On this date in 1935, seven hundred men were working to build a highway alongside Henry Flagler’s railroad to Key West from Miami. The highway was part of the Works Progress Administration program of the New Deal. Henry Flagler had built his Florida East Coast Railroad several years before.
Weather reports from Cuba indicated that a hurricane over the Bahamas was strengthening, but there was no way to tell that it would become one of the strongest hurricanes in recorded history.
The Weather Bureau did not know how strong the storm became in the hours before landfall, missed its position by over 100 miles and did not stress the danger to the Florida Keys strongly enough.
Advisories repeatedly stated that the hurricane would pass south of the Keys.
On Sunday, September 2nd, the veterans were stranded in work camps along the vulnerable keys. Officials did not make arrangements early enough for an evacuation train. The officials thought that a train could be ordered to the camps in four hours. They did not take in consideration that it too time to assemble the train, get a crew and at least two hours to fire up the boilers and get enough steam to get the train moving. When the rescue train finally started south from Miami about 4:25 p.m., weather conditions had already deteriorated and the storm center was approaching. Wind blown debris on the track and an open drawbridge delayed the train even further and it never reached most of the people it was sent to rescue.
Even as the storm roared across the Keys, the train bravely tried to reach the men. Eventually a large storm surge washed the cards off the track, leaving only the heavy locomotive standing. Many people were drowned. Some had their skin removed from the sandblasting effects of the wind blown sand.
The barometric pressure measured at Long Key remains the second lowest pressure reading ever measured in the Western Hemisphere (26.35 inches/892 mb) and the lowest observed in the United States. Winds exceeded 200 mph. Tides reached 15 feet above normal.
Officially, 408 people lost their lives as a result of the storm, including over 250 veterans, but the death toll may have actually been much higher. Following the storm, the Florida East Coast railroad was abandoned, but the Overseas Highway would eventually be completed and still stands today.
The Labor Day Hurricane
September 1, 2006, 9:30 pm
by Bill Murray
in Weather History
August tropical activity prompts revised hurricane outlook
September 1, 2006, 4:18 pm
The relatively quiet August in the tropical Atlantic is the reason behind the latest downward
revision in predicted hurricane activity for the Atlantic, according to Dr. William Gray, Professor
Emeritus at Colorado State University's Department of Atmospheric Science.
"We haven't had a very active August," Gray said. Even Tropical Storm Ernesto didn't turn out to be as major of a storm as could have occurred. "(Ernesto) didn't last very long because it went over land. It might have become a major storm if it had gone further south or further north," Gray said.
Gray made his comments during a September 1st interview with David Black for WeatherBrains, a weather podcast produced by The Weather Company in Birmingham.
"We think in the tropical Atlantic the middle troposphere was drier than normal, and we had considerable amounts of dust coming off west Africa. We didn't expect that as much." Gray also said water temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific warmed faster than he had thought. "So, overall, I think those two major factors combined to make August less active than we had previously thought and those factors are still there somewhat."
Gray and his team revised their earlier forecast for the rest of the season from fifteen named storms and seven hurricanes (three of which will be major) to thirteen named storms and five hurricanes, two of which will be major.
"We still think September will be an active month, perhaps a little bit above average." Gray said he expects to see five named storms to develop during September. Three of those five are predicted to become hurricanes, Gray said, with two of the three expected to be major.
Tropical activity during October probably won't be as high due to the onset of El Nino conditions, Gray said.
Black's interview with Gray will air during Episode 32 of WeatherBrains, scheduled to go on line during the week of September 4th.
by David Black
in General Thoughts
Working For The Weekend
September 1, 2006, 2:38 pm
The Friday afternoon map discussion video is on the web, and available on iTunes:
http://www.jamesspann.com/
Time to open up a holiday weekend, and the high school and college football season. Doesn't get much better than this...
No rain through Monday; mostly sunny days, fair nights, highs in the 80s, and lows in the 60s. I don't think too many people will be complaining...
NEXT WEEK: Looks like we will have a chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm Tuesday, and possibly into Wednesday, with a cold front and upper trough. Then drier air will slip in here for Thursday and Friday of next week.
