Southeast States - AL, AR, LA, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN - Weather Discussion

Had KAtrina never happened we would not be preparing for and watching Dean as we are now. if it hadn't been for katrina we would be ignoring Dean and being lax about it. before I sat through Katrina I never paid attention to or monitored hurricane and prepared the way I do now. During katrina I had food for a few days and didn't even fill my car up. Completley irresponsible on my part but we had become so apathetic towards hurricanes.

Amraann said:

15 years ago (today actually) South Florida was hit by cat 5 Hurricane Andrew.
Although people may become laxed the state of Fl did improve their methods for emergencies and how they evacuate and to this day 15 years later those methods are still in place.

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I can't bellieve it's been that long ago. Last storm I was in.

Preparing for hurricanes should be an annual, methodic chore. The first hurricane I remember was in the late 40's. My grandparents lived right on the bay. They boarded up and came to stay with us. We always were prepared. My dad made corregated aluminum shutters to fit the windows and anchored to the outside wall with two by fours. The bolts stayed in the wall and it was easy to put them up and use wing nuts and washers to bolt them down. These served for many, many years. They also made sure we had sterno stoves, batteries, canned goods, kerosene for hurricane lamps, batteries for flashlights and radios. If a storm threatened, then they filled the cars, bought a few perishibles. The closer it got, mom brought in her expensive orchids and bromiliads, put lawn furniture and garbage cans in the carport and secured them. At the first squall lines, the shutters went up. This went on year after year. Some year there were no storms. No grumbling, no complaining, just relief they were spared. We never had more than minumum damage ever. I guess this comes from people who were in the 1926 hurricane and did relief work for the storm in 1935.

Save yourself the rush and panic when you discover Home Depot is totally out of plywood. Make your own shutters like my dad did. If you just get ready at the beginning of the season, then your last minute necessities will take only a tiny bit of time. Oh, and work with your neighbors, it may save your own home from damage. Things like moving furniture, bar-b-ques and trash cans to secure areas. I was living in Ft. Lauderdale during Andrew and my boyfriend and I and all the neighbors worked together to make sure everyone was helped that needed it.

The horror stories from Andrew from my friends and co-workers still haunt me. Trying to find your street, let along your house, or where it was. Surviving in a home coming down around them. I am so glad I was further north. Even then, we knew there were tornados in our area given the path of tree destruction and some home damage in the immediate area.

Just prepare early on the major things. Have those jugs ready for water, get those lamps ready. Have materials on hand to protect your windows. Masking tape will not protect from a neighbor's missed lawn chair or a tree limb.

Amraan, I believe that building codes and inspections were tightened after Andrew. Many new homes directly in the path didn't have roof tie-downs.

As most know, Atlanta was pummeled by tornados over the weekend... well, the backside of those storms hit the Central Savannah River Area down in GA/SC, putting a big strike on the Midland Valley area on the SC side of the river... mainly Bath, SC (a mill town that is a part of MV) and the surrounding areas where my family lives. I finally heard from my brother yesterday... his house and my parents house made it through the storm because the tornado tracked to the back of their property, but all around them is a mess. Down on Hwy 421, large trees were uprooted and mill houses were devastated... the post office lost its roof, and the fire dept was damaged (one wall came down and I think 3 bay doors were blown out). The tornado was so strong that it ripped the top off of Bath's water tower. As of yesterday, the Red Cross was down there assisting people and the county had set a curfew in place... electricity was back on but sadly, my brother said that there is a water worry: some people are without water due to damages, and those that do have running water: the county has told them to boil their water before using it.

Thankfully no one lost their life or was badly injured... but the destruction is on a big scale. Actually both sides of Savannah River got hit... Jefferson county, the North Augusta area, all the way out to Bamberg... so it's pretty wide spread. My brother said that they have been told that another system may hit them again, this week...


http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/031608/met_191230.shtml

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/031708/met_191333.shtml

When does tornado season start?
It seems they are hitting earlier than usual this year.

Tornados can happen at any time of the year. Peak in the south is March through May. Peak for the North is the summer.

