First thing you will notice is no video. I am filling in for James Spann this afternoon to help relieve his time crunch. He has to be down at the BJCC early for tonight's special two-hour telethon on ABC 33/40 starting at 6 o'clock. It is to raise money for hurricane relief. Be sure and watch.
I have no way to load video, so this will be a general discussion. We will do it by subject mattter:
PRECIPITATION
Little or no chance of rain for the next 5 or 6 days. I am holding in my coffee-stained fingers a surface prog chart for Sunday. It still shows a high pressure area (fairly large for early September) centered over New York and Pennsylvania but extending as a ridge all the way SW into Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. This spells dry weather. By next Tuesday, the high should be centered over Alabama. If that verifies, we should stay dry.
TEMPERATURE
Cool nights with lows 62-68 for the next five days. Highs will edge upward to 90 or 91 over the weekend. The daytime humidity will be relatively low, so, not bad.
FOOTBALL WEATHER
Looks great for the Thursday night and Friday night high school football. Saturday college games also dry and mostly sunny.
TROPICAL STORM OPHELIA
She is just sitting there resting off the east coast of Florida. The 2:00 p.m. position was some 70 miles ENE of Cape Canaveral. But, she is growing stronger ever so slowly. A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect along the east coast of Florida from Cocoa Beach northward to Flagler Beach. I wish you could see a plotted map of the hurricane models. It looks just like a plate of spaghetti. You pick the model and it may go that way. Several models show her looping around to the right and coming back westward. One carries her NE into the open Atlantic. Another brings her SE. At a time like this, I suppose it is better to lean on the official NHC tracking chart. That sends her slowly toward the NE becoming a hurricane Friday night and eventually, at a point about 250 miles east of Savannah, she starts a loop to the right. The 12Z GFS model hinted that no threat to the USA. It is for sure too early to toally rule anything out.
HURRICANE NATE
He was centered 120 miles ESE of Bermuda with sustained winds of 85 mph and no threat to the USA.
HURRICANE MARIA
She is stubbornly hanging on way far away int he Atlantic some 1,115 miles west of the Azores. She was expected to be extratropical by this time, but not yet. She is only a threat to shipping lanes and, I suppose, whales.
DISTURBED WEATHER IN SW GULF OF MEXICO
It persists and conditions may become favorable for a little development in the next day or so, but only under the condition that it will stay over water. Most likely will bring heavy rain to parts of the Mexican coast. Let's hope it doesn't lollygag around for two or three days and then decide to head for the USA. At this time, we think that is highly unlikely.
DID YOU KNOW?
That September 10 is considered the peak of the tropical storm season? Over many years of record, more tropical storms or hurricanes have been in progress on September 10 than any other date. After that the action (if it is a normal year) slowly decreases. However, in any individual season this stat may not hold up, but that is just a long overall view. We have had some strong hurricanes into early October in this part of the world. Does the name Opal ring a bell?
FINAL NOTES
Spent about three hours this afternoon looking at dozens of photographs (about 80) that my son, Steve Elliott, made in Gulfport on duty with the Birmingham Fire Department Heavy Rescue Team. Absolutely amazing. If I can figure it out, may try to load a few of the images here on the blog later...James will be back here early tomorrow morning with his usual video update.
I have no way to load video, so this will be a general discussion. We will do it by subject mattter:
PRECIPITATION
Little or no chance of rain for the next 5 or 6 days. I am holding in my coffee-stained fingers a surface prog chart for Sunday. It still shows a high pressure area (fairly large for early September) centered over New York and Pennsylvania but extending as a ridge all the way SW into Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. This spells dry weather. By next Tuesday, the high should be centered over Alabama. If that verifies, we should stay dry.
TEMPERATURE
Cool nights with lows 62-68 for the next five days. Highs will edge upward to 90 or 91 over the weekend. The daytime humidity will be relatively low, so, not bad.
FOOTBALL WEATHER
Looks great for the Thursday night and Friday night high school football. Saturday college games also dry and mostly sunny.
TROPICAL STORM OPHELIA
She is just sitting there resting off the east coast of Florida. The 2:00 p.m. position was some 70 miles ENE of Cape Canaveral. But, she is growing stronger ever so slowly. A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect along the east coast of Florida from Cocoa Beach northward to Flagler Beach. I wish you could see a plotted map of the hurricane models. It looks just like a plate of spaghetti. You pick the model and it may go that way. Several models show her looping around to the right and coming back westward. One carries her NE into the open Atlantic. Another brings her SE. At a time like this, I suppose it is better to lean on the official NHC tracking chart. That sends her slowly toward the NE becoming a hurricane Friday night and eventually, at a point about 250 miles east of Savannah, she starts a loop to the right. The 12Z GFS model hinted that no threat to the USA. It is for sure too early to toally rule anything out.
HURRICANE NATE
He was centered 120 miles ESE of Bermuda with sustained winds of 85 mph and no threat to the USA.
HURRICANE MARIA
She is stubbornly hanging on way far away int he Atlantic some 1,115 miles west of the Azores. She was expected to be extratropical by this time, but not yet. She is only a threat to shipping lanes and, I suppose, whales.
DISTURBED WEATHER IN SW GULF OF MEXICO
It persists and conditions may become favorable for a little development in the next day or so, but only under the condition that it will stay over water. Most likely will bring heavy rain to parts of the Mexican coast. Let's hope it doesn't lollygag around for two or three days and then decide to head for the USA. At this time, we think that is highly unlikely.
DID YOU KNOW?
That September 10 is considered the peak of the tropical storm season? Over many years of record, more tropical storms or hurricanes have been in progress on September 10 than any other date. After that the action (if it is a normal year) slowly decreases. However, in any individual season this stat may not hold up, but that is just a long overall view. We have had some strong hurricanes into early October in this part of the world. Does the name Opal ring a bell?
FINAL NOTES
Spent about three hours this afternoon looking at dozens of photographs (about 80) that my son, Steve Elliott, made in Gulfport on duty with the Birmingham Fire Department Heavy Rescue Team. Absolutely amazing. If I can figure it out, may try to load a few of the images here on the blog later...James will be back here early tomorrow morning with his usual video update.
on September 8, 2005, 2:41 pm
Dave
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