TROPICS: Still no sign of any tropical trouble in the Gulf of Mexico through mid-September... there are a few waves in the eastern Atlantic but nothing really organized. See the posts below this one for more on BIG BAD JOHN in the eastern Pacific, and Super Typhoon Ioke. Also get more on our sister site:
http://www.weatherparty.com/
I am very thankful for the quiet weather pattern, especially compared to the hurricane madness of the last two years. It rarely stays calm around here for long, however!
Brian Peters will have the map discussion video posts over the weekend, and I will do one on Monday, and probably post it during the early afternoon hours. I might even get more than four hours of sleep Sunday night!
Have a wonderful weekend... spend some quality time with your family if you can and share some laughs; maybe watch a football game or two!
http://www.jamesspann.com/
Time to open up a holiday weekend, and the high school and college football season. Doesn't get much better than this...
No rain through Monday; mostly sunny days, fair nights, highs in the 80s, and lows in the 60s. I don't think too many people will be complaining...
NEXT WEEK: Looks like we will have a chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm Tuesday, and possibly into Wednesday, with a cold front and upper trough. Then drier air will slip in here for Thursday and Friday of next week.
TROPICS: Still no sign of any tropical trouble in the Gulf of Mexico through mid-September... there are a few waves in the eastern Atlantic but nothing really organized. See the posts below this one for more on BIG BAD JOHN in the eastern Pacific, and Super Typhoon Ioke. Also get more on our sister site:
http://www.weatherparty.com/
I am very thankful for the quiet weather pattern, especially compared to the hurricane madness of the last two years. It rarely stays calm around here for long, however!
Brian Peters will have the map discussion video posts over the weekend, and I will do one on Monday, and probably post it during the early afternoon hours. I might even get more than four hours of sleep Sunday night!
Have a wonderful weekend... spend some quality time with your family if you can and share some laughs; maybe watch a football game or two!
Early Afternoon Update on Ernesto--1:20 pm Report
September 1, 2006, 12:29 pm
National Hurricane Center (NHC) no longer issuing advisories on Ernesto since he was demoted. My opinion only: I do not think that is good policy. I think each case should be decided on its on. Ernesto is bringing really foul weather to the most densely populated part of the USA. Some places are actually still getting sustained winds well over tropical storm strength.
A large strong high pressure area, 1032 millibars over Eastern Canada (for this time of year) is increasing the pressure gradient over the NE.
Radar loops and surface observations indicate the the circulation of Ernesto was near the corners of SE Virginia and NE North Carolina early this afternoon. Extensive rain, much of it heavy still falling over a wide area although it has decreased greatly in North Carolina. Some notes:
* Numerous roads closed in a number of Eastern North Carolina Counties due to high water.
* 50% of roads aroundElizabeth City, N.C., closed
* Some water rescues by the North Carolina National Guard around Elizabeth City--getting stranded people out of their homes.
* Nearly seven inches of rain in Roanoke County, Virginia
STORY ABOUT WILMINGTON
9.56 inches of rain up until midnight was, by far, a record for the last day of August. This brought the August total to 18.83 inches, the wettest August ever, breaking the previous record which had stood since 1940. This month is also the 4th wettest of all months.
EARLY AFTERNOON SPOT REPORTS
Wallops Island...driving rain, wind NE 48, gusts to 62 mph
Washington, D.C.,...steady rain...NE gusts 39
Quantico, Va.,...steady rain, NE gusts to 41
Richmond...heavy rain...NE gusts to 39
Charlottsville, Va.,...heavy rain...north, gusts 35 (only 59 degrees)
West Point, Va.,...cloudy, NE gusts 45
Patuxent River, Md.,...heavy rain, NE gusts 44
Ocean City, Md.,...heavy rain, NE 36, gusts 48
Duck Pier, N.C.,...wind south 39, gusts 47
Buoy 70 miles east of Virginia Beach...SE gusts 35, 16-foot waves
A large strong high pressure area, 1032 millibars over Eastern Canada (for this time of year) is increasing the pressure gradient over the NE.