Five young lives have been ended by lightning in less than a week, a deadly reminder of one of summer's leading hazards.

"Typically, July marks the peak in lightning activity. It's also the time when people are vacationing, so they are outside and they are vulnerable to lightning," said John Jensenius, a lightning safety expert at the National Weather Service.

But why so many young people in a few days? "I don't have an answer for that," Jensenius said, "It's all very sad."

Landon Dillard, 16, of Macon, Ga., was riding a bicycle at a summer camp in Colorado when he was struck down on July 3.

Two days later, 19-year-old Korey Moore of Swansea, S.C., was riding a personal watercraft when hit. The next day lightning claimed Stephanie Dawn Kirpes, 23, of Woodbridge, Va., while she was jogging along the shore in Virginia Beach, Va.

And on July 7, two 16-year-olds were killed by lightning: Ben Richter on his family farm at Watertown, Wis., and Lucian Ellis of Sampson County, N.C., who was in a beach hut sheltering from a storm.

"In terms of safety, the most important thing for people to know is if the sky looks threatening or they hear thunder, they need to get inside a substantial building — one with wiring and plumbing — or a hard-topped metal vehicle immediately," said Jensenius.

According to the Weather Service, a safe building has a roof, walls and floor, such as a home, school, office building or a shopping center. They provide safety because lightning will usually travel through the wiring or the plumbing into the ground. That means stay away from showers, sinks, hot tubs and electronic equipment such as TVs, radios and computers.
Picnic shelters, carports, dugouts, sheds and other partially open or small structures are not safe, the agency says.

Finding a safe place is often easier said than done, of course, but Jensenius stresses caution, pointing out that lightning can reach miles from the cloud where it originates. Known as bolts from the blue, these strikes are not common but they have caused deaths.
For campers and others outdoors far from a car or shelter, lightning experts warn people to stay away from tall objects like trees. Lightning tends to hit the highest thing around. And by the way, in an open field, that may be you.

Much more at link:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080711/ap_on_sc/sci_lightning_toll;_ylt=Atsp0DPDJdnrP.SKtf4.WtZxieAA
http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/
Lightning safety: http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/

My 93 year old grandfather's house was hit by lightning this week, too. He lost phone service for 24 hours. He's out in the country, so it was only him affected.

My cousins husband was hit and killed in OKlahoma when I was a kid. It made such an impression on me, I've been paranoid about lightning ever since.

Having kids on a soccer field when the sky starts to darken makes me nuts. Luckily, our fields have a lightening alarm and they are diligent about removing the kids when it goes off. I have about 90% confidence in the alarm system!

This happened down the street from my daughter's condo.
A horse was struck by lightening in Va Beach and killed Thursday night.

Two days later, 19-year-old Korey Moore of Swansea, S.C., was riding a personal watercraft when hit. The next day lightning claimed Stephanie Dawn Kirpes, 23, of Woodbridge, Va., while she was jogging along the shore in Virginia Beach, Va.

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I am also super paranoid about lightning. In fact, growing up, when tornado warnings went off, I was always equally scared of them AND the lightning.

I admit to loving lightning storms. We had one last week that was just gorgeous and it WAS reaching the ground. That said, I do keep myself inside and observe from a window. How sad for these families!

The radio station I work at took two HUGE lightning strikes this past week, and destroyed nearly everything in the newsroom and nearby news studio. I have been there when that has happened before, and it is LOUD!!!!!!!! Nobody was hurt, praise the Lord.

So sad to read about these young lives claimed to lightning. I love storms, but not when the lightning is stiking close. We had our tree in the backyard split in two a few weeks ago. The worse time for us was last year leaving Chimney Rock when a storm came out of nowhere. As we were driving down the narrow, curving road, the tree in front of us was struck and went down. A few seconds sooner, it would have crushed our van.

Lightning hit my grandmother's house about 10 years ago and burned it to the ground. Lightning scares me to death. We were at the beach this past weekend and it was lightning in one of those fantastic-type, late-afternoon beach storms and I was stunned to observe (from my condo window) people still on the beach AND allowing their children to remain in the water! :furious:

I hope we get snow!!



