Saturday, November 29, 2014

9 years - 61 named storms

Incredible that Florida has beaten the 1150-to-1 odds and been storm-free since Wilma in 2005!

2014 season ends today. 

Good read:

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2014/11/florida_is_spared_from_hurricanes_for_record_ninth-straight_year.php

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Cold but quiet!

In the upper 30s/low 40s outside but we like seeing this with 11 days left in the season:

Tuesday, November 04, 2014

One month to go....

Fortunately there has been little to blog about this summer.   So a quick post to say we're still here and there will be another hurricane season in 2015.  



While we have had no storms, the heat and humidity on the west coast of Florida has been slightly above the unbearable line this summer.   But it sure has been nice not to worry about a tropical storm.

And, since there is still time for something to form in the Gulf of Mexico and head our way before (or after) the official end of the season on November 30th, we never let our guard down.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Let's hope this doesn't jinx us!

Nice update from South Florida on the current tropical storm outlook for the Sunshine State:

http://touch.sun-sentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-80823388/

Thursday, June 05, 2014

Social Media and the 2014 Hurricane Season

Social Media apparently was a topic of conversation at this spring's National Hurricane Conference in Orlando.  



We've been seeing local TV stations use Facebook and Twitter over the past couple of years to communicate with viewers as normal weather and news events hits the area.  Viewers post or tweet pictures of (thunder)storm damage or flooding and they are posted on the station's website.  More and more the photos and video are being used on air.   Over Memorial Day weekend, our local ABC affiliate http://www.abcactionnews.com used smartphone video sent by an eyewitness to have actual video footage of a shooting and subsequent police investigation within minutes of the event happening.

The uniqueness here is not the user video but the immediacy of the content availability.  That's where social media can play a very important role in a tropical event.  Citizen-provided photos, video or just simple updates could save lives and at worst, provide real-time locally focused updates for media to re-post to their larger audiences of followers.

I'm hoping the media has dedicated resources at the ready with the right platforms and tools to be able to take advantage of this information and share quickly and appropriately to their community.

Here's a good article from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune last week covering how emergency managers and other officials are planning to use social media this season and some of the conversation from the Conference.



Tuesday, June 03, 2014

New National Hurricane Center Blog

The NHC has launched their own blog at http://noaanhc.wordpress.com/ called "Inside the Eye".  One of the primary objectives is to communicate "on important changes to NHC products or discuss topics related to tropical and marine weather events"  

Their first blog post promises updates and information including "some big forecast product launches coming up this hurricane season"

Looking forward to seeing their future posts


Sunday, June 01, 2014

10-Year Anniversary Season

Ten years ago this summer, Florida was hit 5 tropical storms:  Bonnie, Charley, Frances, Ivan, & Jeanne

Because we are originally from Ohio and have lived in several cities north of Florida, I thought it would be of interest to friends and family "back home" to hear about our tropical storm experiences (if any).

I started by simply sending emails to a small list and eventually transitioned to this blog.  Since we've been personally very fortunate to not have been directly impacted by the storms of 2004 and 2005, as well as, having been almost storm-free since, I haven't had many direct experiences to share.

Regardless, I have been posting various links to coverage of issues ranging from storm preparation to insurance woes to the storms that have made landfall on the Gulf and east coast (e.g. Katrina & Sandy).

Additionally, I've added my own personal commentary.  When I do this, I try to take a light-hearted approach to the topic, but want to express how serious a tropical storm situation can be and should be taken.

But in the meantime, gotta keep smiling.



This 2014 season has been predicted to be a lighter than normal year.   The news media down here (rightly so) reminds us that a lighter season is great, but it only takes one storm.......




and if you're interested, here's a nice photo essay of the 2004 Hurricanes from the Palm Beach Post.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Drones to Research Hurricanes in 2014

Interesting video feature on how NOAA will experiment with drones to fly into hurricanes to measure intensity -- from our local ABC television affiliate





Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Florida’s Hurricane Catastrophe Fund at $13 Billion



No significant storm since Wilma in 2005 has helped the "Cat Fund" grow its strength.

Here are the details

Let's  hope we don't have to dip in this season....


Thursday, May 08, 2014

Florida Fuel Crunch Ahead of Hurricane Season

We're less than a month away from the official start of hurricane season.  While the predictions are low for 2014 (they were higher than average last year and it was a quiet season), the incoherent weather patterns so far this season give me pause.  

In the meantime, this piece caught my eye not only for the concern of the headline, but also my desire to better understand why I'm paying over $3.50 a gallon for regular gas (found under $3 in Texas over the winter)

http://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Fuel-Crunch-In-Florida-As-Hurricane-Season-Approaches.html