Radar loops and surface observations indicate the the circulation of Ernesto was near the corners of SE Virginia and NE North Carolina early this afternoon. Extensive rain, much of it heavy still falling over a wide area although it has decreased greatly in North Carolina. Some notes:
* Numerous roads closed in a number of Eastern North Carolina Counties due to high water.
* 50% of roads aroundElizabeth City, N.C., closed
* Some water rescues by the North Carolina National Guard around Elizabeth City--getting stranded people out of their homes.
* Nearly seven inches of rain in Roanoke County, Virginia
STORY ABOUT WILMINGTON
9.56 inches of rain up until midnight was, by far, a record for the last day of August. This brought the August total to 18.83 inches, the wettest August ever, breaking the previous record which had stood since 1940. This month is also the 4th wettest of all months.
EARLY AFTERNOON SPOT REPORTS
Wallops Island...driving rain, wind NE 48, gusts to 62 mph
Washington, D.C.,...steady rain...NE gusts 39
Quantico, Va.,...steady rain, NE gusts to 41
Richmond...heavy rain...NE gusts to 39
Charlottsville, Va.,...heavy rain...north, gusts 35 (only 59 degrees)
West Point, Va.,...cloudy, NE gusts 45
Patuxent River, Md.,...heavy rain, NE gusts 44
Ocean City, Md.,...heavy rain, NE 36, gusts 48
Duck Pier, N.C.,...wind south 39, gusts 47
Buoy 70 miles east of Virginia Beach...SE gusts 35, 16-foot waves
by J.B. Elliott
in Tropical Weather
Early Afternoon in Alabama 1 o'clock Report
September 1, 2006, 12:09 pm
A few isolated showers developed over NE Alabama at mid-day. Mostly over St. Clair County.
The broad circulation around Ernesto sent some cloudiness down into North Alabama.
The broad circulation around Ernesto sent some cloudiness down into North Alabama.
Big, Bad Super Typhoon IOKE
September 1, 2006, 10:06 am
Typhoon Ioke now located over open water of the Pacific well to the west of Wake Island. A few notes:
* Last avdisory showed sustained winds 130 mph, gusts 160.
* Moving NW in the general direction of Japan
* Expected to diminish onlt slightly in the next 24-36 hours
* Eye passed north of Wake Island Wednesday night (their time)
* Wind equipment on Wake was wiped out before highest winds arrived
* At time of instrument failure, sustained 78 mph, gusts 100
* Estimated that sustained 155, gusts as high as 190 affected the area
* Current path will bring it near or just north of some extremely warm sea-surface temperatures in the 88-90 degree range
* Ioke was the first Category 5 in the Central Pacific since records began in the earlt 1960s
* Wake Island is 2300 miles west of Honolulu
* Only 2.5 square miles
* Average elevation only 12 feet
* Highest elevation 20 feet
* Entire island was probably under water.
* Damage will be check from the air later
SOAP BOX TIME
* I could not believe surfers determined to get tn the very rough waters off the Atlantic Coast.
* Report on a major TV network this morning that said X number of homes destroyed by wild fires in Montana. No mention of where in Montana. They could have at least said in Western Montana. That is a very large state. I very much dislike news reports that are very stingy on geography
Now crawling off my soap box because fresh coffee is ready
* Last avdisory showed sustained winds 130 mph, gusts 160.
* Moving NW in the general direction of Japan
* Expected to diminish onlt slightly in the next 24-36 hours
* Eye passed north of Wake Island Wednesday night (their time)
* Wind equipment on Wake was wiped out before highest winds arrived
* At time of instrument failure, sustained 78 mph, gusts 100
* Estimated that sustained 155, gusts as high as 190 affected the area
* Current path will bring it near or just north of some extremely warm sea-surface temperatures in the 88-90 degree range
* Ioke was the first Category 5 in the Central Pacific since records began in the earlt 1960s
* Wake Island is 2300 miles west of Honolulu
* Only 2.5 square miles
* Average elevation only 12 feet
* Highest elevation 20 feet
* Entire island was probably under water.
