anna Maria Island, which added Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota & Manatee Counties. A Tropical Storm Warning was posted for the lower keys, from the Dry Tortuga to Craig Key.

At 5 PM, the Hurricane Watch was extended to Tarpon Springs, including Pinellas & Hillsborough Counties, the Tampa Bay metro area.

At this point, it looks like landfall near Steinhatchee (the big bend area) on the Florida Panhandle around noon on Wednesday. This is after it passes by Key West some time on Monday, maybe as a hurricane by that point. However, It should be up to Augusta late next week, maybe by Thursday afternoon.

Bottom line, it's going to hit Florida at some point this week, but that could be anywhere from Naples by midnight tomorrow all the way to Destin Wednesday afternoon.

No TD-6 or Fay just yet

2008-08-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

The hurricane hunters went to investigate a system located generally over the Virgin Islands, and although they found winds well within tropical depression range, they did not yet find a closed circulation. However, conditions are only going to get better for this thing to develop and so it's worth keeping an eye on.

Although track forecasts are notoriously unpredictable before a closed circulation develops, early indications find that it could affect anyone from Virginia Beach all the way to South Padre, but especially the Bahamas and Florida, depending on how straight the track is. One track has it hitting the Florida/Alabama line, which would be ideal to relieve some of the north Georgia drought (which is slowly getting worse again)!

I would not be surprised if we found TD-6, or even Fay, to develop by 8 PM or 11 PM (when they release advisories).

Names coming up...Fay, Gustav, Hanna

Olympics update: I am totally obsessed with the Olympics which makes it even more difficult as it's online and on TV 24 hrs/day. Apparently everyone else is obsessed as well considering that NBC's ratings have equaled all other networks combined. This is probably in large part due to the fact that, except for the period between noon and 8 PM EDT, most events are shown live due to some negotiations with the Organizing Committee to have marquee events take place in the morning to compensate for the 12 hour time difference.

The US is currently in 2nd place in the medal count after China cleaned up yesterday in all things taking place at the Water Cube.

08.08.08

2008-08-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

It's almost time to watch the Opening Ceremonies! I have been purposely avoiding Internet spoilers of that so I can be surprised and amazed as if I were watching it real time. The weird part however is that we'll be able to watch events on NBC Olympics even before the ceremonies start, as it will be morning in Beijing (FYI, the sun comes up around 5:30 China Standard or 5:30 PM EDT or so this time of year there).

Nothing in the tropics of note to worry about which is a good thing. It's almost the height of the season though so we'd better watch out.

More on the Olympics next time...

Hurricanes, Drought & the Olympics

2008-08-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

Edouard finally dissipated near Benjamin, Texas in Knox County, loosely near Wichita Falls. The last statement was put out last night at 11 PM EDT.

There is another system trying to brew over the Bahamas, but conditions are not favorable and it does not look like this will be our next system.

The new drought maps are out and the drought in both Georgia and Texas is about the same. Georgia really does need a landfalling system somewhere along the Florida panhandle!!!

Finally, it's less than 23 hours now until the Opening Ceremonies begins. I wonder how the Today show will work tomorrow if Matt is doing the Opening Ceremonies (which will be on tape delay) while Meredith is live on the Today show?? I guess we shall see.

Edouard near Waco, Olympics less than 48 hours away!

2008-08-06T06:04:00.000-07:00

What is left of Edouard has made a slow 200 mile treck up to Central Texas to Clifton, Texas in Bosque (pronounced BAAS-key) County. As of 2 AM EDT, it was near Franklin, in Robertson County (NW of Bryan/College Station). Unfortunately, it completely missed all the severe drought-stricken areas between Houston, Austin & San Antonio.

Coming up, there is a possibility of something forming by the weekend off the coast of Florida. It is also about a week until the season really ramps up.

As of 9:08 this morning eastern time, there are only 47 hours until the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics Start!

UPDATE: The remnants of Edouard are now in Hood County, near Tolar & Granbury, Texas, near the Erath County line. That puts it loosely in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex.

45 hours!

5 PM EDT UPDATE: The remnants of Edouard are now in Stephens County, over the Hubbard Creek Reservoir near Breckenridge, Texas, which is loosely in the Abilene area, about halfway between Abilene and Fort Worth. The Hydrometerological folks say they're going to keep issuing updates though, at least up to 11 PM tonight.

39 hours!

Edouard makes landfall

2008-08-05T05:56:00.000-07:00

Edouard has just recently made landfall in Jefferson County, Texas, between High Island, Texas and Sabine Pass, LA/TX. Winds are at 65 mph, which makes this a fairly strong tropical storm. The storm was limited by the fact it turned earlier than normal so it did not have that much time over water. This was in lieu of the forecast which had it making its way into Galveston Bay and into downtown Houston. Houston should still feel the effects later today but the storm should be weaker by that point.

Tropical Storm Warnings still remain, but they are condensed. Now, they cover Jefferson, Lafourche, Terrebonne, St. Mary, Iberia, Vermilion, & Cameron Parishes in Louisiana, and Jefferson, Orange, Chambers, Galveston, Harris, Liberty & Brazoria Counties in Texas.

Hurricane Watches include all those areas except for Iberia, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Lafourche & Jefferson Parishes, however those are likely to get dropped at the 11 AM EDT/10 AM CDT advisory.

Tropical Storm winds have affected the coast all the way from Terrebonne Parish to about Gilchrist, on the Bolivar Peninsula. Limited evacuations are in effect in Cameron & Vermilion Parishes for the lower-lying areas, and there is a voluntary evacuation for the Port Arthur neighborhood of Sabine Pass, Texas.

Matt Lauer was in the Forbidden City today. 3 days!

11 AM UPDATE: The storm is now in Liberty County, right at the Liberty/Chambers line just north of Hankamer. Incidentally, I-10 is closed between Exits 812 & 813 (yes I-10 is THAT long in TX), near Hankamer & Anahuac along Texas Route 61. Winds are down to 60 mph.

The Hurricane Watches have been discontinued, and Tropical Storm Warnings east of Cameron, Louisiana (leaving only western Cameron Parish) and the one for Brazoria County has been discontinued.

2 PM UPDATE: The storm is down to 50 mph, but still a Tropical Storm. It is now located southeast of Dayton, Texas, still in Liberty County. The Tropical Storm Warnings are the same.

5 PM UPDATE: The storm is now a "Depression" with 35 mph winds, and it is located near Patton Village and Woodbranch in extreme eastern Montgomery County, near the intersection of US-59/Eastex Freeway and TX-242. Although the center is much less important now that it is disorganized, and more important is where the rain is hitting. However, the storm needs to track farther west and south to help the drought, as shown here.

Edouard update & Olympics

2008-08-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

Well this morning they extended the Tropical Storm Warning to the Brazoria/Galveston County lines, and then extended it again all the way to Port O'Connor at the Calhoun/Brazoria line.

Winds are currently down to 45 mph, but the storm is getting its act together and so strengthening is expected, especially if it stays offshore and does not interact with land. Tropical Storm winds aren't currently on the coast of Louisiana, but this could change if the storm keeps forming.

This morning Matt Lauer was at the Great Wall of China in Badaling, China. He will be doing the Opening Ceremonies with Bob Costas on Friday for the first time. In addition, the newly updated Olympic website shows that the Opening Ceremonies will now begin TV coverage at 7:30 PM EDT instead of 8 PM (sorry tv tabloid fans!) and WXIA-HD will have coverage starting at 7 PM, I think with correspondents in Beijing...they were the flagship NBC station for the Atlanta games.

AFTERNOON UPDATE: Although Edouard has not strengthened, the pressure continues to drop (down to 1000 mb) and the tropical storm windfield continues to expand, to the point that the coast of Terrebonne Parish is experiencing tropical storm force winds at this point.

The storm is heading straight for the western coast of Galveston Bay, which means that the City of Houston will feel the brunt of whatever comes, being either in the eyewall (if one forms) or the right front quadrant of the storm/hurricane. Landfall will probably be sometime around 1 PM CDT on Tuesday.

Edouard forms, heading for Galveston and Houston

2008-08-03T19:27:00.000-07:00

Surprise, TD-5 formed today at 5 EDT, and by 6 PM EDT, it was Tropical Storm Edouard. Tropical Storm Warnings have been posted for the Louisiana Parishes of Iberia, St. Mary, Terrebonne, Lafourche, Jefferson, and Plaquemines up to the mouth of the Mississippi River. Tropical Storm Watches are up for Vermilion & Cameron Parishes in Louisiana and Jefferson, Chambers, Galveston, Liberty, Harris, Brazoria & Matagorda Counties in Texas (which includes the Houston metro area and the Golden Triangle).

Winds are up to 50 mph, and the storm is small but strengthening. It could very possibly be a hurricane when it hits Galveston and Houston metro on Tuesday morning.

AND....as I write this, the Tropical Storm Watch has been dropped....now replaced with a Hurricane Watch.

Although the thunderstorm activity in the center has diminished, that trend will probably not continue...basically at this point it's anyone's guess what happens!

