Official Florida is Fucked Hurricane thread
 

Here we go again :(
|hurricane
http://www.goes.noaa.gov/browsh.html
http://weather.sun-sentinel.com/trop...524_model.html
http://weather.sun-sentinel.com/trop...24_strike.html

This weekend is Key West's Fantasy Fest. I wonder what Wilma will be wearing to it? The floats should look spectacular going down the streets in 100+ mph winds.

Oddly enough I seem to already have all my hurricane supplies.

It's a record breaking storm.

I kinda hope we have another one - it would be cool to that they have to start using another alphabet to keep track.

Since they don'y use x, y, and z they'll switch to the greek alphabet, and the letter alpha.

As kewl as using the Greek alphabet would be I'm really hoping for no more storms.

I never been through one that came from the west and didn't even know that they would do that. I see lots of other storms have done this in the past though.
http://weather.sun-sentinel.com/trop...524_climo.html

Poor Key West. This is their big yearly event and it starts this weekend.
http://www.650motorcycles.com/keywest.html
http://www.fantasyfest.net/

It's still pretty far away so a lot could change but I am going to top off my car's gas tank tomorrow. I'm not sure what to expect from a storm coming at me across the state like this. I would think that it would weaken but the weather people are saying it won't. Florida is real flat and the whole south middle of the state is nothing but a huge very shallow river so maybe that is why.

I just keep on looking at my big untrimmed very tall trees in my yard…

Well I thought we were done for the year but no |angry| From what I'm seeing on tv so far is that I think the Tampa Bay area will advoid the direct hit. But I'm not taking any chances plan on filling up the cars and getting gas for the generator tomorrow. I live a block off the bay so we'll be ok if it stays at a 3 or lower. If it turns into a 4 and hits here we are fucked. Our house would be under water, got my fingers crossed here.. |bow|

Those painted tits pictures are strangely erotic. One gets jaded seeing porn women all the time, so seeing real women proudly showing off their tits is kinda nice.

Guess they will have you use water proof paint this year.

Can you Florida folks keep that bitch down there? Good luck to all of us.

I'm with you, getting gas and supplies tomorrow just in case. I'm really hoping this thing takes it easy on us... NOBODY need this right now for sure. ;)

Yep, I'm about 100 miles south of Tampa. Too early to tell yet, but sure looks like we're in for a bit o rain and wind. Truck and car are already full of fuel. So, I'll be topping up the extra gas cans, zip tying all the hoses to the fence, pulling in plants, deck furniture, etc..

Yea Cleo, my trees are the biggest concern here too. I have several big mature oaks on the property. With where the trees are, about the worst that could happen would be damage to the pool cage and/or storage shed.

I'm pretty confident the house itself could take heavy winds without significant damage. This place was built after Andrew so it's all re-inforced cinder block construction. And the windows are covered in the 3m film rating them to something like 130 mph winds.

I'll also be moving the generator, chain saw and extra fuel OUT of the storage shed and into the garage...just in case.

Ahh, the price of living in paradise :D

I was thinking the same thing with Rita. I live 100 miles inland from Beaumont in the woods of East Texas. By the time Rita paid a visit winds were still 75-100 mph. Not to bad, but I was thinking they would be more in the 45-50 range that far inland.
Stay safe and let's hope this bitch heads back out to sea.

Florida didn't have hurricanes until people started using apple computers there.

Stay safe all! I wondered where you were in FL MrYum. I hope it ends up not being to bad for all of you going through yet another hurricane.

Lived through 2 in Hawaii, enough for me to not want to live anywhere there are Hurricanes again...you are far braver than I am. Of course, nothing like living on an island where you really can't get out of the way either.

Thanks VB, I'm sure we'll be fine :)

Hell, I'm from earthquake country...I'll take some wind and rain anyday over a quake. Those suckers sneak up on ya :D

Stay safe Florida. :(

I have relatives visiting Disney Land... they flew out today from London.

Is Disney in the projected path of Wilma?

Well - its a hell of a lot stronger now - 175 mph sustained winds (Strong Cat 5) and the lowest pressure ever measured in a hurricane at 884 Mb - but it looks like the computer models have it weakening some after it hits Mexico and turns towards south of Tampa - and going over Lake Okachobee (still cant spell that one I lived there for a while)

Good luck and stay safe Folks.

Woke up this morning and turned on the news hoping to hear that this storm was falling apart or at least heading anywhere but where I live but the news is not good at all. :(
"Hurricane Wilma's sustained winds reached 175 mph and its pressure unofficially dropped as low as 884 mb this morning, making it possibly the strongest Category 5 hurricane ever with a projected path that crosses southern Florida from west to east.

"This is probably the lowest minimum pressure ever observed in the Atlantic Basin and is followed by the 888 mb minimum pressure associated with hurricane Gilbert in 1988," according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami."

I guess spending this weekend relaxing on the beach is out of the question.

stay safe please and good luck

wow how boring.. Alpha Beta etc..no
xavier, yolanda or Zachary??

Not looking so good.. "ya'll" hang on down there..

|blowkiss|

stay inside and good luck to all

Thanks for those links Cleo. :)

CNN is now reporting this as the kind of storm that destroyed the Florida Keys in 1935. :(

Unfortunately, yes, some of them do come at us out of the West like that.
The only storms we've ever really been concerned about is one that comes at us the way this one could. We're tucked up out of the way for most storms coming out of the Atlantic. But a big one coming in from the Gulf could be a serious problem.

Simon

this thing whent from a cat2 to cat5 overnight?
who is feeding this thing?
this is insane.. poor floridians:(

http://www.katvixen.com/wilma.jpg

Urb this is the general location of Disney/Orlando, Odds are they will be safe.