* Damage will be check from the air later
SOAP BOX TIME
* I could not believe surfers determined to get tn the very rough waters off the Atlantic Coast.
* Report on a major TV network this morning that said X number of homes destroyed by wild fires in Montana. No mention of where in Montana. They could have at least said in Western Montana. That is a very large state. I very much dislike news reports that are very stingy on geography
Now crawling off my soap box because fresh coffee is ready
by J.B. Elliott
in Tropical Weather
ERNESTO Stripped of His Ranking--10 o'clock Report
September 1, 2006, 9:05 am
Tropical Storm Ernesto has lost his ranking as a Tropical Storm.
* Centered 80 miles WSW of Norfolk
* Moving north at 14
* Highest sustained winds 35 mph but with higher gusts
* Minimum pressure 29.92 inches, 992 MB
BIG NOTE OF CAUTION
This demotion does not mean that Ernesto will lose his skills at dumping heavy amounts of rain. That part has not changed. Also the track forecast has not changed. He will continue moving northward from his present position along the North Carolina-Virginia border.
Please scan down to see our earlier morning post. Most of that information is still on track. And here is the 3340 tropical page with all sorts of information:
http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/tropics.hrb
* Centered 80 miles WSW of Norfolk
* Moving north at 14
* Highest sustained winds 35 mph but with higher gusts
* Minimum pressure 29.92 inches, 992 MB
BIG NOTE OF CAUTION
This demotion does not mean that Ernesto will lose his skills at dumping heavy amounts of rain. That part has not changed. Also the track forecast has not changed. He will continue moving northward from his present position along the North Carolina-Virginia border.
Please scan down to see our earlier morning post. Most of that information is still on track. And here is the 3340 tropical page with all sorts of information:
http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/tropics.hrb
by J.B. Elliott
in Tropical Weather
Friday Morning Look at Ernesto and Big Bad John--8 o'clock Report
September 1, 2006, 7:03 am
Ernesto moved inland on the North Carolina coast about 11:30 last night. He was centered over NE Carolina this morning, but still causing lots of problems. Check this link for a world of information about Ernesto.
http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/tropics.hrb
OFFICIAL TRACK FORECAST
* Over NE North Carolina later this morning
* North edge of Virginia after midnight
* Then across the panhandles of both West Virginia and Maryland
* South-Central and NW Pennsylvania Saturday
* SW New York State including Buffalo area late Saturday night and Sunday
With the center inland, very heavy rain will now be the continuing main concern. There is a chance of a few isolated spin-off tornadoes over Eastern North Carolina and SE Virginia this morning.
RAINFALL POTENTIAL
4 to 8 inches of additional rain through the Mid-Atlantic States and Central Apallachians through Sunday. A few places could get as much as 12 inches. If this happens, the problems will be very significant with possible life-threatening flash floods. Check out these amounts that have already occurred:
North Myrtle Beach, SC...7.19 inches just up until midnight
Wilmington...9.56 inches as of midnight
IMPACTS ON SPECIFIC LOCATONS
WASHINGTON, DC
A Flash Flood Watch and Coastal Flood Watch through late tonight. Rain becoming heavy this afternoon and continuing tonight with wind gusts as high as 45 mph. The rain and wind should diminish greatly by Saturday afternoon.
NEW YORK CITY
Okay today, but rain will arrive by tonight becoming heavy after midnight. Windy with occasional heavy rain Saturday and wind gusts as high as 45 mph. The weather settles down after midnight Saturday night.