Dolly wrap up, all else quiet

2008-07-28T13:28:00.000-07:00

Dolly is done, and the last advisory was written about her as she was at the Oklahoma/Texas/New Mexico border in Union County, NM. After passing across the border north of Laredo, she ventured south of the Big Bend, and then ventured north, causing flooding in Ruidoso and ending up in NE NM. San Manuel, Hidalgo County, Texas (Valley area) was the big winner with 12" of rain.

All else is quiet on the tropical front, except that there is a storm about to crash into China. I don't think this will affect next week's Olympics yet (I can't believe I can say "next week"!).

This weekend was spent at Lake Hartwell doing a lot of nothing. Although it was a bit overcast it was actually nice because it was not so hot and we still got sun and water time. The lake was LOW though...scary.

Dolly still deep in the heart of Texas

2008-07-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

As of 7 PM CDT, Dolly has moved to the northwest corner of Jim Hogg County, where it intersects with Zapata County and Webb County (Laredo). Winds are down to 50 mph, which makes it still a pretty decent Tropical Storm, despite the fact it's been over land for at least 18 hours (very long lived for a tropical system over land!).

Damage is in the form of roofs blown off and structural damage on South Padre, and flooding mainly in Harlingen and points near that area. The system is supposed to keep dropping lots of rain, up to 20" in spots, which is somewhat unfortunate because that area of Texas does not need rain, while spots a 100 or so miles up desparately needs rain!

There is another area to watch in the Atlantic, although it is in no eminent danger of forming.

We are still in a drought even though we got some rain. Speaking of droughts, I'm going to up to Lake Hartwell this weekend, and Asheville next weekend, both places which are in "Exceptional"/D4 droughts. It should still be fun though!

UPDATE: Dolly has traversed from east of Laredo to North of Laredo (north of the Camino Columbia Road and about 1/2 way between Laredo & the Maverick County line), and is still barely a tropical storm. Tornadoes are breaking out in San Antonio and Bexar County however, but it is too early to determine damage extents.

Dolly comes ashore as a Category 2

2008-07-23T13:21:00.000-07:00

Dolly came ashore at about 1 PM CDT/2 PM EDT as a Category 2 storm, just north of the town of South Padre Island, Texas. It is heading now between Harlingen and Raymondville, and basically is headed in this direction.

Dolly is now back to a Category 1 storm, but she definitely left damage. Surprisingly the winds picked up to 100 mph and the pressure dropped to about 967 mb just before landfall, which is a bad scenario, especially since yesterday it was only a tropical storm and people weren't taking this too seriously. Damage assessments aren't in yet, however the Bahia Mar hotel in South Padre apparently has extensive damage, and rainfall could be as much as 10" in some areas.

Storms this far south are fairly rare, and only 6 have hit within the vicinity of South Padre. The most notable is Beulah who was a Category 5, but a weakening Category 3 storm when it made landfall in almost the same area as Beulah.

UPDATE: The 4PM CDT update has an 85 mph Cat 1 Dolly on the Kenedy/Willacy County line (which is fortunately a very unpopulated area). The storm is still bad in the Valley, but the eyewall is not hitting a populated area. The Hurricane Warning from the Kenedy/Kleburg county line up to Corpus is discontinued, replaced by a Tropical Storm Warning. The Mexican government has also discontinued the Hurricane Watch/Tropical Storm Warning south of San Fernando.

If you're interested, you can watch live streaming coverage on KGBT online. (And as a personal note, I sent an e-mail saying I was watching from Atlanta and they read my e-mail on the air!

EVENING UPDATE: Dolly has now entered Hidalgo County, just where it meets up with Willacy & Kenedy Counties. It is temporarily still at Cat 1 with 75 mph winds.

Dolly on course to hit south Texas tomorrow

2008-07-22T06:23:00.000-07:00

Dolly has gotten a little stronger, and could be a hurricane as soon as the 10 AM CDT/11 AM EDT update. It's likely to hit land as a high Cat 1 or low Cat 2, but almost definitely not a Cat 3. Landfall looks to be somewhere right on the Texas/Mexico border, which is bad for south Texas, as that puts the entire 408,000 folks in the Brownsville/Harlingen metro area of the Valley in the right front quadrant, which is the worst part of the storm.

Hurricane Watches have turned into Hurricane Warnings, and Tropical Storm Watches have turned into Tropical Storm Warnings. The only difference is that the Mexican government has also issued a Hurricane Watch for the areas also covered by the Tropical Storm Warning.

The Hurricane could strike as early as tomorrow morning and could bring tropical storm winds as far inland as Laredo, Texas, which is 150 miles from the coast, due east of Corpus.

The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore is currently in Port Aransas, a beach town connected by ferry to Corpus.

Cristobal is heading out to see and probably won't touch any more land, but may bring some bad weather to Nova Scotia briefly. The next storm is trying to form off the coast of Africa, however it came off the coast a lot farther north than normal so it is having trouble due to the lower water temperatures in the area.

UPDATE: Since we last left off, TS Dolly is now Hurricane Dolly, with winds just above the treshold at 75 mph. It is forecast to make landfall right at the Texas state line, probably as a strong (< 95 mph) hurricane. The Hurricane Warnings from Corpus to Port O'Connor have been dropped, but have been replaced by a Tropical Storm Warning (which goes all the way to the Galveston/Brazoria County line. Reynolds Wolf from CNN is down at South Padre giving updates (not sure if it's in HD, but I'll find out since my gym doesn't have HD yet).

In other news, the blob in the Atlantic still has not formed but looks favorable to do so. The national weather map looks like a kid's crayon drawing, including the Atlanta area, which is under a Thunderstorm Watch until 11 PM this evening. So far no rain yet though, at least north of downtown. There are currently storms however to the north and east of us.

Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly (and Edouard?)

2008-07-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

Bertha is finally gone, after surviving nearly 18 days, 7.75 of which of those were as a Hurricane. She broke all kinds of records, but didn't do that much damage except scaring the folks in Bermuda a bit.

Cristobal formed on Saturday, and moved up the Carolina coast, from about Charleston up to where she is now, due east of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Up until 11 PM last night, Tropical Storm Warnings had been posted for eastern Carteret, Hyde, Pamlico, Dare and Currituck County (up to the North Carolina/Virginia line), but those have since been dropped as Cristobal's TS winds are supposed to stay out to sea (and only briefly touched Cape Lookout) in Carteret County). There is a chance the storm could make landfall in southern Nova Scotia near Yarmouth by Tuesday afternoon, and move past Halifax that night as a Tropical Storm, although it's a bit too early to tell. Cristobal would then move past St. John's, Newfoundland, by midnight Wednesday night.

Dolly is more troubling. As of 7 AM CDT (8 AM EDT), Currently the storm is just just off the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. She was supposed to stay over land longer, but just grazed this landmass, and is now in the process of reforming in the warm Gulf waters. Currently estimates have landfall late Wednesday near South Padre Island, Texas, however, anywhere along this line is really in the path and needs to watch out. In fact if it hit near the northern end, near Victoria/Victoria County, it would not be AS bad because they really need the rain, and the area just north of there up through San Antonio and Austin is in a level D4 (or the worst kind) of drought. However, I'm leary about this forecast because these Gulf storms seem always to curve farther to the right than forecast (for instance see here starting around September 20 where they were calling for Rita to come ashore down near Matagorda Bay, and she ended up making landfall near Sabine Pass, Texas/Louisiana, some 200 miles to the east (and consequently aiming towards and then missing Texas altogether. We'll have to wait and see. The official intensity has it coming ashore as a Category 1, however with the new track more north (and less over land), it could range as high as a Category 2 or even 3 (major hurricane). Check out the latest forecasts for South Padre here calling for hurricane conditions on Wednesday and Wednesday night.

Finally, there is not as of yet an Edouard, however there is a vigorous tropical wave just about to emerge off the coast of Africa. It is way to early to have any idea where this could end up, but if I were going to the Caribbean in the next week or so, I would keep an eye out.

More updates as the 11, 2 and 5 updates come in on Dolly.

UPDATE: Cristobal is now east of the VA/NC state line, and has winds of 65 mph, but should not strengthen and should start to lose tropical characteristics tomorrow.

Dolly: A Hurricane watch is now in effect from San Fernando, Mexico, up through the Mexican/US Border, and all the way up to Port O'Connor, including the cities of Brownsville and Corpus Christi. This is until further notice, and includes Cameron, Willacy, Kenedy, Kleburg, Nueces, Aransas, San Patricio, Refugio and Calhoun Counties. Further, a tropical storm watch is in effect from La Pesca, Mexico to San Fernando, and from Port O'Connor, Texas up to San Luis Pass. This includes Matagorda and Brazoria Counties, both being in the greater Houston metro, but does not include (yet) Galveston County/Island/City. No evacuations are planned as of yet, but officials are trying to decide what to do. It's looking like landfall sometime later on Wednesday.

No Cristobal yet

2008-07-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

So the Air Force Recon unit did not find a closed circulation in that blob out in the Caribbean. The suspense is killing us...either it needs to get its act together and form a tropical system, or it needs to dissipate! In addition, there is a blob off the coast of Georgia/South Carolina, but it has not formed either. It may have a better chance of getting its act together and then moving north towards Yankeeland.

Similarly, Bertha has once again become a Hurricane. This is getting ridiculous! The thing has been around since July 3, or for over two weeks.

