Hurricane Irma check-in / status report

[T REX]

I'm in Ballast Point in S tampa...gonna ride it out

 

[Lake Gator]

Casselberry just outside Orlando. Would leave but my wife has collected a zoo of stray animals she doesn't want to have to try and take.

Similar at my house, brother. Wife collects rescue dogs like a toddler at the beach collects sea shells. Then I get to feed them and pay vet bills. No travel for us.

 

[Lake Gator]

Reading these posts, it's apparent FEMA and first responders need to pre-stage a helluva lot more booze than presently planned. ldman:

 

[Gator Fever]

No disrespect intended there. But roofs and occasional homes were lost in '04, which was devastating from a personal standpoint. Whole neighborhoods and portions of cities were wiped out with Andrew. There's a reason there are now "Andrew" codes. That's all I meant. Storms like this are different on a macro level.

Andrew dropped a crazy amount of tornados also compared to most hurricanes which helped give that total destruction look also.

 

[The Shady Grove Gator]

In Perry, work in Emergency Services and will likely have to stay unless it beelines here, then will have to go to evacuate elderly family members.

 

[alcoholica]

Meh, just buy the cheap crap like I do, Old Crow. That is, if you mix it with cola like me, no sense in wasting $$ on expensive stuff. Taste the same to me once mixed, I guess if you like it straight, it's a different story, but I haven't reached that level of alcoholism yet. Lol

Yep, you're from Baker County

 

[URGatorBait]

@Gator Fever
We are still looking at quite possibly a Cat 2 in Orlando, depending on where you are. This thing shifting west has put more population in that potential.
Secondly, this thing isn't going over regular land down south. It's going over the hot and wet everglades and they aren't expecting it to weaken much, if at all, over that region. It won't really start to weaken more significantly until closer to Okeechobee area.

The latest track does now show it as an "H" (cat1 or 2) and not an "M" (cat 3 or higher) right in the area of Orlando at 2 am Monday. So that is a good thing.

I'm hopeful that it is a Cat 1 as well when it reaches here, but that is not a guarantee. And even if it is, it is going to be a very high cat 1, on the verge of a cat 2.
Listening to a chief meteorologist (whom I know personally here in Orlando, and know enough to know he doesn't BS about any of this stuff) we are still looking at the potentil of up to or over 100 mph wind all the way to Clermont, FL. We'll see.

Here is the 5am official track btw
up to 925 mb and down to 155 mph winds. Hopefully this weakening finds a way to continue

 

[Alagator]

Jackson County, in the Panhandle, about 40 miles north of Panama City. Staying put and not expecting too much where we are..... unless this sumbiittch pushes over more into the Gulf. Grew up in Pensacola and on Pensacola Beach and since I was a kid have seen these things do some crazy things...

I pray all y'all stay safe!

 

[Gator Fever]

@Gator Fever
We are still looking at quite possibly a Cat 2 in Orlando, depending on where you are. This thing shifting west has put more population in that potential.
Secondly, this thing isn't going over regular land down south. It's going over the hot and wet everglades and they aren't expecting it to weaken much, if at all, over that region. It won't really start to weaken more significantly until closer to Okeechobee area.

The latest track does now show it as an "H" (cat1 or 2) and not an "M" (cat 3 or higher) right in the area of Orlando at 2 am Monday. So that is a good thing.

I'm hopeful that it is a Cat 1 as well when it reaches here, but that is not a guarantee. And even if it is, it is going to be a very high cat 1, on the verge of a cat 2.
Listening to a chief meteorologist (whom I know personally here in Orlando, and know enough to know he doesn't BS about any of this stuff) we are still looking at the potentil of up to or over 100 mph wind all the way to Clermont, FL. We'll see.

Here is the 5am official track btw
up to 925 mb and down to 155 mph winds. Hopefully this weakening finds a way to continue

It might slow the weakening some over the everglades like you say but I still think Cat 1 in Orlando. That everglades path through Hendry and Glades is definitely the best scenario damage wise because Cat 1 winds on the coasts is way better than Cat 4 winds on the heavily populated coasts.

 

[URGatorBait]

It might slow the weakening some over the everglades like you say but I still think Cat 1 in Orlando. That everglades path through Hendry and Glades is definitely the best scenario damage wise because Cat 1 winds on the coasts is way better than Cat 4 winds on the heavily populated coasts.

you realize, that in this track, the entirety of So Fla is still looking at Cat3/Cat4 winds right?

