Posts from — August 2020

Position: 20.1N 76.6W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [285°] near 21 mph [33 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 65 mph [100 kph].
Wind Gusts: 75 mph [120 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 140 miles [220 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1000 mb.

Currently about 125 miles [ 200 km] Southeast of Camaguey, Cuba.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Las Tunas, Holguin, Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Ciego De Avila, Sancti Spiritus, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Mayabeque, La Habana, Artemisa, Pinar del Rio, and the Isle of Youth; Little Cayman and Cayman Brac; the Dry Tortugas.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the Florida Keys from Craig Key to Key West.

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: 22.8N 86.3W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North-Northwest [335°] near 13 mph [20 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 65 mph [100 kph].
Wind Gusts: 75 mph [120 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 70 miles [110 km].
Minimum central pressure: 994 mb.

Currently about 470 miles [ 755 km] South-Southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the province of Pinar del Rio, Cuba.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Intracoastal City Louisiana to the Mississippi/Alabama border including 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 the Alabama/Florida border including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, Lake Borgne, and Mobile Bay.

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: 18.3N 69.6W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [285°] near 16 mph [26 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 50 mph [ 85 kph].
Wind Gusts: 60 mph [ 95 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 140 miles [220 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1003 mb ↓.

Currently about 25 miles [ 40 km] Southeast of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra; the northern coast of the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to the border with Haiti; the southern coast of the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to Punta Palenque; the northern coast of Haiti from Le Mole St. Nicholas to the border with the Dominican Republic; the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands; Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Las Tunas, Holguin, Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, and Granma.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the central Bahamas; Andros Island; Florida Keys from Ocean Reef to Key West and the Dry Tortugas; Florida Bay; the Cuban provinces of Ciego De Avila, Sancti Spiritus, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Mayabeque, La Habana, Artemisa, and Pinar Del Rio.

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.]

It’s not bad enough that Marco is the earliest 13^th named storm in the Atlantic Basic since records have been kept, but now we have a chance for one of the rarer weather events in hurricane tracking, as reported by CNN:

Forecasters say it’s hard to anticipate what the impact will be of having two systems in the Gulf of Mexico, but an unusual weather phenomenon known as the “Fujiwhara effect” could take place if the two systems are within roughly 900 miles of each other.

The Fujiwhara effect happens when two tropical systems come close together to influence each other’s movements and engage in dance around their common center, according to the National Weather Service.

Nothing is certain, but one of the outcomes could be that the two systems will then form a single massive storm, spin together as one, and then continue on their own paths, or “if one hurricane is a lot stronger than the other, the smaller one will orbit it and eventually come crashing into its vortex to be absorbed,” the NWS said.

Laura is trailing Marco, but they are angling towards each other. The Gulf of Mexico is currently warmer than bath water and we have been having thunderstorms almost every day. There is a lot of hot moist air to power tropical storms.

Position: 18.7N 84.9W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North-Northwest [330°] near 13 mph [20 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 40 mph [ 65 kph].
Wind Gusts: 50 mph [ 80 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 90 miles [150 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1003 mb ↓.

Currently about 180 miles [ 290 km] Southeast of Cozumel, Mexico.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Punta Herrero to Dzilam, Mexico.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Punta Herrero to Cancun, Mexico.

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: 17.0N 63.5W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [285°] near 18 mph [30 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 45 mph [ 75 kph].
Wind Gusts: 55 mph [ 90 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 205 miles [335 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1008 mb ↑.

Currently about 195 miles [ 315 km] East-Southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Saba and St. Eustatius; St. Maarten; St. Martin and St. Barthelemy; Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra; U.S. Virgin Islands; British Virgin Islands; the northern coast of the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to the border with Haiti; The northern coast of Haiti from Le Mole St. Nicholas to the border with the Dominican Republic; the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for the central Bahamas.

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: 14.9N 82.2W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [285°] near 14 mph [22 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 35 mph [ 55 kph].
Wind Gusts: 45 mph [ 70 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1007 mb.

Currently about 65 miles [ 110 km] East of Cabo Gracias a Dios on the Honduras/Nicaragua border.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Honduras/Nicaragua border westward to Punta Castilla, Honduras; the Bay Islands of Honduras; Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua northward to the Honduras/Nicaragua border; Punta Herrero to Cancun, Mexico.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Punta Herrero to Cancun, Mexico.

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: 17.3N 56.4W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [290°] near 22 mph [35 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 35 mph [ 55 kph].
Wind Gusts: 45 mph [ 70 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1008 mb.

Currently about 445 miles [ 715 km] East of the Northern Leeward Islands.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Saba and St. Eustatius; St. Maarten; Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla; St. Martin and St. Barthelemy; Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra; U.S. Virgin Islands; British Virgin Islands.

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.]

Tomorrow is Florida’s primary election. If you haven’t already voted, grab your mask and head to the polls which are open from 7AM to 7PM local.

I may not agree with your choices, but I have put it all on the line to give you the opportunity to express your opinion. It’s a duty.

On the front of my current house there are several bushes that have white blossoms that contrast with the camellias and azaleas. My Mother hated them and said they were too dangerous as they were by the sidewalk.

She explained that in the 1980s a 12-year-old was on the beach with her family and they decided to cook some hot dogs and roast some marshmallows. They started a driftwood fire and used the stems of a bush to skewer the hot dogs. After eating a hot dog the girl became ill and died later that night.

That bush was a member of the family Apocynaceae:

Apocynaceae (from Apocynum, Greek for “dog-away”) is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison.

The genus of the plant on the beach and in the front of the house is Nerium:

Several compounds in nerium exhibit toxicity, and it has historically been considered a poisonous plant. However, its bitterness renders it unpalatable to humans and most animals, so poisoning cases are rare and the general risk for human mortality is low. Ingestion of larger amounts may cause nausea, vomiting, excess salivation, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea and irregular heart rhythm. Prolonged contact with sap may cause skin irritation, eye inflammation and dermatitis.

There is only a single species in the genus: Nerium oleander – the ornamental bush with white, red, or pink flowers that does well down here.

Apparently not happy that the injection/ingestion of bleach didn’t work out as a cure, Trump is now recommending sundry compounds of the oleander bush that are being promoted by Ben Carson and the MyPillow^® guy. He is killing his voters with his endorsements of nostrums based on the opinions of his supporters with money.

Position: 20.9N 65.8W [ 4PM CDT 2100 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [295°] near 12 mph [19 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 35 mph [ 55 kph].
Wind Gusts: 45 mph [ 70 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1010 mb ↑.

Currently about 175 miles [ 280 km] North of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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: 40.0N 58.9W [ 4AM CDT 0900 UTC].
Movement: East [080°] near 20 mph [31 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 40 mph [ 65 kph].
Wind Gusts: 55 mph [ 90 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 140 miles [220 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1003 mb ↑.

Currently about 545 miles [ 880 km] Southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland.

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: 40.0N 60.4W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: East-Northeast [075°] near 20 mph [31 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 45 mph [ 75 kph].
Wind Gusts: 60 mph [ 95 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 175 miles [280 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1002 mb ↑.

Currently about 590 miles [ 950 km] Southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland.

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: 20.1N 62.6W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [300°] near 14 mph [22 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 45 mph [ 75 kph].
Wind Gusts: 55 mph [ 90 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 115 miles [185 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1008 mb.

Currently about 135 miles [ 220 km] North-Northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands.

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.]