Tonight we're going to Jerry Jeff Walker at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, and tomorrow I have tickets to watch the Braves play the Nationals. Good times!

Nothing new yet but the tropics is hot right now

2008-07-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

Bertha is STILL chugging along as a strong tropical storm, and she's now the longest lived July storm ever. No signs of her weakening yet, but she should be well on her way out to see by the beginning of next week.

The potential "Cristobal" near South America and the Windward Islands is trying to reform again, and hurricane hunters have either just finished investigating or are still investigating. What I don't know is if they've found anything, or if they just haven't decided whether to make it TD-3 yet. There was a special statement on the NHC webpage earlier saying it could be forming, but they've taken that off, at least for now.

The next best chance for a system is by Nicarauga and Panama, but it's got to get its act together quickly or it will hit land.

Finally, there is a system just off the coast of Tampa, Florida, but it's very close to land, so chances are slim it will actually develop.

So, by tomorrow we could either have Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly & Edouard, or possibly just a weakening Bertha. We shall have to wait to find out.

Finally, I voted in the "gulp" Democratic Georgia primaries yesterday...only because our Georgia Assembly seat, #53, was a tight race and there is no republican challenger. Unfortunately, the race is SO close that they haven't yet tabulated the results, and depending on what news outlet you look at, my candidate, Elly Dobbs, is winning by a bit or her challenger is winning by a bit. We'll have to wait and see!

Okay, so maybe Cristobal will have to wait

2008-07-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

While last night it looked like the blob in the Atlantic could turn into Cristobal at any moment, today is has degenerated, and the NHC has lowered the likelihood of that happening to "orange" or 20-50% likely. Although that is a little scary because Katrina took a long time to get organized and obviously once she did, all hell broke loose (although I'm not saying this will be the next Katrina). As an aside, it is very interesting to look at the evolution of Katrina if you click on the Weather Underground link to the left and then go to the archives and find August 2005...it started out as a TOTALLY different storm than it ended up.

24 days until the Olympics. According to nbcolympics.com, there will almost literally be programming on 24 hours/day on multiple channels, including 11 Alive/NBC HD, Universal HD and USAHD. I cannot wait, but I can't promise I'll be too productive during that time...haha.

Lastly the rain we got on Sunday was the highest single-day rainfall since 2006! It helped the lakes not drop, although it didn't really help them rise any appreciable amount.

Bertha near Bermuda and almost a Cat 1 Hurricane; Cristobal on the way

2008-07-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

Bertha is 65 miles away from Bermuda is is almost a Category 1 hurricane. The track has it strengthening a bit and slowly pulling away from that island. Bermuda may or may not feel the hurricane force winds, and because of that a Tropical Storm Warning and a Hurricane Watch are currently issued.

More pressing is the fact that a tropical low has formed with at least mid-level convection much farther south and west of where Bertha formed. This is most likely going to be Cristobal by tonight or tomorrow (fyi dolly is the next after that). This could be serious, as it most certainly will hit the Carribean, the Gulf Coast or the Atlantic coast. We shall have to wait and see once official updates are issued about this potential storm.

On a positive note, we got 2" of rain yesterday, which is a record for the date, and far surpasses what we've gotten over the last couple months. It would help even more if this storm were to hit in the right part of the coast and give us some rain!

Bertha and rain

2008-07-10T16:38:00.000-07:00

Bertha has been going between a major and a minor hurricane the last couple of days, and it has been a hurricane for about 3 days now (for those counting, the record is 7 days of being a hurricane in July, which is Emily I believe). Although no one knows for sure, it is likely now Bermuda will feel SOME impact from the storm, although probably not a direct hit. Also, this storm may hit the Canadian maritime provinces as a tropical storm.

In Atlanta, it has actually rained at our house twice in a week, which is a really great thing. The last couple of days it has rained all around our neighborhood, but not at our house, which is very frustrating. The yard is looking better though. I'm still scared that they will take away our 25 minutes/day of watering however, especially since my exemption for new plantings, which lasted 10 weeks, ends on Sunday.

Bertha Good News/Bad News

2008-07-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

Bertha has suddenly become a Category 3, or major, hurricane. That is the bad news. The good news is that because it is now so strong, it is more easily steered by fronts and things. There is such a front pushing off the Atlantic coast which will take Bertha north, then east, and most likely it will even miss Bermuda. There is still a small chance it will not recurve however, so interests in South Carolina north are advised to keep their guards up.

This weekend I did nothing but drink and exercise, sometimes at the same time...playing tennis, running a 10K (Peachtree!), two cookouts and a trip to Bella's Pizzeria in Smyrna make for a tiring weekend! Plus I got to play (finally) Guitar Hero for the very first time.

We actually got about .78" of rain this weekend, which is more than double our total for the month of June. The plants I'm sure are very happy but I'm not sure it helped the lake situation any more (btw, Lanier is at its lowest level since it was originally filled in the 50's). I'm guessing harder water restrictions may again be in our future as early as this month. In any event, it won't help my yard which already looks bad!

Peachtree Eve and potential Bertha?

2008-07-03T07:44:00.000-07:00

Well tomorrow is the big day, the Peachtree Road Race. Why else would I get up at 6 AM to go running on a national holiday? Again I'm in group 1A, so I'll have to run fast to keep up (and hopefully not stay too far behind the Kenyans!). I'm excited though and the weather looks to be good.

Also, a potential Bertha is churning out by the Cape Verde Islands. This is very early in the year for a "Cape Verde" storm to form, but it looks like it may miss land, or at the very worst (for the U.S.) hit up around Maine or somewhere, which would weaken it since the water is still so cold there. It's scheduled to become a tropical storm, and get its name, sometime later today.

Off to Maine tomorrow

2008-06-26T13:43:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we're traveling 1200 miles up the east coast....this would be a 20 hour drive through most of the east coast major cities, but fortunately we're flying, connecting through Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky up there and coming back through New York's John F. Kennedy, which I've never been to before. The weather is supposed to be beautiful, however it might be cold for Atlanta standards, and I think I'll bring my polar fleece vest. Saturday it's supposed to be in the 70's, with 50's at night and 60's on Sunday...it doesn't even hardly get down into the 60's here at night!

There is no tropical development to speak of, even in the long-range forecast. This is not unusual for June though. Things don't heat up until late July and August.

I think I am FINALLY recovered from my trip to Charlottesville. It was one of those conferences where we partied hard, went to meetings all day Saturday, partied hard again, then waited at the bar when our flight was 3 hours delayed because we had nothing better to do and because we had all of our bags with us.

The drought is beginning to worsen again. In Mid-may they allowed us to starting hand-watering 3 times per week at 25 minutes per day. This has helped some but not much, and my yard is starting to show the dry patches where it is stressed. Officially at the airport we've received .24" of rain this MONTH, as opposed to Jacksonville which got 4" yesterday AFTERNOON. We're offically in D2 drought stage which doesn't seem that bad, but D3 is as close as Gwinnett County and getting closer, and D4 is as close as the Upstate of South Carolina and getting closer (the D4 stage didn't even exist until a few weeks ago in the South after we had some good rains).

Wimbledon is on this weekend and next. A week from Sunday is when I get to eat strawberries and homemade Devonshire cream...yum. I missed the 1st few days thinking it started next week. Oh well.

Also next Friday, being July 4, is Peachtree Road Race day! Hopefully it won't be TOO warm. Typically it's around 71 or 72 at race time, and it looks like that will hold true this year too. It's not like we're going to get any rain (haha). I hope that they have the mist-ers hooked up to the fire hydrants, however when we had the last drought in the early 2000's, those were turned off. Also this year because of the drought the course won't make it's traditional finish on 10th Street in Piedmont Park, but instead will take 10th to Piedmont and finish at Ponce de Leon, then they'll hoard us over to the Civic Center (which is named after someone I cannot pronounce!). Fortunately this means we can park one car at my sister's apartment near Lenox Mall and one at my office downtown and avoid the smelly people on MARTA!

Hurricane Season Begins - Kind of

2008-05-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

Tropical Storm Alma has formed...in the Eastern Pacific. This is not the start of Atlantic Hurricane season however, but there is a minute possibility that this could cross over into the Caribbean and become a Tropical Depression...again not likely though.

June 1st though is the official start of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, meaning that the National Hurricane Center will start releasing twice-daily updates regarding potential development. I'll finally get to wear my new hurricane belt from Nola Couture "in season"...haha.

June 1st is also the date of the Puerto Rico Primary. Polls close at 3 PM AST/3 PM EDT. Clinton apparently is a little ahead in the polls, campaigning for equal representation for the island (hey, what do they need, they're already coming out with a "state" quarter.

Finally, the Weather Channel debuts in HD on June 2....PLEASE Comcast have that be the day you debut the channel on your HD lineup...I am we are only a couple miles away from the studios!!!

General Update

2008-05-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

We had some strong storms move through the area yesteday, including one apparent tornado in Cherokee County, between Woodstock and Holly Springs. Central Fulton County was under a tornado warning at one point at the tail end of rush hour, but we did not get any damage, and in fact hardly got any rain at all from the storm. But GEEZ, this is like the 5th tornado this season (since February) to hit the Atlanta metro area...others have hit Carroll County, south Atlanta, downtown Atlanta and northwest Atlanta suburbs.