BUFFALO
Rain becoming heavy at times Saturday
SPOT REPORTS AT 8:00 AM EDT
Quantico...rain...wind NE 23...gusts 35 mph
Richmond...heavy rain...N 25...gusts 31
Norfolk...heavy rain...E 37...gusts 51
Virginia Beach...heavy rain...E 32...gusts 46
Newport News...heavy rain...E 31...gusts 41
Langley Air Force Base...heavy rain...E 46...gusts 59
Wallops Island...steady rain...NE 32...gusts 46
Elizabeth City...continuous rain...E 24...gusts 30
Diamond Shoals...S 36...gusts 49...14-foot waves
------------------------
BIG BAD JOHN
Hurricane John just off the Pacific coast of Mexico was still a category 3 this morning. He was bearing down ont he resort city of Cabo San Lucas. After that he will curve more westward and by later Saturday will be at least 100 miles west of Baja, California.
http://beta.abc3340.com/weather/tropics.hrb
OFFICIAL TRACK FORECAST
* Over NE North Carolina later this morning
* North edge of Virginia after midnight
* Then across the panhandles of both West Virginia and Maryland
* South-Central and NW Pennsylvania Saturday
* SW New York State including Buffalo area late Saturday night and Sunday
With the center inland, very heavy rain will now be the continuing main concern. There is a chance of a few isolated spin-off tornadoes over Eastern North Carolina and SE Virginia this morning.
RAINFALL POTENTIAL
4 to 8 inches of additional rain through the Mid-Atlantic States and Central Apallachians through Sunday. A few places could get as much as 12 inches. If this happens, the problems will be very significant with possible life-threatening flash floods. Check out these amounts that have already occurred:
North Myrtle Beach, SC...7.19 inches just up until midnight
Wilmington...9.56 inches as of midnight
IMPACTS ON SPECIFIC LOCATONS
WASHINGTON, DC
A Flash Flood Watch and Coastal Flood Watch through late tonight. Rain becoming heavy this afternoon and continuing tonight with wind gusts as high as 45 mph. The rain and wind should diminish greatly by Saturday afternoon.
NEW YORK CITY
Okay today, but rain will arrive by tonight becoming heavy after midnight. Windy with occasional heavy rain Saturday and wind gusts as high as 45 mph. The weather settles down after midnight Saturday night.
BUFFALO
Rain becoming heavy at times Saturday
SPOT REPORTS AT 8:00 AM EDT
Quantico...rain...wind NE 23...gusts 35 mph
Richmond...heavy rain...N 25...gusts 31
Norfolk...heavy rain...E 37...gusts 51
Virginia Beach...heavy rain...E 32...gusts 46
Newport News...heavy rain...E 31...gusts 41
Langley Air Force Base...heavy rain...E 46...gusts 59
Wallops Island...steady rain...NE 32...gusts 46
Elizabeth City...continuous rain...E 24...gusts 30
Diamond Shoals...S 36...gusts 49...14-foot waves
------------------------
BIG BAD JOHN
Hurricane John just off the Pacific coast of Mexico was still a category 3 this morning. He was bearing down ont he resort city of Cabo San Lucas. After that he will curve more westward and by later Saturday will be at least 100 miles west of Baja, California.
by J.B. Elliott
in Tropical Weather
A Good Looking Labor Day Weekend
September 1, 2006, 5:01 am
The Friday morning map discussion video is on the web, and available on iTunes:
http://www.jamesspann.com/
Looks like the abc3340.com web site is just about shut down this morning... I expect this is due to the extreme amount of traffic on our sister station's site, WJLA-TV in Washington (wjla.com). The traffic is coming from people looking for info on Ernesto as it will be bringing a flash flood threat to that region today. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it, but the blog is on another server (hosted by our pal Trey Nolen's group in Gadsden) and is zipping along just fine. The main jamesspann.com page has just about everything you need anyway.
WEATHER PARTY: Don't forget to see the latest weather related news over on our sister site, WeatherParty.com:
http://www.weatherparty.com
A HINT OF FALL: Nice temps this morning... as I write this Birmingham is at 68, while Gadsden and Tuscaloosa are at 66 degrees. A nice way to start September.
LABOR DAY WEEKEND: Bring it on. The weather looks fine with partly sunny days, fair nights, and pleasant temperatures. Highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s. The chance of rain is so small it really isn't worth a mention, but a few isolated showers could show up today near the Georgia border, much like yesterday.
