RSSFirst Atlantic Tropical Storm of the Year, ANA Heads Toward the Leeward Islands
First Atlantic tropical storm of the year forms.
Tropical storm Ana has formed over the Atlantic and become the first named storm of the season. According to The National Hurricane Center, TD#2 was upgraded to a Tropical Storm and it presently has sustainable winds of 40 mph and is headed toward The Leeward Islands.
click in pic to enlarge
Ana is a very weak storm at this point and although the forecast cone right now is pointed straight at Florida by Thursday morning, there are still many factors yet to play out in the future of this storm.
Ana’s forecast intensity is to become a strong tropical storm 4 to 5 days out. However, this is the middle of the road approach in terms of forecasts since the models are nowhere near agreement with her future.
Hurricane Ike Slams the Texas Coast … the Morning After …
Hurricane Ike officially hit the Texas coast in the Galveston area at 1:10 am EDT as a category 2 hurricane with winds up to 110 mph. The storm surge has caused severe flooding and much damage has been left in Ike’s wake. Citizens, businesses and officials are left reeling and in the massive clean up and repair effort that they face in the coming days. Thankfully, the forecasted catastrophic 20 to 25 foot wall of water never materialized and the storm surge only topped out at only 13.5 feet. However, the damage was done.
The strength of the storm and the damage it has caused prevented firefighters from reaching multiple fires burning in Galveston and Houston.
Insurance experts say the value of insured property in the Houston area is nearly $1 trillion. FEMA estimates the damage could top $12 billion.
VIDEO: “I’ve never seen water so high”.
Johnny Hanson: Chronicle
Waves crashing into the seawall reach over the memorial to the hurricane of 1900 as Hurricane Ike began to hit Galveston.
The storm cut off power to more than 4 million people in the Houston area
Floyd LeBlanc of CenterPoint Energy Inc. said 1.8 million of the power company’s customers — or more than 4 million people — in metro Houston are without electricity as high winds and heavy rains downed power lines. LeBlanc said 2 million customers represent about 4.5 million people.
Brian Devall, right, 16, and his friend Andrew David, 17, paddle a kayak through flooded streets to check on Devall’s house after Hurricane Ike hit the Texas coast, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008, in Galveston, Texas.
(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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See the slide show of pictures from Hurricane Ike.
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Slide show of pictures from Yahoo News
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More pics from Ike from The Houston Chronicle
Two men wade through flooded streets as Hurricane Ike begins to make landfall in Galveston, Texas September 12, 2008. Massive Hurricane Ike bore down on the Texas coast on Friday, driving a wall of water into seaside communities and threatening catastrophic damage.
(Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters)
Ike Strikes Galveston and Houston
Metro Houston faced a wicked blow from Ike this morning. Aside from the coastal flooding on the southeast side of the city along the western bay, Houston will deal with sustained tropical storm-force winds with numerous gusts to hurricane force. Once the center passes I-10, the metro area will see a slow decrease in winds but the heavy rain will continue into the afternoon.
Skyscrapers endured higher winds this morning than compared to the street level because of their elevation. Windows have been blown out in several of these very tall buildings throughout downtown Houston.
UPDATE I: President George W. Bush comments Regarding Hurricane Ike
Obviously, this is a huge storm that is causing a lot of damage not only in Texas, but also in parts of Louisiana. The storm has yet to pass, and I know there are people concerned about their lives. Some people didn’t evacuate when asked, and I’ve been briefed on the rescue teams there in the area. They’re prepared to move as soon as weather conditions permit. Obviously, people on the ground there are sensitive to helping people, and are fully prepared to do so.
… In the meantime, the Department of Energy, the Federal Trade Commission, and I know state authorities will be monitoring gasoline prices to make sure consumers are not being gouged, make sure consumers are being treated fairly.
Gouging? Gas prices near $6.00 a gallon in parts of Florida. How is it that gas prices can escalate but if a bottle of water does, its a Federal crime?
UPDATE II: Ike Roars Ashore in Galveston, Weakens to Category 1 Storm as Millions Lose Power
Posted September 13, 2008 by Scared Monkeys Energy, Hurricane, Natural Disaster, weather, You Tube - VIDEO | 4 comments |
Tropical Storms & Hurricanes … H, I, J … Hanna, Ike & Josephine on the way
The hurricane season is heating up and 3 tropical storms and hurricanes are right upon us. As the eastern coast deals with Tropical storm Hanna, all eyes are of Hurricane Ike.
Tropical storm Hanna is presently hammering the Carolina coast with heavy rains and wind. Coastal flooding is expected as storm surge flooding along the South Carolina and North Carolina coasts s with surge flooding of one foot to three feet above normal tide levels. Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to cause rain and flooding up the entire East Coast.
Mexico & Texas Brace for Tropical Storm Dolly (Hurricane) … Hello Dolly
A hurricane watch has been issued for South Texas as Tropical Storm Dolly 
heads across the Gulf of Mexico.
“All forecast models have it hitting over northeast Mexico or the coast of deep South Texas,” National Weather Service forecaster Fred Vega said. “It’s hard to indicate where it’s going to hit landfall, but it’s a large system and we’re going to see the effects way before.”
The National Weather Service posted a hurricane watch from Rio San Fernando, Mexico, to Port O’Connor, Texas. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible within the next 36 hours. A tropical storm watch for the same time period was issued from Port O’Connor north to San Luis Pass.
Dolly was expected to make landfall on Wednesday as a Category 1 storm with sustained winds of 74 mph to 95 mph.
Its been fast and furious this hurricane season. Tropical Storm Cristobal wanes, as Dolly says hello! Lurking in the wings is Hurricane Fausto
Fausto’s maximum sustained winds are near 160 kilometres per hour and the storm’s center is 651 kilometres west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
UPDATE I: Hurricane Warnings Issued Across Texas, Mexico as Dolly Takes Aim
UPDATE II: Hurricane Dolly Set to Hit Texas Coast
Dolly was upgraded from a tropical storm Tuesday afternoon with sustained winds near 75 mph, and some strengthening of the Category 1 storm is forecast before landfall Wednesday. At 5 p.m. EDT, the storm’s center was about 165 miles east-southeast of Brownsville, moving northwest at about 10 mph.
A hurricane warning is in effect for the coast of Texas from Brownsville to Corpus Christi and in Mexico from Rio San Fernando northward.
Tropical Storm Gabrielle Takes Aim at North Carolina Shore
Tropical storm Gabrielle, with winds near 50 mph, takes aim at the NC shore. Gabrielle will pass over the North Carolina Outer Banks and hit land fall Sunday.
(NOAA)