Speaking of rain, the governor got a bill passed saying that his rules superseded those of local municipalities. What that means for me is that now I can hand-water my yard for up to 25 minutes on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursday (because I have an odd address) as long as it is after midnight and before 10 AM. In addition, because I planted new landscaping and passed the online test, I can water with a sprinkler my newly planted lenten roses and hydrangeas. Now I just have to get my timer working again since I took out the batteries last September.

Big Brown won the Preakness Stakes easily, so he's looking very good for the Belmont (which I will be in Charlottesville for and therefore have to find a television set to view it). I was at Country Fair tailgating at the time, but we found a small bar behind a Chevron Station on Pryor Road (no it was not sketchy) so we got to drink a beer, use the bathroom, and watch the horse race. Good times. Country fair itself was okay. The tailgating was excellent however the concert was not that good...Pat Green sang only "corporate", not Texas, songs, and Travis Tritt seemed to sing only sad songs.

We're off to Richmond/Deltaville/Williamsburg/Charlottesville this weekend for 2 weddings and a day on the Chesapeake Bay/Rappahannock River with my folks. The weather is supposed to be beautiful!

Finally nothing in the tropics to report yet, however the season starts 1 week from Sunday.

Tornado watch for NW Georgia; Almost hurricane season

2008-05-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

There is a tornado watch posted for northwest Georgia, as close as Bartow, Polk & Haralson counties, until 7 PM EDT. So far there has been nothing of merit, but there are potential tornadoes that are rolling through the northern and southeastern suburbs (including Vestavia, Hoover and Homewood) of Birmingham/Jefferson County, Alabama. We'll keep an eye on this one...fortunately I've got my trusty phone which sends me the text messages of potential severe weather. I'm sure Action 2 and 11 Alive will have everything on in high def should it come to that (let's hope it doesn't).

Other than that the new drought maps came out this week and they are about the same, putting us in the 2nd highest drought category still, while the SE suburbs are in the next lower category. It's going to be a long summer and I can see my grass starting to dry out. In addition, it is getting hot enough that the annual ryegrass is dying out. Funny thing that less than a month ago we were talking about snow!

Also, I watched the Derby even though I was dog-tired. I'm excited that Big Brown won because I think he has a real shot to win the Triple Crown, but I'll be excited enough if he can first win the Preakness. I think Eight Belles' death was horrible, except I think the only "fault" lies in how horses are bred these days. It was not the fact she raced with the guys, it was not the track and it was not the jockey.

Kentucky Oaks Day

2008-05-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

It's the Oaks today, and I'll be traveling to Athens, Georgia tonight to see my sister graduate from the University of Georgia.

In Churchill Downs weather news, things look okay, except that there is a Tornado Watch for areas of western Kentucky, as close as 80 miles from th Downs. Hopefully there will be no storms (or damage) there.

We had a frost advisory this week, that was nuts.

Tomorrow is Derby and I am thinking either Big Brown or Court Vision...We'll have until tomorrow at 6:11 PM EDT to decide.

Is Spring Finally Here?

2008-04-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

So the Freeze Warning expired this morning at 9 AM, and it appears there was no harm, in fact it appears that our area escaped with a low reading at 6 AM of about 33. However, there is still Frost Advisories posted for Rabun County, as well as Brooks, Grady, Lowndes & Thomas, and areas around Tallahassee Florida for tonight. There are also frost advisories for areas around Richmond, Williamsburg & the Hampton Roads excluding Virginia Beach. Our forecast merely calls for lows of around 40, so we're going to go ahead and do our summer planting tonight. I'll have to be efficient, because usually it takes me the better part of a Saturday, however I'm going to Home Depot straight away after work, and getting to planting as soon as I get home. My wife will walk the dog. This year we're doing red begonias and impatiens again. Those should fair well in the drought, as well as with supplemental water from my rain barrel.

Are yo ready for the REAL cold?

2008-04-15T06:24:00.000-07:00

Last night I did end up covering the plants to be on the safe side, and although it was windy and some of the plastic blew off, there were no ill effects. Tonight however there is a freeze warning in effect north of this line from 5 AM to 9 AM. If we get below 32, we'll break the record for April 16.

In addition, there is a Frost Advisory west of this line.

Finally, frost is expected as far south as Dixie County, Florida, which is on the Gulf west of Gainesville, Florida.

Today is also tax day, except for Fulton & DeKalb, and a few other counties in Georgia. That is because those areas are Federal Disaster areas due to last month's tornado.

Finally, tomorrow is the anniversary of the Virginia Tech tragedy. School there is cancelled for tomorrow.

Snow for metro Atlanta today

2008-04-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of snow, but enough so they are issuing a statement not to be surprised if we see snow or sleet. This includes NW Georgia and most all of metro Atlanta. The snow & sleet is north and west of this line.

It's currently 49 but very windy, so it feels colder. For comparison, it's slightly warmer in Atlanta than Pittsburgh, but colder than Richmond.

AFTERNOON UDPATE: The Freeze Watch has been cancelled for tonight, however we could still see some patchy frost. I think to be on the safe side I am going to cover my hydrangeas and rose...it won't kill them, but the frost might. There has however been a freeze watch posted for tomorrow night north of this line which includes metro Atlanta, the mountains and Macon. There were a few snow flurries today, but no serious (or longterm) accumulation. It is definitely miserable out though and the temperature has only made it up to 51, which is about 20 or more degrees colder than it should be this time of year. Argh.

No spring quite yet!

2008-04-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

A Freeze Watch has just been issued for late Monday night/Tuesday morning for Metro Atlanta, the place in the line of danger is west of this line, which may or may not include our house depending on whether you draw a line using roads (as in the Mapquest map), or draw a straight line from Thomaston to Kennesaw. Either way, most likely I will be covering my hyrdrangeas and roses tomorrow, and more probably Tuesday night just to be on the safe side.

In addition, my major spring planting was to be done on Saturday. However I did not do this, and instead sat around watching Masters, as I didn't want to risk the plants dying. Instead, I will do the planting on Wednesday night after work (and if we get lucky and the forecast changes, Tuesday night as well).

I watched a LOT of the Masters this weekend. It is such an awesome event in high definition. Apparently however, it is even more beautiful in real life. After I watch Live from the Masters tomorrow morning, I will probably lay off golf for a while, although there is the Verizon Heritage next weekend from Hilton Head, and that is always cool, especially since I've been there many times. Congrats to South African Trevor Immelman...he led basically the entire way and is the first South African to win in 30 years (since his idol Gary Player). Although conditions were windy, there was only a bit of rain, and they were able to get in the rounds each day basically on schedule.

Masters Week

2008-04-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

It's finally Masters Week, yet another passage of spring. The weather looks great. Much better than last year when it was freezing cold. My yard is looking good too...it's growing like gangbusters. It'll be fun to watch the Par 3 at work tomorrow streaming on ESPN.

Kansas won the national championship...Rock Chalk Jayhawk.

The only thing that stinks about this time of year is the allergies!

Tornado footage

2008-03-17T07:40:00.001-07:00

More to come later on the tornado, but here is a very scary video...I watched this live on Saturday afternoon on WSBHD, Channel 2.

More Politics Crack for the addicts out there...

2008-03-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the Mississippi Primary results...may not be a long night b/c McCain has things locked up, and the African-American population of that state is so high that Obama may have it fairly locked up already. In any event, I need my campaign fix, and my fix of Wolf Blitzer drawing out the results as long as he can. In any event, the polls close at 8 PM EDT. After this the next democratic (and republican) primaries aren't until Pennsylvania on April 22. The next Republican caucus (which no longer matters) is Puerto Rico on April 5. The race between Obama & Clinton is so interesting even though I am not even a democrat! Thank god for CNNHD.

Snow somewhat of a bust and basketball

2008-03-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

We did get some snow on Saturday, not nearly as much as Columbus, who got 20" or Cincinnati, which got 10"+, but still snow nonetheless. However it did not stick to anything, and there was no traffic problems. Alabama got accumulating snow, but it quickly melted. Jackson got some real snow, and Memphis got 6"+. Now it's back to the 60's (hopefully for good), and some sun.

The ACC tournament also starts this weekend. We play Georgia Tech on Thursday night at 7PM EDT (thank you Daylight Savings) on ESPN2HD. We then HOPEFULLY play Duke on Friday night.

Finally, Saturday Night Live has been hilarious lately with its parodies of the Election, esp. this week with the "3 AM Call".

More snow for Atlanta, yet again???

2008-03-07T06:41:00.000-08:00

It's snowed (and stuck here) three times...the Thursday & Saturday in January, and then last week after the strong storms (and the 25' long tree branch that fell on our roof).

Now it's looking more and more likely that snow could arrive tomorrow morning, maybe around 6 AM, with the best chance of snow showers from 9-noon. Here's the deal:

Right now many Dallas metroplex schools, including Carroll ISD in Southlake, are under 2 hour delays. Temperatures are below freezing NW of this line, including western Dallas & Dallas County, and all of Tarrant County (Fort Worth).

In Louisiana and SE Texas, snow can be expected down to a line near I-10 with possible snow showers as far south as Lake Charles, Louisiana.

In Mississippi, 1-2" of snow is expected for Jackson.