NEXT WEEK: We will bring back a chance of showers by Tuesday and Wednesday of next week; the GFS swings a fairly potent upper trough through here at mid-week. The moisture isn't all that impressive, but the dynamics should be enough to force a few showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Still no sign of any widespread 90s; looks like we will still mostly have 80s and 60s next week.
LONG RANGE: The GFS is showing the westerly winds aloft retreating northward again by mid-month, which would mean summer-like weather if that happens to be correct. Don't forget we can have hot spells well into September. The 90s will visit again a time or two before we get into fall.
ERNESTO: Lots and lots of rain for the mid-Atlantic region today... scroll down for J.B.'s excellent post from late last night for complete details.
BIG BAD JOHN: This hurricane will impact the southern tip of Baja California and Cabo San Lucas today... it is grown stronger overnight and is a category three storm again with sustained winds of 115 mph.
ELSEWHERE: There are some active waves scattered over the eastern Atlantic, but no real change in structure overnight. If something develops out there the pattern does not favor them getting into the Gulf of Mexico for the next week or so. So far so good, but the season is just getting cranked up. September and the first half of October are usually very active in the tropics.
RANT OF THE DAY: Why is the weather lady on CNBC stuck with a smile on her face when she is reporting on flash flooding from Ernesto? Nice teeth, but not everything is cute or funny in the weather business.
Enjoy your Friday... I will have the next map discussion video posted by 3:30 to 4:00 this afternoon. J.B. will keep the blog fresh with information on Ernesto on his journey northward through the eastern U.S....
http://www.jamesspann.com/
Looks like the abc3340.com web site is just about shut down this morning... I expect this is due to the extreme amount of traffic on our sister station's site, WJLA-TV in Washington (wjla.com). The traffic is coming from people looking for info on Ernesto as it will be bringing a flash flood threat to that region today. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it, but the blog is on another server (hosted by our pal Trey Nolen's group in Gadsden) and is zipping along just fine. The main jamesspann.com page has just about everything you need anyway.
WEATHER PARTY: Don't forget to see the latest weather related news over on our sister site, WeatherParty.com:
http://www.weatherparty.com
A HINT OF FALL: Nice temps this morning... as I write this Birmingham is at 68, while Gadsden and Tuscaloosa are at 66 degrees. A nice way to start September.
LABOR DAY WEEKEND: Bring it on. The weather looks fine with partly sunny days, fair nights, and pleasant temperatures. Highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s. The chance of rain is so small it really isn't worth a mention, but a few isolated showers could show up today near the Georgia border, much like yesterday.
NEXT WEEK: We will bring back a chance of showers by Tuesday and Wednesday of next week; the GFS swings a fairly potent upper trough through here at mid-week. The moisture isn't all that impressive, but the dynamics should be enough to force a few showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Still no sign of any widespread 90s; looks like we will still mostly have 80s and 60s next week.
LONG RANGE: The GFS is showing the westerly winds aloft retreating northward again by mid-month, which would mean summer-like weather if that happens to be correct. Don't forget we can have hot spells well into September. The 90s will visit again a time or two before we get into fall.
ERNESTO: Lots and lots of rain for the mid-Atlantic region today... scroll down for J.B.'s excellent post from late last night for complete details.
BIG BAD JOHN: This hurricane will impact the southern tip of Baja California and Cabo San Lucas today... it is grown stronger overnight and is a category three storm again with sustained winds of 115 mph.
ELSEWHERE: There are some active waves scattered over the eastern Atlantic, but no real change in structure overnight. If something develops out there the pattern does not favor them getting into the Gulf of Mexico for the next week or so. So far so good, but the season is just getting cranked up. September and the first half of October are usually very active in the tropics.
RANT OF THE DAY: Why is the weather lady on CNBC stuck with a smile on her face when she is reporting on flash flooding from Ernesto? Nice teeth, but not everything is cute or funny in the weather business.
Enjoy your Friday... I will have the next map discussion video posted by 3:30 to 4:00 this afternoon. J.B. will keep the blog fresh with information on Ernesto on his journey northward through the eastern U.S....
by James Spann
in General Thoughts
Page :
1