Snow In Tampa Bay Area? It May Happen Tuesday Night

Tribune file photo (1977)

Tampa residents last saw snow 32 years ago today.

TAMPA - If - and that's an if in boldface, capital letters - the weather dominoes line up just right, folks from Tampa Bay to Brooksville stand a chance of seeing some snow Tuesday night.
It wouldn't be heavy, certainly not something from a Currier and Ives painting, but there is a chance for flurries, said Paul Close, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
It would be more like snow pellets, not fluffy flakes, he said.
The best chance for snow would be from the Tampa Bay area to Brooksville on Tuesday night.
Even if there's no snow, the approaching front should bring some light rain coming off the Gulf of Mexico starting Tuesday afternoon from Interstate 75 west from Tampa north and lasting until midnight.
The weather service forecast does not say snow will show up that night, but meteorologists say the cold air moving over the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday will pick up moisture and form clouds as a cold front comes through.
If there is enough lift in the atmosphere to stack the clouds higher than the forecast calls for, the snow flurries could form, Close said.
Even without the possibility of snow, the front coming through on Tuesday will be ahead of the coldest air of this recent spell of cold weather that will show up Wednesday.
Enough cold air will be moving in on Tuesday that the high temperature for the day may come before sunrise and continue to drop during the daylight hours.
Forecasters say freezing temperatures Tuesday night and Wednesday night could go as far south as Punta Gorda with temperatures ranging from the low 20s in Hernando to the high 20s in Hillsborough County and low 30s in Charlotte.
Only Pinellas County would be out of the potential freeze, the weather service said.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/19/snow-tampa-bay-area-it-may-happen-tuesday-night/

I hope the orange groves don't freeze.

GetSmart said:

I hope we get snow!!



Snow In Tampa Bay Area? It May Happen Tuesday Night

Tribune file photo (1977)

Tampa residents last saw snow 32 years ago today.

TAMPA - If - and that's an if in boldface, capital letters - the weather dominoes line up just right, folks from Tampa Bay to Brooksville stand a chance of seeing some snow Tuesday night.
It wouldn't be heavy, certainly not something from a Currier and Ives painting, but there is a chance for flurries, said Paul Close, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
It would be more like snow pellets, not fluffy flakes, he said.
The best chance for snow would be from the Tampa Bay area to Brooksville on Tuesday night.
Even if there's no snow, the approaching front should bring some light rain coming off the Gulf of Mexico starting Tuesday afternoon from Interstate 75 west from Tampa north and lasting until midnight.
The weather service forecast does not say snow will show up that night, but meteorologists say the cold air moving over the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday will pick up moisture and form clouds as a cold front comes through.
If there is enough lift in the atmosphere to stack the clouds higher than the forecast calls for, the snow flurries could form, Close said.
Even without the possibility of snow, the front coming through on Tuesday will be ahead of the coldest air of this recent spell of cold weather that will show up Wednesday.
Enough cold air will be moving in on Tuesday that the high temperature for the day may come before sunrise and continue to drop during the daylight hours.
Forecasters say freezing temperatures Tuesday night and Wednesday night could go as far south as Punta Gorda with temperatures ranging from the low 20s in Hernando to the high 20s in Hillsborough County and low 30s in Charlotte.
Only Pinellas County would be out of the potential freeze, the weather service said.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/jan/19/snow-tampa-bay-area-it-may-happen-tuesday-night/

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I remember that time it snowed......I had a 1969 T-Bird. It also snowed(flurries) Christmas Eve 1987 in St. Pete.

SeriouslySearching:I hope the orange groves don't freeze.

Florida usually gets one, MAYBE two, days of "winter" every January, I've noticed, before going back into the 70's, lol. Must be nice to have 1 or 2 days of winter every year! We've had 36 inches of snow this winter, so far!

Dark Knight said:

.............. We've had 36 inches of snow this winter, so far!

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Aww, how cute! LOL! I think we had that much before thanksgiving.