In Alabama, so far there is a Winter Storm Watch within 74 miles of my house in Atlanta...that is in Cherokee County, Alabama (Centre, Alabama). About 1" of snow is expected there.

In Georgia, there are Winter Storm Watches posted as close as 64 miles away in Gilmer County. The best chance of snow is north of this line. We shall see!

Finally, an episode of "When Weather Changed History" about the 1927 Louisiana flood is on Sunday at 9 PM. Should be very interesting.

UPDATE: A heavy snow warning has been issued for Cherokee County, Alabama and points west. In addition, a Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for the majority of Alabama all the way down to Barbour County, Alabama (and points west), which is merely 50 miles from the Florida line. No weather update for Georgia as of yet.

Dangerous weather in Alabama, was in Arkansas & Tennessee last night

2008-02-06T05:56:00.000-08:00

There is a tornado warning until 8 AM for Cleburne County, Alabama, 60 miles from here. There have also been some tornado warnings for extreme northern and northwestern Georgia, but those are gone now...not sure if this is the end of the bad weather or simply a lull. These are the same storms that hit Nashville, Tennessee last night and left at least 40 people dead, and disrupted the counting of the votes for the primaries. Although the storm was bad, CNN's graphics in HD look really cool I must admit.

So Huckabee won the South, but McCain still seems to be in control of the race. There is no frontrunner on the Dem side. Upcoming is Kansas, Washington & Louisiana on Saturday and DC, Maryland & Virginia next tuesday on the Republican side. For the Democrats, it's Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington & the Virgin Islands on Saturday, Maine on Sunday, and DC, Maryland & Virginia next Tuesday.

Updates on weather when they happen.

Finally, now that it's Ash Wednesday, I leave you with the end of Mardi Gras: 1) The meeting of the Courts; and 2) the closing of Bourbon Street at midnight on Mardi Gras night. Picture courtesy of the New Orleans Times-Picayune: here.

Happy Lundi Gras!

2008-02-04T12:00:00.001-08:00

It's the 2nd to last day of the Mardi Gras season, and presumably most of the tourists have left or are leaving New Orleans, leaving the locals to have their fun. Temperatures there should be around 80 today and tomorrow there (and in the high 60's or early 70's here!).

This afternoon at 6 PM CST, Rex, his Majesty, King of Mardi Gras, will take over the city and the Mayor will hand the keys to the city over to him at Spanish Plaza when he comes in on boat.

The Super Bowl was pretty good last night, but the commercials I thought were awful. Nothing original or new...maybe they're out of ideas?? The "Rocky" Clydesdale horse was the best though. And who would have though the Giants could pull off the colossal upset?

Tomorrow is voting day here in Georgia. Go Romney (of course I'm totally okay with McCain).

Mardi Gras Friday!

2008-02-01T06:46:00.000-08:00

Today is the "Greasing of the Poles" at the Royal Sonesta...meaning that the Sonesta, at the corner of Bourbon & Bienville in the heart of the French Quarter, makes a big production of taking a well dressed hotel employee with a jar of Vaseline, and having another employee literally grease the poles so that revelers won't climb up those poles to get up on the balconies, where high-paying guests are enjoying the "views". It's only partially for security now-a-days, and it's almost more a Mardi Gras tradition, taking place at 10 AM on Mardi Gras Friday every year.

Mardi Gras cancelled......for today

2008-01-31T11:09:00.000-08:00

The parades tonight have been rescheduled due to upcoming storms rolling through southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi. The watch in NOLA is in effect until 8 PM. As a result, Babylon is rescheduled for Sunday morning, and Muses is scheduled for 8:30 PM (or whenever they get around to it more like for "mardi gras time") tomorrow. Chaos is simply cancelled.

Also, residents of New Orleans that will be watching the Super Bowl are trying to figure out how to get it in HD, as the Fox affiliate doesn't offer an HD feed through cable or satellite. However, by going to this link and clicking on the link that says "Watch Super Bowl XLII in HD" on the bottom left, it tells you how to get HD channels through rabbit ears. Honestly it's not a bad idea to do even outside of the New Orleans area, as it's a backup if the cable is out, or if for some reason the cable company is not offering a particular over-the-air station in HD.

Big weekend/next week coming up!

2008-01-30T13:44:00.000-08:00

So from here to Mardi Gras day (February 5...that's a Tuesday obviously), there are basically parades every night in New Orleans and all along the Gulf Coast. My sister will be there Friday night through Monday night and I'm very jealous. I think we're going to have a "Mardi Gras" celebration with our neighbors though so that'll be fun.

Then on Sunday night is the Super Bowl, which I again don't care too much about (New England v. New York???), but will watch anyway b/c it's the last football game and the fact that it has good commercials and finally b/c it's an excuse to party. Of course those in New Orleans have to decide if they're going to watch that or go to Bacchus, which is about the same time. Apparently members of LSU's championship football team will be on some of the Bacchus floats, so that'll be cool.

Finally, Super Tuesday is on Fat Tuesday, so CNN-HD will have 40 straight hours of coverage (6AM EST to 10 PM EST on Wednesday). However it does not appear that Super Tuesday will clinch the nomination for either party even with sweeps, but it could make it very clear by that point. It still sounds like some of the later states, like Virginia on February 12, could still matter.

Lots to do, lots to do....

The flu & storm thunderstorms

2008-01-29T14:09:00.000-08:00

So I've gotten knocked down with the flu since yesterday at lunchtime. I made it to work today and have gradually been eating my lunch since then. I do feel better now, however I'm not sure how tennis practice is going to go. Let's hope for the best.

In weather news, we're expecting some strong storms tonight, and then of course it's going to get cold again. Argh. Oh well. There is a chance for some snow/rain mix on Thursday night, however nothing to report at this point about any statement or advisory, and it looks to be a non-event.

Because I have had the flu, I've been a CNN-HD junkie the last few days watching news of the primary. It looks especially good on my upstairs (new) TV...in HD they also give you extra graphics and pie charts and all. I would watch FoxNews, but they are not yet in HD (neither is FOX Atlanta, WAGA for that matter).

Snow? Just kidding

2008-01-26T14:18:00.000-08:00

So about 1:30 last night, they cancelled the Winter Weather Advisory, and when we woke up this morning about 8:30, there was absolutely nothing on the ground, and the pavement was just a little wet. Oh well, maybe we'll get another snow at some point.

It is very weird watching TV today b/c there is no football on...only one game left. Go Pats I guess.

More snow???!!!

2008-01-25T16:47:00.001-08:00

There is a Winter Storm Advisory, mainly north of this line where everyone north could see 1" of snow, and those in the higher elevations could see 1-2" of snow.

However, even to the south, as close as Jacksonville, Georgia in Telfair County, there could be a mix, at least for a time.

The Winter Weather Advisory lasts until 10 AM, unless it is discontinued or extended.

We shall see what happens!

Freezing rain advisory extended in north Georgia

2008-01-22T07:27:00.001-08:00

There is a line of freezing rain and rain north of here, which includes most of the city of Atlanta. However, the freezing rain advisory, which was set to expire at 10 AM, has been extended in the same places until 2 PM, as temperatures are right at or just below freezing. It is 35 in Atlanta, but 32 in Calhoun and 30 in Cumming.

In other news, the stock market is in the tank and getting worse. Don't sell those stocks now!

More wintry weather for parts of metro area.

2008-01-21T15:18:00.000-08:00

A Freezing Rain Advisory has been issued for parts of the metro area, north of this line. The Adisory is in effect from 2 AM to 10 AM. The advisory comes within 24 miles of our house in NW City of Atlanta.

Officially we got .8" of snow at the airport on Saturday, and 2" in Midtown. We still have just a little bit of snow in our yard which is preventing me from mowing the grass (oh darn :) ). I would love to get at least one more storm so we get out of some work, but I don't want to be greedy!

Today for work I had to go up to Milton, Georgia, in extreme NE Fulton County, a 30 mile trip & $.50 toll up there. Why do people live that far away? Might as well be in North Carolina! (Although in reality, that's 85 miles further

More snow on the way??

2008-01-18T05:32:00.000-08:00

So predictions are as high as 5" tomorrow in Montgomery, 4" in the Atlanta area, and 6" as close as Bartow, Cherokee & north Fulton counties. Winter Storm Watches are posted as close as Cleburne, Randolph & Chambers Counties in Alabama (Cleburne is less than 60 miles from my house), and more may be added later.

The main snow line in Alabama is probably going to be somewhere around here, but the situation is rapidly developing so that will most likely change.

Here in Georgia there is a weather statement covering all of northern Georgia as far south as Heard, Henry and Morgan Counties. We shall see!

UPDATE:The Atlanta area is now under a Winter Storm Watch, which includes all counties from Heard to Banks, and north and west of that line. This will most likely be switched to a Winter Storm Warhing near midnight tonight. Again, accumulation amounts are unclear, but it should be fun nonetheless.

