Posts from — August 2020

Position: 33.2N 75.7W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: Northeast [045°] near 14 mph [22 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 35 mph [ 55 kph].
Wind Gusts: 45 mph [ 70 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1008 mb ↓.

Currently about 140 miles [ 225 km] South of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Nice > Sisteron

Distance: 198 kilometers.

A “Flat” stage with four climbs and a generally downhill race to the finish in the Maritime Alps.

• Col du Pilon 55.0 km (cat 3: 8.4km @ 5.1%)
• Col de la Faye 63.5 km (cat 3: 5.3km @ 4.8%)
• Col des Lèques 117.5 km (cat 3: 6.9km @ 5.4%)
• Col de l’Orme 152.5 km (cat 4: 2.7km @ 5.0%)

The intermediate sprint is at 160.5 km at Digne-les-Bains. The sprint starts after cresting the Col de l’Orme and continues for 46 km to the finish line.

Julian Alaphilippe ( Fra – DQT – 041 ) [Yellow] 13h 59′ 17″
Peter Sagan ( Svk – BOH – 021 ) [Green] 79 Points
Benoit Cosnefroy ( Fra – ALM – 033 ) [Polka Dot] 21 points
Marc Hirschi( Swi – SUN – 204 ) [White] 3

Stage winner: Caleb Ewan ( Aus – LTS – 151 )
Combative: Jerome Cousin ( Fra – TDE – 184 ) [Red numbers]
Team: Trek – Segafredo ( TFS – 101-108 ) [Yellow numbers]

Top 30 below the fold
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Nice Haut Pays > Nice

Distance: 186 kilometers.

A “Mountain” stage with three climbs and a downhill race finish.

• Col de la Colmiane 63.5 km (cat 1: 16.3km @ 6.3%)
• Col de Turini 99.5 km (cat 1: 14.9km @ 7.4%)
• Col d’Eze 153.0 km (cat 2: 7.8km @ 6.1%)

The intermediate sprint is at 16 km at Lac du Broc.

Julian Alaphilippe ( Fra – DQT – 041 ) [Yellow] 8h 41′ 35″
Alexander Kristoff ( Nor – UAD – 135 ) [Green] 64 Points
Benoit Cosnefroy ( Fra – ALM – 033 ) [Polka Dot] 18 points
Marc Hirschi ( Swi – SUN – 204 ) [White] 3

Stage winner: Julian Alaphilippe ( Fra – DQT – 041 )
Combative: Benoit Cosnefroy ( Fra – ALM – 033 ) [Red numbers]
Team: Trek – Segafredo ( TFS – 101-108 ) [Yellow numbers]

The entire field below the fold
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Nice Moyen Pays > Nice

Distance: 156 kilometers.

A “Flat” stage with two climbs of the same mountain and a sprint race finish.

• Côte de Rimiez 48.5 km (cat 3: 5.8km @ 5.1%)
• Côte de Rimiez 97.0 km (cat 3: 5.8km @ 5.1%)

The intermediate sprint is at 88 km at the second time they pass the finishing line. They are circling Nice three times.

The finish is a bunched sprint on the Promenade des Anglais.

It was a demolition derby on the rain-slick course with vetern rider Alexander Kristoff winning the right to wear the Yellow Jersey for the first time in his career.

Alexander Kristoff ( Nor – UAD – 135 ) [Yellow] 3h 46′ 13″
Peter Sagan ( Svk – BOH – 021 ) [Green] 29 Points
Fabien Grellier ( Fra – TDE – 185 ) [Polka Dot] 2 points
Mads Pedersen ( Den – TFS – 105 ) [White] 2

Stage winner: Alexander Kristoff ( Nor – UAD – 135 )
Combative: Michael Schar ( Swi – CCC – 116 ) [Red numbers]
Team: Trek – Segafredo ( TFS – 101-108 ) [Yellow numbers]

[Note: they have changed their reporting formats, so it will take me some time to adjust. Only 175 riders finished. John Degenkolb (Ger – LTS – 155) was unable to make the time limit after an accident stopped his progress.]

Because of the COVID-19 epidemic, the race starts on 29 August in Nice and will finish on 20 September in Paris, so I thought I should explain some of what I’ll be ranting about.

The cartoon characters from my header are wearing the various colored jerseys that indicate the leader in the different classifications in the race.

The Maillot Jaune, Yellow Jersey is worn by the rider with the lowest time overall in the race. The eventual winner of the race may never have come in first in any stage, but was near the lead throughout the race and achieved the lowest time over the entire course of the event. The winner is normally an “all-arounder”, someone is very good at the sprints and the hill climbing, even if they aren’t the best. “All-arounders” show up on the lists of the sprinters and the climbers, while staying in the top ten for overall time.

[Read more →]

It wasn’t the storm, it was the levees.

It wasn’t Nature, it was man.

Position: 35.1N 92.0W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North-Northeast [015°] near 15 mph [24 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 35 mph [ 55 kph].
Wind Gusts: 50 mph [ 80 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 993 mb ↑.

Currently about 30 miles [ 50 km] North-Northeast of Little Rock, Arkansas.