Damn, I have friends who are flying into Miami on Thursday and driving to the Keys for an 11 day vacation. Sucks for them.

Maybe some Mickey Mouse umbrellas should be in their travel plans. On the plus side mosquitoes tend not to be a problem in hurricane winds.

I'm getting a really earlier start on things. Last storm I started running out of generator fuel after four days and had to go for a tedious fuel run trying to find gas through lots of non working traffic lights and long lines at the few stations open with gas. While I was out I picked up two more 5 gallon gas cans so now I have eight 5 gallon cans full plus another 7.5 in the generator. I think I'm going to pick up another four 5 gallon cans today which should give me about one week's worth or fuel. Oddly enough all the large grocery stores, pet stores, and Home Depot stores were open running on generators.

I'm really hoping that this thing dies out or turns or something but I'm planing on the worst and hoping for the best.

"Wilma's winds intensify to 175 mph as it becomes strongest hurricane ever."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/loc...home-headlines

Good Miami cams are over here
http://www.destinationwebcam.com/Miami.htm

Wow this is unreal!! I watched the weather before I went to bed last night and there was no change. When I got on the pc this morning I was shocked with the headlines. It's looking like we will be alright here. Please all of you in South Florida get out and be careful, this is bad bad news for south Florida.

Man, this sucks. :( Wtf is up with all these cat 5 hurricanes this year? Good luck to all you folks in FL.

Yep, this one turned from bad to worse overnight...sheesh.

Looks like a run for some extra fuel and hardware items are in my immediate future. Already have about 50 gallons of fuel between my truck and the gf's car. Want to fill up the extra cans too.

Looking more and more like this bitch is heading right toward us or damn close to it |hurricane

Off to the hardware store...

Fellow Floridians...lock down folks and be safe!

Please be careful with this thought. All of us in La thought the same thing about Katrina, thinking it would hit the Fl. panhandle. Pay close attention, and always be prepared.

Now the say it might even effect New England at some point |shocking| Blizzards, I am used to but not hurricanes :(

Hey Torn, with your graphics skills, superimpose this:

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT/WATL/IR4/20.jpg

over the centerline of the path and keep that Disney arrow in there for reference.

Not to be a fatalist, but, I think you really are underestimating the size of this storm.

Then, if you can, draw a 50 mile radius from the eye -- that is the edge of the highest speed winds.

This one is going to be bad.

Oh don't worry jennym I'm keeping a close eye on this storm. I know I'm not out of the woods yet. We are prepared already. Thanks!

Home Depot was insane and sold out of 5 gallon gas cans. Found them at Lowes for a cheaper price and bought their last six cans.

Filled up the Vette and all six cans with gas which took three swipes of my debit card because it was so much gas that the pump kept on hitting it's limit. Also found out that the pumps would not let me use my debit card on two pumps at once. Guy in the pickup truck next to me started a conversation with me and told me that he makes his boyfriend do all that kind of stuff. Even through I live in a very gay part of town I was still a bit surprised that he was gay and so open about it. Nice to know that I'm more butch then a guy driving a pickup truck. lol

Even through I have plenty of groceries in my house I'm going to top off my food reserves since I may be the only house will electric and suddenly finding myself a very popular lady. :D

I'm still hoping that it somehow misses south Florida.

If it makes anyone feel better, winds are up to 20-30 & it's raining here in Buffalo. I think the storm is looking for Kat's boobs, but it got here late :(

CrazySy - just think of it as a blizzard with real wet snow and winds that are just a little harder :)

cd34 - remember also that wind intensity is exponential for an increase - not linear - so if you go from say 100 mph to 150 mph the damage caused is really the difference in speed squared (so in this case 1.5^2 or 2.25 times the intensity) approximately - the real numbers are a little different but its close enough :)

Also that distance between say Basinger (looks to be pretty close to the center of the storm passing over) to Orlando as the crow flies is only 100 miles or so

I didn't know that about wind speed. It is like the square inverse law of light falloff from a pinpoint of light. One of these not so obscure things that a photographer needs to know in doing studio work.

Just to add to today's stress… while buying more hurricane supplies at the grocer store my person debit card got flagged as suspicious activity by my bank so the purchase was declined and I had to put it on my business card. Twenty minutes of voice mail hell and its been released. Guess my business just bought hurricane party supplies for the business party. :D

Thanks Torn :)

I made the mistake last year of thinking that because the storm was going north of me, like where Torn lives, that I would be ok and then it hit with vengeance putting a ficus tree through my roof and knocking out power to my neighborhood for many days.

Now I look at these storms a lot different. Which reminds me, I need to make one more hurricane supply run…

I just know that I don't want to go through this again.
http://cleoslinks.com/crap/tree-detail/

LOL, I am not that worried but I will be screwed if we ever get a direct hit by a hurricane because I live very close to the beach. I remember hurricane Bob which made a huge mess in this town but I lived in New Hampshire then :D

I do remember that quite well. Saffir-Simpson and Fujita scales are both logrithmic. Good thing we don't rely on the Beaufort Scale. If I recall, Beaufort 12 (Hurricane) is wind > 65mph -- or, greater than any canvas sail can handle.

Based on the latest projection though, hurricane force winds extend only 60 miles from the eye with tropical storm force winds at 230 miles from the eye.

For those of you not as familiar with Florida, Miami to Jacksonville is 350 miles. Pretty much the top of the state to the bottom of the mainland is about 400 miles. 460 miles would almost cover the entire state from Key West to the Georgia/Alabama borders.

She's a big one and still quite questionable as to its destination.