Maybe, possibly, some winter weather in Atlanta

2008-01-16T05:34:00.000-08:00

So it is currently 33 out/wind chill 26 (as of 8:38 AM EST), and rain is moving into the area, possibly blessing us with some freezing rain (hey, any rain is good rain, right?). Right now it looks like the metro area will be "Spared" (i.e. must go to work tomorrow), but there is always a chance that things will get worse. The problem is that when the rain comes, that will raise the temperature since the rain is coming from the Gulf. However, Winter Storm Watches are posted as close as 50 miles away in Dawson County, and Winter Storm Warnings are posted as close as 70 miles away in Habersham County. Our current weather statement expires at 4:30, but I expect that a new one will be posted before then. We shall see.

The Australian Open is on, and I'm trying to learn by osmosis so we can play decently in our match this weekend. They have new cool blue courts, and the coverage is in high def, so it looks great.

Finally, Mardi Gras is getting into full swing...it has to since the day is 3 weeks from yesterday! Krew du Vieux is rolling on Saturday, doing their "Magical Misery Tour". I so wish I could go down this year for it!

UPDATE: A Winter Weather Advisory has just been issued from 4 PM Weds to 6 AM Thurs EST north of this line. Here's for hoping!

Update

2007-12-11T14:16:00.000-08:00

So in the last month:

1) I went to, and UVa lost at its game with Virginia Tech (who went on to Beat BC and win the Gator Bowl). However I had a great time, Scott Stadium was rocking, and there was a lot of orange to go around (Hoo orange, not Hokie orange, although there was a lot of that too).

2) Although that meant I did not go to Jacksonville for the ACC Championship game, I will be going for the Gator Bowl when UVa plays Texas Tech at 1 PM EST on January 1, 2007.

3) We not only have 1, but 2 dogs right now, since we're keeping my wife's parents' dog...that's fun, but chaotic, and we take him back to Virginia with us on December 22 for good.

4) The drought is still as bad as ever, but because everyone has been conserving so much, the lake is actually filling back up slowly. However we've gotten only about 1" of rain since mid-October and we really could use some. Despite this my winter rye has mostly come up and my yard doesn't look half bad. We're still in the worst category of drought, along with most of upstate SC, NC, AL and some of Tennessee.

5) Subtropical Storm Olga formed today out of the blue (and past the "end" of Hurricane Season) but is expected to dissipate after it creates a little havoc in Puerto Rico and Hispanola.

6) A big winter storm is leaving ice all over the middle part of the country from Texas to Illinois. However here it is 73 and sunny...strange with all the Christmas lights out...feels like south Florida or something.

7) As for the BCS, Geaux Tigers, Dawgs, Illini and Hokies...I can't decide who I like in the Fiesta (OU & WVU).

Football Friday quotes

2007-11-16T10:45:00.000-08:00

About Oxford, Mississippi, the home of Ole Miss, which has produced 3 Miss Americas: "It's town that smells of bourbon and Chanel No.5".

About the Virginia/Virginia Tech rivalry:
Former Ohio State quarterback and football analyst Kirk Herbstreit said in 2004 that he "never realized how much those people hate each other." He went on to say "when I was down in Blacksburg, I said some nice things about Al Groh and it was like I had turned my back on them."[

Virginia-Virginia Tech was one of six in-state rivalries that ESPN writer Bomani Jones attempted to explain by writing:

“ Every state has a flagship campus, typically called the University of Your State, whose student body and alumni feel they are entitled to, well, pretty much whatever they want within state lines. That same state probably has another school -- usually denoted by the words State, Tech, or A&M -- that gets treated by the former like some Bonaduce-headed stepchild. These rivalries are usually pretty intense -- and can get pretty ugly. ”
— Bomani Jones

Finally, Westlake starts the playoffs with San Antonio Ronald Reagan High School, the Rattlers. The game is at 1 PM CST at the Hays High School Stadium in Buda, Texas. If we won that, we'd play Corpus Christi Carroll High or San Antonio O'Connor High.

Noel leaving us, VT v. GT tonight

2007-11-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

As of this morning, there were Tropical Storm Warnings issued for Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, but these have been allowed to expire (along with the Watch for those counties plus Palm Beach). Noel made landfall in Nassau today as a strong Tropical Storm, and may intensify just a tad before transforming into an extratropical storm, but in all likelihood will not reach hurricane status.

In a few minutes I'm going to head to the Virginia Tech/Georgia Tech game at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Although Virginia is tied for the lead in the ACC Coastal Division (with Virginia Tech), a VT loss would really help us and give us a cushion so that we could lose to either Miami or Wake Forest and if we were to beach Virginia Tech (at home in Charlottesville), we'd still win the division. Yikes. My stomach is in knots already. Then on Saturday at Noon on Lincoln Financial (Channel 10 in Atlanta), we play a newly ranked Wake Forest team (the defending ACC champs).

Finally, Halloween last night was a blast. Drank a bunch of wine and handed out $50 worth of candy...at times there were lines forming at our door and others. People seem to know to come to our neighborhood for trick-or-treating, and because of that I think the neighbors really get into decorating for Halloween...I mean it looks like Christmas except with orange lights and blow-up Frankensteins instead of snowmen.

Finally the new drought monitor came out, and for Georgia it was virtually unchanged (we're still in the worst drought). Apparently the governor came to some agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers that would slow the flow of water out of Lake Lanier (read here. We shall see. The Virginia/North Carolina drought however looks much better after they got a LOT of rain last week (when we got about an inch).

Tropical Storm Watch posted for southeast Florida

2007-10-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

For Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties, from Jupiter Inlet to Ocean Reef Club. Winds are up to 50 mph and Noel will probably strengthen. Noel won't landfall in Florida but will make its closest approach around 2 PM on Thursday.

Major update

2007-10-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

1) Last time I checked in, I was about to head to the MTSU/UVa game in Murfreesboro...that was a barn-burner but it all worked out as UVa came away victorious with a last-second field goal. Then we won again against UConn and even more surprisingly at Maryland. Then we blew a late lead against NCSU, and as it stands now, we are 7-2, going into a game against Wake who is newly ranked and surging. We shall see...but you know what I'll be doing at noon Saturday EDT.

2) Speaking of EDT, we finally (and unfortunately) go back to Eastern Standard Time this week. This is the end of the new & improved Standard Time.

3) Atlanta still has no water. We have been under a "no outdoor watering" ban since the end of September. Now the various jurisdictions are slowly chipping away at the exemptions. I still wash my car (illegally), but I figure I'm using water from a bucket I keep in the shower and using a lot less water than the commercial car washes (which are not illegal). As it stands, supposedly our clean drinking water supply will run out sometime around 1/9/08. Some people in the metro area are already stockpiling water. It'll be very interesting (and scary) to see how this turns out.

4) Even though there is no guarantee it will grow, this weekend I aerated and then planted the winter rye. I would love to water it right now, but it's not in the cards, so I'm hoping it comes up on its own, esp. after being trampled on by kids during the Halloween madness.

5) Finally, Tropical Storm Noel could brush past extreme southeastern Florida on Wednesday or Thursday. It doesn't look it'll do more than cause beach erosion, however, it would be a minor miracle if it kept jogging left and went up through Georgia. Doesn't look like that's in the cards though. However it will almost definitely ruin Miami-Dade and Broward Halloween Trick-or-Treat plans, and Tropical Storm Watches may be posted at any time today.

Drought worsening...trip to Nashville soon!

2007-10-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

First the good news...I'm about to leave for Nashville, where we have a party tonight with fellow UVa alums, and then we're headed down to Murfreesboro tomorrow during the day where we'll tailgate and then hopefully watch the Wahoos beat up on Middle Tennessee State.

Also, the drought is ever worsening. It looks like Athens-Clarke and some surrounding counties may not have drinking water after about December 21, based upon the current reservoir levels, the amount of rain, the forecasts, and current water usage. They have more strict programs in place than we do, not allowing car washes or some nurseries to operate. UGa may be forced to close in mid-November if there is no rain, as there will be no running water on campus. Now this is getting scary and Katrina-like.

As for hurricane season, there are many areas of interest but nothing seems looming.

NEWSFLASH: All watering banned in North Georgia

2007-09-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

As of yesterday, northern Georgia is in a Level 4 drought, meaning NO watering, except for minor exceptions like golf course greens & 30 days to water landscaping installed by a professional. Yikes. All of the area in Georgia north of this line is affected.

I guess its sneaking around with a watering can for me...my poor yard! Now the question becomes can I overseed this winter since I won't be able to water the seeds in. We shall see.

In Hurricaneland, Melissa formed, but there is nothing else out there, and at this point Karen does not appear to be a threat. However she still bears monitoring.

Finally, GO HOOS! BEAT PITT!

TD-14 forms, next name is Melissa (then Noel and Olga)

2007-09-28T09:18:00.002-07:00

TD-14 formed as of 11 AM in the Atlantic...it's still a ways off from land and because if formed fairly far to the north, it's almost certainly not a threat to land. It is expected to reach Tropical Storm strength, at least for a while, and therefore would be named Melissa most likely, unless another storm quickly forms.

On the other hand, Tropical Storm Karen, while barely hanging on, looks like it might recurve out due west, which would put it on a collison course with northern Florida or Georgia. If this atmospheric sequence of events occurs, the conditions would be ripe to turn Karen into a hurricane (or back into a hurricane, since it may have already reached that status). Although that would be a bad thing for the coast, that would be great for Atlanta (assuming it would make it here), as we DESPERATELY need the rain.

