Monday, August 18, 2008

Impending Weather Event

I love weather. Nothing makes me happier than sitting on the porch watching a huge thunder storm as it blow through or standing in a blizzard as snow accumulates in a blinding rage or even when it descends like a soft blanket. Nothing like the look and feel on a hot summer day when a thunder storm passes by. Weather events are like a drug for me. They crank me up and make me feel strong and alive.
One of my great desires in life is to experience close-up a tornado and a hurricane.

Right now, my wife and daughter are sitting in our house in Florida which is located about 15 miles north of Punta Gorda which is where Tropical Storm/Hurricane Fay is predicted to make landfall within the next 18 hours. They have the place well secured and all the neighbors know they are there. They have everything they need if the power goes out or they are stranded for a couple days.



I am so fucking jealous! I want to be there. I want to walk out back and stand on the seawall as the wind gets stronger and stronger. I want to see the palm trees bending over to the wind. I want to feel the rain blowing so hard on my face that it hurts. I want to feel the pressure of the storm in my ears. I want to know what it's like as a hurricane descends upon the land. I want to feel the power of it!

Interested in hurricanes? Don't bother trying to access the NOAA National Hurricane Center's web site right now. It's down. Yup, a hurricane is about to make landfall in South Florida and the National Hurricane Center's website is down. . . your tax dollars are work. Try weather.com, the Weather Channel's website.

Hurricane Fay Updates
Mon. Aug. 18 - 6:30PM
Water is calm, sky is hazy, big clouds to the south toward Port Charlotte, but "don't look threatening," wind blowing from east to west. . . "weird, my hair is blowing toward the water," sitting at the beach with daughter swimming. All windows have been secured and all lose object stowed, boat is out of water, covered and nessled back in the trees.

I hope that 30+ year old double wide doesn't sprout wings tomorrow.

10:45PM
Still no rain.

Tue. Aug. 19 - 7:30AM

Fay is making landfall ~50 miles south, it did not strengthened into a hurricane overnight. "nothing is happening. It might be drizzling."
I'd be pissed off, they don't seem to mind.

4 comments:

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

I hope your family remains safe. On another note, I thought about you, when I posted about the great harmonica player Little Walter over at daddyBstrong. I know you're a blues lover.

Mike said...

My girlfriend just shakes her head in disbelief every time I tell her how much I'd love to see an actual tornado from close (but still pretty safe) distance.
I live a long way from hurricanes.
I too hope your wife and daughter remain safe.

rainywalker said...

You want to see a good tornado? Live in Altus, OK for a couple of years. They say its not the end of the world, but if you step outside you can see it from there.

SagaciousHillbilly said...

Rainy, Back around 90 or 91 we had a big blow come through one evening. . . took down some huge old trees, broke the record for wind gusts up at Yeager Airport. You can still walk the woods south of the Kanawha and see the result of that wild ten minutes. It DID sound like a freight train and the sky was full of debris.
My daughter and I watched it. Everyone else ran for the basement.