The Day Your Lawn Was Saved February 18, 2009

It is very hard to imagine just one day’s worth of rainfall saved South Florida from a year’s worth of weather calamities, but looking back as of today…
It’s absolutely true.
Here’s the scenario:  Thanks to a plethora of tropical storms hitting Florida and thanks to a report outlining the problems with Lake Okeechobee’s dike system, water [...]

We’re Not Done Yet… November 6, 2008

Things have been incredibly slow in the tropics recently… slow enough that even some of us in the weather office had been lulled into a false sense of security that the last storm of the 2008 Hurricane Season was already behind us.
Nope.  We’re not done yet.
Earlier today, Tropical Depression #17 formed off the coast of [...]

Life’s Real Hurricanes October 21, 2008

Look up the word “hurricane” in the dictionary — and you’ll find a definition similar to this:  “A powerful storm, tropical in nature, with winds in excess of 74 miles an hour…”
But the true hurricanes in our lives aren’t tropical in nature.  They’re the events — maybe only a handful in a lifetime – that literally change who we [...]

September Ending Like A Lamb… September 30, 2008

Last day… and last post… in September and it looks like we will end the month with no significant tropical threat.  Laura is a moderately strong tropical storm… but it’s way out there with Greenland as the only landmass in its’ sights.  Obviously no threat to us in South Florida.
But this hurricane season has been [...]

Not Even A Name… September 23, 2008

…but we have another problem in the Caribbean.
In Texas, it was the SURGE.
In Cuba, it has been the WIND.
In Haiti & Puerto Rico, it has been the RAIN.  And it’s happening again tonight.
A tropical disturbance (not organized enough to have a defined “center”) has been lingering over Puerto Rico for the past few days… and almost 30″ [...]

Galveston Disappears (Temporarily)… September 13, 2008

Back at the turn of the century (the 20th century) — a great and bustling seaport thrived on the Texas coastline.  This city was one of the richest in the nation… and was primed to be one of the most important American cities as the nation continued to become an industrial might.
Then a hurricane came.  [...]

Thank Goodness for Caffeine! September 11, 2008

Before I go any further… I must say that I totally do not have an addictive personality… but…
I REALLY LOVE COFFEE!!!!
The past 23 days — as we’ve endured a landfalling tropical storm (Fay), two minor scares (Gustav, Hanna), and one major scare (Ike) — days off have been few and far between.  Matter of fact, [...]

Ike: Tuesday Night September 9, 2008

Quick update for those of you who are curious to know what’ll be happening tonight.
BROWARD:  Still breezy.  Scattered showers — rain heavy at times.  Wind gusts to 35 mph.
DADE:  Still breezy.  Off/on showers, especially South Miami-Dade, wind gusts to 40 mph.
UPPER KEYS:  Winds still to 40-45 mph overnight.  Rain heavy at times.  Isolated tornadoes.
LOWER KEYS:  [...]

A Breezy Wait… September 9, 2008

It’s 9pm tonight… and I am spending my evening in the Weather Center both looking at the radar and at the Marlins/Phillies game.  Just bought a coffee down the street… and I have to admit, it is kind of windy outside.  Not damaging wind, but a stiff breeze nonetheless.
We should be VERY thankful that it’s [...]

Ike: What We Think September 7, 2008

So… it’s time to lay out what we expect to happen in South Florida over the next few days.  The predictions we are mentioning are mainly for Tuesday, although some gusty rainbands will begin moving in Monday night and may last all the way through Wednesday afternoon.
First for the Keys:  WIND:  Sustained of 50mph+… perhaps [...]