Speaking of Atlanta and rain, there are almost daily articles now in the AJC talking about our lakes, including Allatoona and Lanier, drying up which is bad since that is where our drinking water comes from. That combined with La Nina which would give us a dry winter, plus any dryness next spring, and we could have a catastrophe. Yikes. Already many lakehome owners on Lanier can no longer put their docks in the water.

I'm off to Alexandria in a few hours, then partying it up in DuPont Circle and Old Town. Also, GO HOOS! Peat Pitt.

TD-14 forms, next name is Melissa (then Noel and Olga)

2007-09-28T09:18:00.001-07:00

Miss a day (well 5) miss a lot

2007-09-26T05:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, since I last left off, Subtropical Depression 10 turned into a Tropical Depression, then made landfall near Fort Walton Beach, Florida before it had time to intensify into Jerry. Jerry did form, but as a Subtropical Storm and went north in the Atlantic. There is now Tropical Storm Karen, but that is likely to turn north soon and not threaten any land. Next we have Tropical Depression 13, which most likely will be upgraded at the next advisory (at 11 EDT/10 CDT) to Lorenzo. Finally, there are about three storms that could eventually be Melissa, Noel &/or Olga (is it just me, or is Noel more of a girl's name than a guy's name? Anyway...).

No rain in Atlanta yet, but there is a 30% chance of showers for tomorrow! Yeah!

I spent early Sunday morning in the ER...dehydration and food poisoning. Never have I been SO sick in my life. Wow. Fortunately I'm just about back to normal now.

Finally, we go to Alexandria/Mount Vernon, Virginia this weekend. That should be fun and exciting. Hopefully I can squeeze in some college football while we're there!

AFTERNOON UPDATE:
Karen: The weather patterns that were originally going to swing her out to sea aren't looking so strong now, and it appears Karen may be a threat to the U.S. after all. If this were to occur, it would be late next week. Intensity is anyone's guess.

TD-13: Although it looks impressive on satellite, this has not intensified yet, but still appears that it will become Lorenzo (or maybe Melissa? see below) and plow into Mexico after midnight on Friday night/Saturday morning.

Disturbance near Florida: This is looking healthy, and may become TD-14 and/or Lorenzo/Melissa before too long. It may be very close to Cape Hatteras as a Category 1 hurricane Friday night, &/or it may move up to Cape Cod. It will most likely be classified tomorrow.

Subtropical Depression 10 Forms in The Gulf

2007-09-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

Subtropical Depression 10 formed in the Gulf as of the 11/10 Central Advisory. The winds are low, but it could become Jerry late tonight or early tomorrow. Tropical Storm Warnings have been posted for the Mouth of the Mississippi over to Apalachicola, Florida, including the following Parishes (LA) and Counties (MS, AL & FL):

LOUISIANA: Plaquemines, St. Bernard, and for areas around Lake Ponchartrain including Orleans, Jefferson, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, Tangipahoa & St. Tammany.
MISSISSIPPI: Hancock, Harrison & Jackson
ALABAMA: Mobile & Baldwin
FLORIDA: Escambia, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf & far western Franklin
Here is a map of the approximate area.

The Louisiana governor is already ordering evacuations for those in FEMA trailers and for those in areas prone to flooding. No other evacuations at this time but everyone is on alert. The most likely scenario is that the storm makes landfall tomorrow early afternoon around Biloxi, Misssissippi.

More updates as they occur.

On a drought note, Cobb & Paulding Counties, and the city of Mountain Park in extreme north Fulton Counties, has now banned all outdoor watering. Before those places were on a 3 mornings/week ban. Douglas, Carroll, Oconee, Clarke, Barrow and Jackson in the metro area have already banned outdoor watering. I hope that Fulton/City of Atlanta sticks to the 1 morning a week. I kind of expected them to loosen the ban with fall coming, but with the drought still in the worst category, not much rain, and a possibly rain free winter due to La Nina, I'm not that surprised.

Another week of football and the potential Jerry

2007-09-20T06:26:00.000-07:00

First the tropics: The low pressure system is emerging off the Gulf Coast near Tampa, and could become Jerry as early as today. Most likely at this point, the storm will hit Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana sometime early this weekend. This is not good news for that low-lying, Katrina-ravaged Parish. Here is an article from the Times-Picayune, but only time will tell. Looks like Atlanta could get some rain from this, but it's too early to tell (by the way, Atlanta is still in an "exceptional" drought, although Georgia in total is getting just a bit better. However, Tennessee is getting worse, with nearly half the state in an "exceptional" drought). More to come obviously today.

Also, College football starts up again tonight, with A&M at Miami and Western Kentucky (ESPN) v. Middle Tennessee (CSS). I can't wait. Tomorrow night is Oklahoma/Tulsa and then Saturday is a long day. Go HOOS! BEAT GEORGIA TECH! History is on our side, as it's been a really long time since Georgia Tech beat us at home.

Finally I'm very excited because I downloaded a bunch of new songs in my IPOD, including Loving County (Charlie Robison), The Road Goes On Forever (Robert Earl Keen), Tear it Down (Old Crow Medicine Show), and Wagon Wheel (also OCMS). I have to run 5 miles for training today, and those will get me through, no doubt.

More tropical updates as they happen....

Tropical Storm to Hit New Orleans or Texas this weekend?

2007-09-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

A low pressure center near Palm Beach, Florida is currently on track to become the next Jerry. The hurricane hunters are getting ready to start investigating this system soon. As of right now the track has shifted from Brownsville to NOLA, and now is confined to about Houston to Pensacola. Either the storm will go over the Loop Current and explode, a la Wilma, Katrina and Rita, or will go further west, and have plenty of time to organize over the warm Gulf of Mexico. Everyone on the Gulf should keep an eye on this one.

There are a few other little things in the Atlantic basin, but none imminent at this point.

One thing I can't figure out, where is Bob King of the Palm Beach Post? He is usually a good source of information but hasn't posted on his blog since 9/11.

I do know where Jim Cantore is however: Atlantic Beach, near Jacksonville. He's reporting on the heavy flooding and up to 8" of rain that JAX got due to the potential Jerry.

Finally, I watched K-ville last night (the dash is supposed to be a fleur de lis but my non-Louisianan keyboard doesn't have one of those :). It was actually pretty good. Many local New Orleanians are complaining about inconsistencies (such as "Gumbo Parties" or car chases at high speeds from the French Quarter to the Westbank being an impossibility due to the long distance and/or potholes, but since I'm not from there, I didn't notice. I didn't think the name "Rex duBois" was too out of line, maybe a little but not much (he's the father of a debutante socialite). I thought the best part was the main character finding out his new partner was a native New Orleanian (from NOLA East) due to the fact he can pronounce street names, get around without street signs (which apparently criminals steal to confuse cops), and because he says "neutral ground".

Watching the tropics

2007-09-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

A little system just to the east of northern Florida is spiraling together and is supposed to move across the Florida peninsula then hit somewhere between Brownsville, Texas and New Orleans, as a strong tropical storm or a weak hurricane. Judging from Humberto, I'm thinking it's the stronger end of that scale. It could hit NOLA as early as Friday night. The hurricane hunters are going to investigate tomorrow.

Also, due to some apparently miscommunication at the ticket office, I got 4 tickets to UVa/VT over Thanksgiving weekend! I'm very excited, even if it will mean going with my Hokie parents and my Hokie-sympathizer sister.

Finally, I'm very excited about the South Carolina v. LSU matchup this weekend, but I don't know who to root for! Also, Gameday is at Tuscaloosa for Georgia v. Alabama.

What's left of Humberto and finally Ingrid

2007-09-14T07:16:00.001-07:00

Ingrid is still struggling, but she's officially Ingrid as of last night. It looks like she MAY curve out to see, but it's still way too early to tell. By Wednesday morning she'll still be off the coast of Puerto Rico. We shall see.

The remnants of Humberto are just about over the Louisiana/Mississippi border near Sondheimer, Louisiana, or about point where East Carroll Parish, Madison Parish and Warren County come together. Atlanta should get 1-2" of rain from this (hopefully), even though I've set the sprinklers out to come on Monday anyway.

Off to Columbia this afternoon to watch the Gamecocks...I've got my Spurrier visor in tow!

11 AM UPDATE: Humberto's remains are now near Edinburg, in Neshoba County, Mississippi, approaching Philadelphia.

5 PM UPDATE: Humberto's remains are now near Rockmart, Georgia in Polk County. The Hydrometeorological Prediction Center is no longer going to follow this storm. We did have quite a burst of rain though from Humberto, which must have been what is left of the eyewall of the storm.

Also, it looks like Ingrid is going to stay out to sea. No sign of "Jerry" yet.

Finally, it's Mojo v. Haka tomorrow night...in other words Odessa Permian is playing Euless Trinity on live TV on FSN. In case you're wondering what Haka is, read on.