 

[Gator Fever]

you realize, that in this track, the entirety of So Fla is still looking at Cat3/Cat4 winds right?

No its not that 70 mile thing is the outer Cat 1 winds.

 

[ChiefGator]

Perhaps living far inland I have a wrong point of view. Sure this is a very strong storm. Sure if you are in an evacuation area get out, but go only as far as needed to say a shelter. Now if you live inland and not a flood prone area and in a well built house batten down and you should be fine. A cat 1 or 2 should be easy to withstand unless you get a flood or live in a wooden house.

Yes Andrew destroyed a lot, a lot of poorly constructed wooden homes. Check the after action reports for details.

Stay safe wherever you might be.

 

[Alagator]

The neighborhood I live in was wiped off the map by Ivan. In fact, most of the coast from Navarre Beach to the Alabama line was wiped clean. As in nothing but the slab & maybe a few studs left.

Hell, even an entire bridge spanning Escambia bay on I-10 was washed away.

Yeah my folks live in Pensacola and owned two homes there at the time. Both were damaged pretty heavily and they had friends who lost their entire home. My wife and had friends who finished riding out Ivan in their attic because water had overtaken their entire home. They were expecting the roof to be ripped right off from above them at any moment. Fortunately for them, it stayed in place!

My mother in law rode out Ivan and said she'd never stay again for a storm of that magnitude. She was nearly scared to death

 

[alcoholica]

@Gator Fever
We are still looking at quite possibly a Cat 2 in Orlando, depending on where you are. This thing shifting west has put more population in that potential.
Secondly, this thing isn't going over regular land down south. It's going over the hot and wet everglades and they aren't expecting it to weaken much, if at all, over that region. It won't really start to weaken more significantly until closer to Okeechobee area.

The latest track does now show it as an "H" (cat1 or 2) and not an "M" (cat 3 or higher) right in the area of Orlando at 2 am Monday. So that is a good thing.

I'm hopeful that it is a Cat 1 as well when it reaches here, but that is not a guarantee. And even if it is, it is going to be a very high cat 1, on the verge of a cat 2.
Listening to a chief meteorologist (whom I know personally here in Orlando, and know enough to know he doesn't BS about any of this stuff) we are still looking at the potentil of up to or over 100 mph wind all the way to Clermont, FL. We'll see.

Here is the 5am official track btw
up to 925 mb and down to 155 mph winds. Hopefully this weakening finds a way to continue
,

The max north border would be hwy 80. Even still for miles south it is sugarcane. Not sure how many miles. So if you are talking about lake okeechobee, then yes its' close, but if you are talking about the town of Okeechobee then you're off by about 30 miles, which is two hrs on land. However, that's just the eye path, in other areas west it'll be on land for much longer, at least another 20 to 30 miles more.

 

[URGatorBait]

No its not that 70 mile thing is the outer Cat 1 winds.

You know what, I'm sure you're right, you'll be fine. Probably gonna be like a beach day

 

[URGatorBait]

The max north border would be hwy 80. Even still for miles south it is sugarcane. Not sure how many miles. So if you are talking about lake okeechobee, then yes its' close, but if you are talking about the town of Okeechobee then you're off by about 30 miles, which is two hrs on land. However, that's just the eye path, in other areas west it'll be on land for much longer, at least another 20 to 30 miles more.

the lake is what I was talking about...sorry about that.

 

[Gator Fever]

You know what, I'm sure you're right, you'll be fine. Probably gonna be like a beach day

If it comes up through the center of state exactly I am looking at about 70 mph sustained I would think. Just a little less than Matthew last year. If it took east coast route with less land it could go much higher however.

 

[alcoholica]

Yeah it's south side is right on 80, so there is about 10-20 miles of cropland before you hit the lake. further west, you have immokalee, which gives you about 30-40 miles of land south of 80. so the eye wouldn't get as much resistance, but still some land effect and loss of water. you do make a good point though

 

[maheo30]

I grew up in OP. Where about are you?

I live in the historic district on the river. I'm down the street from Moosehaven Lodge.

 

[Gator98MD]

How do I know this info wont go into Hoffa's "files"?