The Wind and the Rain

[lolmac]

I just checked the date on my hurricane-prep post from last year, which was when Irene looked likely to hit us.

August 23rd.

Meanwhile, the papers have overflowed all week with the 20-year retrospective of Hurricane Andrew.  Yes, 20 years ago, the first named storm of the season, storm A, didn't form until late August.  (And landed as a Category 5

Comments

[campylobacter]

None of the tracks have it hitting Tampa while the RNC is going on, but I suppose that really would be too much to ask.

*snerk*

Best wishes to everyone in Isaac's path, though. Hope it peters out before landfall.

[lolmac]

From yesterday's paper: Hurricane Isaac vs the RNC

Hope it peters out before landfall.

No chance of that happening, period, unless the laws of physics are reversed. Hurricanes grow in intensity when they pass over warm water, which is the only kind of water we have down here. (It's already made landfall in the Caribbean, but not hard enough to fall apart.)

We're actually better off than we were in 2005, though: apparently the water in the Gulf of Mexico, while warm, contains less accumulated heat right now than it did in 2005. Isaac is expected to have at least three days over water in which to grow, but it won't be able to get as big as Katrina did in the same amount of time. The current projection has it making landfall as a Category 2 hurricane.

[campylobacter]

LMAO at this comment to the cartoon: "the Creator has another plan for that storm". Oh yeah. God is the Supreme Puppet Master, Jesus is a Rock Star, and Free Will is a Lie.

Hey, ya never know if some cold water from below the Gulf Stream will rise to the surface & disrupt Isaac's momentum.

My memories growing up in SE Alabama of hurricane season involve rednecks taping glass windows with masking tape X's to prepare for the storm surge. Maybe they were marking targets?

my god is a rock, and she's not gneiss

[lolmac]

Maybe they were marking targets? ROFLMAO

[damigella_314]

I must admit the idea of screwing shutters on all windows sounds really bad to me, and not just for the amount of physical strength needed. If I had to live with shuttered windows for three months, I'd go crazy. Hopefully you can spend lots of time outdoors.

Are rolling or hinged shutters too weak for the hurricane? In Italy they're standard (wood, plastic or metal) but then we don't have winds at 120. One day I feel I should make a post about how different housing is from a country into another - besides the bathroom fixtures, that is.

Here's hoping this year's hurricane season will be bring no major damage.

[alternatealto]

That would be an interesting post

[lolmac]

Hopefully you can spend lots of time outdoors.

I'm afraid not. The temperature, during the day, is never less than 30 degrees Celsius, except during rare moments such as yesterday morning. At night, it might drop all the way to 27. The humidity is staggering.

And there's nothing outdoors anyway; south Florida consists of housing developments and shopping plazas. That's why this journal is called Beth In Exile: I'm from the western US, specifically the Pacific Northwest, and Florida is an alien world to me. I miss the mountains terribly (and many other things). But it's worth it.

[damigella_314]

I miss the mountains terribly (and many other things).
I can imagine that. I like being able to see mountains or at least hills (say 1000+ feet) and to be near the sea, but mostly I need a city to walk around in, and I prefer it flat rather than steep. I also like living in walking distance of shops, cafés, cinemas, grocery stores, etc: in Europe it's pretty easy to achieve, but I do remember being puzzled by sidewalkless streets in (central) US cities.

it's worth it.
I can so believe it. (hugs you both)

ETA: Italy doesn't have hurricanes, but I checked wikipedia on wind strength. In the city where I live it's rarely above hundred miles/hour, and above ninety a few times per year. The really strong wind always blows from the same direction, so it's typical to have small or no window on that side,

[thothmes]

Tropical Depression Bob did not do enough damage to get himself taken out of the naming rotation so some years later (1990 I believe), I was a newly licensed driver, with my kids, age 5 and 1 in the car. [What?!! the year I turned 16 my mom and stepdad got a new car, and my dad's girlfriend stripped his transmission trying to learn to drive his Land Cruiser. So I learned a bit late.] As we began to merge onto the highway on our way to the shopping plazas across the border in New Hampshire, suddenly it became very difficult to see ANYTHING, even with the wipers at Ludicrous Speed. "Beloved Husband always makes this look so much easier," I thought to myself. "This is scary, but I guess it's good that I'm building experience, huh." It was only when I got home that I found I'd been driving in Tropical Storm Bob. It kind of explained some things

[ferlonda]

I've been wondering how you were doing! I'm so glad to hear that you're doing this well. I know just what you mean about not being able to get outside enough. We're in Maryland and I just spent essentially two months indoors. :( For someone who is used to being outside a LOT this is a special kind of torture. But, the heat is moderating some and I've even gone for a little walk recently. That was exciting! Ooh! A walk! :D

Anyway, stay safe and keep us posted.

xoxoxoxo!

[lolmac]

Isaac is past us, and getting New Orleans soggy even as I type. It will spend much of the next few days raining on areas that need rain, although probably not that much all at once.

The part about being stuck inside for months on end really is pretty dreadful. I actually took evening walks twice this week! Last year, Missy and I managed to keep to a regular schedule of daily walks, even in the worst of the summer, but it fell apart this year. I don't think we're likely to get back to it until the weather actually cools off and the humidity drops.

One bright spot: when we can get ourselves out for a walk, we have a local colony of owls that we can go look at. We love our owls, yes we do!!

[ferlonda]

How wonderful to have owls living near you! I'm envious. There are lots of lovely birds here, too, all kinds, most of them seasonal migrants. It's so noisy here that you can only hear them if the yell. Oh, well. Exile won't last forever. XO

[lolmac]

The birds are one of the truly bright spots here. (Also the lizards, which are adorable.) And the owls are native burrowing owls -- not only cute, but threatened, so it's especially wonderful having several nests with breeding pairs! I discovered them my first month here, and since then, they've gone from one nest to FIVE.

I actually have some pictures . . . I REALLY need to decant my camera and post some of them!

[lothithil]

Thinking about you both. Hope you are keeping each other safe.
(((Beth&Missy)))

[lolmac]

{{{{Lothi}}}}