This is the last public advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center on this system.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 29.2N 93.2W [11PM CDT 0400 UTC].
Movement: North-Northwest [340°] near 15 mph [24 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 150 mph [240 kph].
Wind Gusts: 175 mph [280 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 205 miles [335 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 60 miles [ 95 km].
Minimum central pressure: 938 mb ↓.

Currently about 60 miles [ 95 km] South of Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Currently about 405 miles [ 650 km] West-Southwest of Cinco Bayou, Florida.

High tide is set for 11:45PM CDT which means the storm surge will be on top of the high tide when the storm comes ashore. Louisiana can’t catch a break…

At 8PM CDT the pressure is still dropping and approaching the Category 5 range. Hopefully Marco stirred up and cooled off the coastal waters with his rains because this storm is less than 10 MPH from being a Cat 5, which is more symbolic than anything. The shape of the coast is going to allow a 20 foot wall of water topped by waves to wash ashore, as happened to Waveland, Mississippi when Katrina came ashore almost 15 years to the day ago.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for from San Luis Pass, Texas to Intracoastal City, Louisiana.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Sargent to San Luis Pass, Texas; east of Intracoastal City, Louisiana to the Mouth of the Mississippi River.

A Storm Surge Warning is in effect from Freeport, Texas to the Mouth of the Mississippi River, including areas inside the Port Arthur Hurricane Flood Protection system.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for east of Intracoastal City to west of Morgan City, Louisiana.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 28.8N 91.2W [ 4AM CDT 0900 UTC].
Movement: West [270°] near 10 mph [17 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 30 mph [ 45 kph].
Wind Gusts: 40 mph [ 65 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1008 mb ↑.

Currently about 60 miles [ 100 km] South of Morgan City, Louisiana.

This is the last public advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center on Marco.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 25.2N 89.5W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [300°] near 17 mph [28 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 90 mph [150 kph].
Wind Gusts: 100 mph [160 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 175 miles [280 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 45 miles [ 75 km].
Minimum central pressure: 978 mb ↓.

Currently about 405 miles [ 655 km] Southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Currently about 400 miles [ 645 km] South-Southwest of Cinco Bayou, Florida.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for from San Luis Pass, Texas to Intracoastal City, Louisiana.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Sargent to San Luis Pass, Texas; East of Intracoastal City, Louisiana to the Mouth of the Mississippi River.

A Storm Surge Warning is in effect from San Luis Pass, Texas to the Mouth of the Mississippi River, including areas inside the Port Arthur Hurricane Flood Protection system.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for east of Intracoastal City to west of Morgan City, Louisiana.

A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for Freeport to San Luis Pass, Texas; the Mouth of the Mississippi River to Ocean Springs, Mississippi; Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Lake Borgne.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 29.0N 89.9W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West [270°] near 9 mph [15 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 35 mph [ 55 kph].
Wind Gusts: 45 mph [ 70 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1007 mb ↓.

Currently about 45 miles [ 70 km] West of the Mouth of the Mississippi River.

At 1PM CDT all warnings and watches have been cancelled. Marco is weakening.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 22.7N 84.0W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [290°] near 20 mph [31 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 65 mph [105 kph].
Wind Gusts: 75 mph [120 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 175 miles [280 km].
Minimum central pressure: 996 mb ↓.

Currently about 80 miles [ 130 km] Northeast of the western tip of Cuba.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Cuban provinces of Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Mayabeque, La Habana, Artemisa, Pinar del Rio, and the Isle of Youth; the Dry Tortugas; the Florida Keys from Seven Mile Bridge to Key West.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for the Port Bolivar, Texas to west of Morgan City, Louisiana.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for south of Port Bolivar to San Luis Pass, Texas; Morgan City, Louisiana to the Mouth of the Mississippi River.

A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for San Luis Pass, Texas to Ocean Springs, Mississippi; Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Lake Borgne.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

According to the current tracking, Marco is going to parallel the Louisiana Gulf Coast on its way to Houston and then approximately a day later Laura is going to annoy the entire state from the Gulf Coast to the to the Arkansas border. The state is going to be soaked and then Laura is going to dump a lot of rain in the mid-Mississippi Valley inducing flooding downstream.

It has been a hot summer and the power outages are not going to help nerves already frayed by COVID-19 restrictions.

Position: 26.8N 87.6W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North-Northwest [345°] near 12 mph [19 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 70 mph [110 kph].
Wind Gusts: 85 mph [135 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 70 miles [110 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1000 mb ↑.

Currently about 185 miles [ 295 km] South-Southeast of the Mouth of the Mississippi River.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for Morgan City, Louisiana to the Mouth of the Pearl River.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Mouth of the Pearl River to the Mississippi/Alabama border including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orleans; Cameron, Louisiana to west of Morgan City, Louisiana.

A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for Morgan City, Louisiana to Ocean Springs, Mississippi including Lake Borgne.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orleans.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the Mississippi/Alabama border to the Alabama/Florida border.

A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for Sabine Pass to Morgan City, Louisiana; Ocean Springs, Mississippi to the Alabama/Florida border; Lake Pontchartrain, and Lake Maurepas.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]