HURRICANE Humberto....no Ingrid quite yet

2007-09-13T05:41:00.001-07:00

A Hurricane made landfall with 85 mph last night just to the east of High Island, Texas, around point where Chambers, Galveston & Jefferson counties all meet. This was quite a surprise to forecasters. When I went to bed last night, the Weather Channel said the storm was being ripped apart, while CNN said this would be a minimal hurricane...the latter was right, except that it was actually a decent sized Cat 1, and had Texas not been in the way, we'd be looking at a major (i.e. 3+) hurricane right now. This is the first landfalling US hurricane since Wilma in October 2005. The storm has made its way through Chambers, Jefferson, Orange and Newtown Counties, and has now made its way into Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, near Starks. Hurricane warnings still exist (as the storm is still an 80 mph hurricane) from High Island to Cameron (Chambers Co., Jefferson Co., & western Cameron Parish), and a tropical storm warning exists for eastern Cameron Parish & Vermillion Parish. According to KPLC in Lake Charles, which will take the brunt of the Hurricane shortly (and took the brunt of Rita), most schools are closed in the area.

Worst case scenario for this, and what one model predicts, is that this will turn back out to the Gulf but then sit over New Orleans, giving flooding rain...although New Orleans is in a bit of a deficit, they are not in a drought and definitely do not need flooding rain. The official forecast has a Tropical Depression Humberto somewhere between Meridian, Mississippi and Mobile, Alabama by 2 AM Eastern/1 AM Central Saturday morning.

TD-8 is not Ingrid yet, and is expected to gain Tropical Storm status possibly by the 11 AM update. There is going to be some shear this weekend, but if it holds together through Monday, it will be a force to be reckoned with, and could be nearing the north shore of Puerto Rico by Tuesday morning.

Atlanta is back in the worst category of drought (after going down to a level 3 for a week!)....we were supposed to get rain, and we can only hope we'll get rain from Humberto!

MORE UPDATES AS HUMBERTO MOVES!

11:20 EDT UPDATE: Humberto is now in Allen Parish, near Longville, Louisiana (deep in the heart of Arcadiana), and is expected to be near Tuscaloosa by Friday night. In the 10 AM CDT discussion, forecasters are boggled as to how this storm grew SO fast.

No Ingrid yet, and she is really struggling.

Major tropical update

2007-09-12T07:43:00.000-07:00

TD-8 just formed and is expected to track just to the northeast of Puerto Rico by Tuesday or Wednesday, and could hit the East Coast sometime late next week. Its current position is here. This would be Humberto should it turn into a Storm. This would be the 2nd Humberto Storm...in 1989 it replaced Hugo as that storm name was obviously retired.

TD-9 just formed and is expected to hit Galveston Bay by tomorrow morning, probably as a Tropical Storm. This is very bad for Texas as they do NOT need rain and Houston is very flood-prone, especially now. It is currently here. Tropical Storm Warnings have been posted for the entire area from Port O'conner, Texas to Cameron, Louisiana, including western Cameron Parish, and Jefferson, Chambers, Galveston, Harris Brazoria and Matagorda Counties in Texas. Tropical Storm Watches go east from Cameron to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. This covers eastern Cameron Parish & Vermillion Parish.

Finally yesterday we came upon the 6th Anniversary of 9/11....it brought me back to all those memories I was feeling and how I couldn't sleep without the TV because it was somehow comforting and because I was afraid I'd miss something (especially living so close to the CDC!). I also remember being shocked when they first allowed camera crews in the air and you could see the damage from above.

Updates later today!

UPDATE: TD-9 is now Humberto and the Tropical Storm warning has been extended all the way to Intracoastal city, Louisiana. It is at 50 mph, and is forecast to get stronger, but probably just shy of Hurricane Strength.

TD-8 has not become Ingrid yet, but is forecast to, and has formed in the same general area as Hugo and Georges. WAY too early to tell where this could go, but it could hit anywhere along the U.S. coast sometime late next week.

Hurricane Season, Labor Day & Football

2007-08-31T08:55:00.000-07:00

I'm almost off to the airport to go to Pittsburgh all weekend...should be fun & interesting.

Last night football season started with a bang...a 45-0 routing of Mississippi State at the hands of Louisiana State. Fun times. I went to watch w/LSU fans at a bar called Hi-Tops off of Buford Highway in DeKalb County.

Two systems may form today...the first is by the Windward Islands and looks strong but the Hurricane Hunters have to go out and confirm. After that warnings and watches may quickly appear. A second one is up in the Northeast, and may be named before it fizzles out.

Last, for your reading pleasure, A Love Letter to Southern Football.

Beginning of football season!!!

2007-08-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

Geaux Tigers...I'm off in a few hours to watch LSU hopefully beat Mississippi State. How exciting. I think I'll get to test out my XM Radio in terms of college football listening as well if I'm a little late.

Also, the entire state of Wyoming is apparently gearing up for a ACC battle with us...who would have thought Virginia coming to town would cause such excitement! Hopefully not too much excitement as we really need to win, despite the oxygen depravation by being in one of the highest, if not the highest college stadium in the country.

Finally, nothing yet, but it seems like there will be a Felix at least by tomorrow afternoon. We shall soon see. There are about 5 areas of interest, but none has made the jump to TD yet

Katrinaversary and Upcoming Tropical Systems

2007-08-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

Today is the Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and just about everyone is doing stories about what happened two years ago this morning. I ended up having to go Savannah that day last minute for work but remember watching that night on television as the news started to come in. WWL is doing an especially good job of broadcasting, and they are streaming online (as they always do).

There are three areas of interest out in the Atlantic. One is around the Leeward Islands, and may be too disorganized right now, but they'll keep watching it. One is way out in the Atlantic and has some time to organize, and the Hurricane Hunters will look at it on Friday. The final one is off the coast of the Carolinas and the Hurricane Hunters are going out tomorrow. This last one may meander around in the Atlantic before figuring out what to do. In any event, we may have Felix, Gabrielle, and Humberto on our hands before too long.

Finally, a little over 24 hours until football season starts! Geaux Tigers!

Katrinaversary Eve and 2 days until football season!

2007-08-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the anniversary of Katrina making landfall, and the news stations once again are down in full force in NOLA and the coast of Mississippi. I wonder if there is any "new" news, or if they will just rehash old stuff (ex. pictures of the humanity at the Superdome and pictures of the 9th Ward).

Also, football season starts in 2 days! ESPN2 starts things off with a pre-game show at 6:30 EDT, with Tulsa/University of Louisiana Monroe at 6:55, then LSU/Mississippi State at 8 on ESPN. SO excited. I can't wait to watch while I pack for Pittsburgh!!

Finally, Ms. Teen South Carolina is the talk of the town for her stupid remarks...check out the video. She STILL came in 3rd runner-up though!

Nothing eminent in hurricane land, although we could get a depression by the end of the week. I wonder if Dean was the big storm, or if the U.S. needs to brace for something stronger. The peak of the season is right around 9/11.

Drought getting worse...parts of 7 states in "Exceptional" Drought

2007-08-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

The new drought maps came out today, as they do every Thursday. 39% of Georgia, including basically the entire Atlanta metro area, the North Georgia mountains and SW Georgia are in the worst category of drought. In addition, 74% of Alabama, a big chunk of central Tennessee, and parts of western NC, NW SC, NE Mississippi, and part of Jefferson County, Florida are also in dire straits. No end seems in sight, unless this tropical wave floats up our way, but that's looking doubtful. Yesterday was at least 101 here, and today could reach 100 again. That's not helping my grass which is turning brown by about Tuesday, even after I water to the extent of the restrictions on Sunday morning. The worst part is around our 50 year old pecan tree which just soaks up all the water. Oh well, what can you do? Hopefully we'll get decent rain before we go to Pittsburgh, since we can't water that much while we're gone.

Nothing in tropical land of note.

Cool website if you're a fan of Cincinnati food: Cincy Favorites.

Dean's last gasp, zip codes and heat

2007-08-22T07:55:00.000-07:00

1) Dean is now a strong Cat 2, with winds of 100 MPH (110 would bring it up to a Major Cat 3). It probably won't strengthen any more until landfall, but will still do some damage. It is forecast to strike near Tuxpan, Mexico in Veracruz.

2) No other hurricane threats are out there, and it should be a quiet week in the tropics, which is a little surprising since it's almost the height of the season. Felix will have to wait.

3) I saw a bumper sticker recently saying "30307: It's not just a zip code, it's a lifestyle". This is an area with older, but very well maintained homes, a little bohemian, and very neighborhood oriented. It's just east of downtown Atlanta, straddling Fulton & DeKalb Counties. I also found this article in the New York Times about splitting up the exclusive 10021 zip code into 10021, 10065 and 10075. It's somewhat tongue and cheek, but I remember when my parents lived in Symmes Township, Ohio (near Cincinnati) some of the neighbors were mad and tried to change the zip code from 45140, which is Loveland, Ohio, to 45242, which is a Cincinnati/Montgomery/Blue Ash zip code. Of course now days, Loveland has become gentrified and is not a derogatory label any longer (since it was one of the last spaces on the East Side of Cincinnati with available land to build McMansions.

Finally, Atlanta is under a heat advisory again today, and we could break our record of 100 degrees if we hit 101 as forecast. As of 11 AM, we're up to 92. It's a "dry" heat though (as evidenced by people's yards).

UPDATE: Dean made its final landfall in Tecolutla, Veracruz, Mexico at 12:30 EDT with 100 mph winds. Nothing upcoming in hurricane land, but we're about on pace with the 2004 hurricane season (Frances, the F storm, formed on 8/24/04). Fortunately this year we have had no Charley.