Jim K Global Moderator Posted September 4, 2017 Global Moderator Share Posted September 4, 2017 Now a Cat 4. Florida Governor has declared a state of emergency. If you live in Florida .. start packing your bags. Looks like you have until Fri/Sat/Sun to get out. Latest NOAA bulletin: Quote At 500 PM AST (2100 UTC), the center of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 16.7 North, longitude 54.4 West. Irma is moving toward the west near 13 mph (20 km/h) and this general motion is expected to continue into Tuesday, followed by a turn toward the west-northwestward late Tuesday. On the forecast track, the center of Irma will move near or over portions of the northern Leeward Islands Tuesday night and early Wednesday. Data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that the maximum sustained winds have increased to near 130 mph (215 km/h) with higher gusts. Irma is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles (65 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles (220 km). The latest minimum central pressure reported by reconnaissance aircraft is 944 mb (27.88 inches). A Hurricane Warning is in effect for... * Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts, and Nevis * Saba, St. Eustatius, and Sint Maarten * Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy A Hurricane Watch is in effect for... * Guadeloupe * British Virgin Islands * U.S. Virgin Islands * Puerto Rico, Vieques, and Culebra A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for... * Guadeloupe A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for... * Dominica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnelsoninjax Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 I'm in Jacksonville, FL (North-west) so far (knock on wood!) we've been isolated from major storms hitting directly, sure we get the wind/rain but not the direct impact, from the picture it looks like south Florida is possibly going to get hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim K Global Moderator Posted September 5, 2017 Author Global Moderator Share Posted September 5, 2017 Irma is now a Cat 5. Possibly will make landfall on South Florida this Sunday. Quote At 800 AM AST (1200 UTC), the distinct eye center of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 16.7 North, longitude 57.7 West. Irma is moving toward the west near 14 mph (22 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue today, followed by a turn toward the west-northwest tonight. On the forecast track, the dangerous core of Irma will move near or over portions of the northern Leeward Islands tonight and early Wednesday. Reports from NOAA and U.S. Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate Irma continues to strengthen and maximum sustained winds have increased to near 175 mph (280 km/h) with higher gusts. Irma is an extremely dangerous category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles (75 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles (220 km). The latest estimated minimum central pressure from aircraft data is 929 mb (27.44 inches). NOAA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+primortal Subscriber² Posted September 5, 2017 Subscriber² Share Posted September 5, 2017 Man if it hits the gulf, strengthens and heads anywhere near Texas; Texas is a goner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim K Global Moderator Posted September 6, 2017 Author Global Moderator Share Posted September 6, 2017 I've got a bad feeling about this ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOC Veteran Posted September 6, 2017 Veteran Share Posted September 6, 2017 Well as I'm in Fort Lauderdale....I'm starting to get a bit worried. Wilma back in 2005 was pretty bad for us, and we lost power for over 2 weeks alone. I would love for it to curve out to sea, or get sheared apart, but neither of those these seems even anywhere near likely at this point. Well, especially the shear, since the environment is super conducive to continued strengthening or at the very least sustaining itself. Now if the through in the mid-west and High pressure over the Bermuda area, would work together to push it out to see, I'd be thankful, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Circaflex Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 5 minutes ago, LOC said: Well as I'm in Fort Lauderdale....I'm starting to get a bit worried. Wilma back in 2005 was pretty bad for us, and we lost power for over 2 weeks alone. I would love for it to curve out to sea, or get sheared apart, but neither of those these seems even anywhere near likely at this point. Well, especially the shear, since the environment is super conducive to continued strengthening or at the very least sustaining itself. Now if the through in the mid-west and High pressure over the Bermuda area, would work together to push it out to see, I'd be thankful, thanks! Stay safe @LOC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnelsoninjax Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 My friend's wife just called me from Wal-Mart and said that it was a complete mad house, people were buying water, etc. and fights were breaking out over it, and that the store had placed limits on how much could be purchased, and were are in the Northwest part of the state... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOC Veteran Posted September 6, 2017 Veteran Share Posted September 6, 2017 12 minutes ago, Circaflex said: Stay safe @LOC Thanks, I figured I'd post here as is before hand, in case we lose power for an extended period also. I think I did the same for Wilma back in 2005. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim K Global Moderator Posted September 6, 2017 Author Global Moderator Share Posted September 6, 2017 Latest update: Quote At 500 PM AST (2100 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 18.8 North, longitude 65.4 West. Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days. On the forecast track, the extremely dangerous core of Irma will pass just north of Puerto Rico tonight, pass near or just north of the coast of Hispaniola Thursday, and be near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas by Thursday evening. Maximum sustained winds are near 185 mph (295 km/h) with higher gusts. Irma is a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 50 miles (85 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles (295 km). A wind gust to 62 mph (100 km/h) has been recently reported at San Juan, Puerto Rico. The estimated minimum central pressure based on Air Force reconnaissance aircraft data is 914 mb (26.99 inches). NOAA Barbuda has been devastated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnelsoninjax Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 Everyone here in Jacksonville is panicking, the mayor just declared a state of emergency in the city and everyone is trying to buy water and canned goods, to the point that the local Dollar General ~1 mile up the road had a truck come in at noon with 30 cases of water, it was gone within minuets! I have lost 2 days of work because of the impending storm, and am not happy about it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOC Veteran Posted September 6, 2017 Veteran Share Posted September 6, 2017 Its insane down here in Fort Lauderdale. They had to close down a Walmart (and also a Home Depot I believe) because people were swarming the guys delivering water etc, and fights kept breaking out. The lines to get gas, are nuts. Half the gas stations I passed with my friend today, are completely out of gas as it is. Everyone has their hurricane shutters up mostly now, or are boarded up around here. People are moving small objects from around their lawns etc. Went into Walgreen's today as well, it was a mad house in there. The Pharmacy was so busy, I've never seen it like that before - even when Wilma hit and even as far back as Andrew. In any event, the forecast models keep sliding east and east as the runs continue on. I really hope it bypasses us to the east at the very least instead of the eye going to the west of us - so we'd be in the NE quadrant of the storm which is the worst part of any hurricane. But then again if it does that, the Bahamas are going to get even more devastated. The city also started giving out sand bags for free (you gotta bring the bags, so just the sand is free I guess?) along with a few other things to try to prevent any flooding and some wind damage. Now I have to wait to see if my friend decides to ride it out in a shelter or not. If we lose power (especially for an extended period) she'll be in trouble because of her breathing problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Elі Subscriber² Posted September 7, 2017 Subscriber² Share Posted September 7, 2017 It's pandemonium here in Miami, there's no water left to buy anywhere, no gas, almost all gas stations are empty and the ones that still have gas have waiting lines as long as 3 to 5 blocks, people are fighting in the gas stations, once you get in one it becomes hard to get out of the gas station because everyone wants to come in etc, Most Home Depots, Lowe's etc are empty, Walmart is cleaned up. it's crazy down here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draconian Guppy Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 Stay safe fellow neowinians! +Elі, NeoTrunks, dead.cell and 2 others 5 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techbeck Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 14 hours ago, Ely said: It's pandemonium here in Miami, there's no water left to buy anywhere, no gas, almost all gas stations are empty and the ones that still have gas have waiting lines as long as 3 to 5 blocks, people are fighting in the gas stations, once you get in one it becomes hard to get out of the gas station because everyone wants to come in etc, Most Home Depots, Lowe's etc are empty, Walmart is cleaned up. it's crazy down here. People in Houston were ###### because people who were getting gas, didnt need it or as much as they were getting. People go in to panic mode and it is first come first serve. Should be limits on how much people can by in times like this. And anyone price gouging people should be brought out in the streets and beat. dead.cell, Dysphoria, DConnell and 1 other 4 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead.cell Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 14 minutes ago, techbeck said: People in Houston were ###### because people who were getting gas, didnt need it or as much as they were getting. People go in to panic mode and it is first come first serve. Should be limits on how much people can by in times like this. And anyone price gouging people should be brought out in the streets and beat. Too true. Unfortunately, many stores are looking to sell as many of whatever as they can. There were some saying companies like Walmart pulled their brand of water from the shelves so that Dasani, Aquafina, and other more costly bottled water would sell first, before the storm hit. It was crazy. One thing I did learn was which foods "suck", when you realize that certain brands or flavors were the only thing left on the shelves. It's like people would rather starve than eat that. On 9/5/2017 at 9:26 AM, primortal said: Man if it hits the gulf, strengthens and heads anywhere near Texas; Texas is a goner. Very unlikely. Aside from all models not throwing it towards us, we have a cool front that's just come in which should be pushing winds eastward I believe. I'd be 100% shocked if it came this way at all, as it would be defying the GFS, European model, and human trackers. I read last night that the PM of Barbuda is reporting 90% structures demolished in Irma... I haven't double-checked since last night though, but Irma is absolutely no joke... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead.cell Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 (edited) 15 hours ago, Ely said: It's pandemonium here in Miami, there's no water left to buy anywhere, no gas, almost all gas stations are empty and the ones that still have gas have waiting lines as long as 3 to 5 blocks, people are fighting in the gas stations, once you get in one it becomes hard to get out of the gas station because everyone wants to come in etc, Most Home Depots, Lowe's etc are empty, Walmart is cleaned up. it's crazy down here. What's your gameplan? Ride it out? Not sure what kind of home you live in, but if you're anywhere on ground level, I'd recommend unplugging electronics shutting the house down, and putting valuables up higher like on the table/bed before you bail. At this point, it appears that the idea of Irma drifting back out to sea still involves Florida getting hit regardless. I just hope it doesn't sit on you guys like Harvey did for us. That much water appears to have shifted our city down by 2cm it seems... Thoughts and prayers to your friends and family out there! +Elі 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrashG Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 Got friends in the St. Augustine area. Says I-95N is a parking lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATLien_0 Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 Apparently we need to worry about Iran instead... NeoTrunks, +John. and Brandon H 3 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techbeck Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 Richard Branson rides out Hurricane Irma in wine cellar http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/06/news/richard-branson-hurricane-irma/index.html?iid=ob_homepage_deskrecommended_pool Taking Irma like a man!...haha 2 minutes ago, wv@gt said: Apparently we need to worry about Iran instead... CNN and its fake news...err, typos. ATLien_0 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim K Global Moderator Posted September 7, 2017 Author Global Moderator Share Posted September 7, 2017 Latest update: Quote At 500 PM EDT (2100 UTC), the distinct eye of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 20.9 North, longitude 71.1 West. Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days with some decrease in forward speed. On the forecast track, the eye of Irma should continue to move between Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands this evening. The core of the hurricane will then move between the north coast of Cuba and the Bahamas during the next day or two. Maximum sustained winds remain near 175 mph (280 km/h) with higher gusts. Irma is a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles (295 km). The estimated minimum central pressure is 922 mb (27.23 inches). NOAA GOES-16 watches as Hurricane Irma continues its westward advance toward the central Bahamas on September 7, 2017. This loop was created with Band-13, one of the new spectral bands offered by GOES-16's Advanced Baseline Imager. Band-13, the so-called "clean" longwave infrared band, is primarily used to monitor clouds and storm intensity. As shown here, the imagery produced by this band offers detailed views of meteorological phenomena, such as the colder cloud tops (shown in green/yellow/red), which are associated with more intense storm activity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnelsoninjax Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 Well I live in an area that is not evacuated, but plenty of people are leaving on their own, like @CrashGordon's friend said 95N is a parking lot, not sure about the other interstate's (10 and 84) but everyone seems to be wanting to get the heck out of dodge! We're ~40 miles from the beach, so I feel fairly safe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOC Veteran Posted September 7, 2017 Veteran Share Posted September 7, 2017 Yeah, east of Federal Highway here in Fort Lauderdale is being evacuated currently, mandatory actually. I feel like we're far enough away from the coast to not have to worry about that flooding per se. But, as it looks more and more likely we're literally going to have the eye pass over us here - the winds are the big concern now (and any heavy rains as well of course). If Wilma with its Cat 3 winds knocked out power for almost 3 weeks here, I can only imagine what Irma might do. I mean I can deal with no internet or tv if I have to, but no A/C in this weather is horrible - not to mention having to take ice cold showers which are the worst We just put up our Hurricane shutters (well we have one more window to go) as is everyone else in our block of villas but man, like everyone else said it is a damn mad house out here. Publix and Winn Dixie are just being nuked right now (all the Publix's near here are out of water, canned goods etc) and the line ups for gas are even worse than yesterday. I truly hope the storm bypasses us enough so its not to bad here, but man if we take a direct hit, I'm not sure how well our infrastructure can stand up to 200 mph wind gusts (or more). +Elі 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Elі Subscriber² Posted September 7, 2017 Subscriber² Share Posted September 7, 2017 7 hours ago, dead.cell said: What's your gameplan? Ride it out? Not sure what kind of home you live in, but if you're anywhere on ground level, I'd recommend unplugging electronics shutting the house down, and putting valuables up higher like on the table/bed before you bail. At this point, it appears that the idea of Irma drifting back out to sea still involves Florida getting hit regardless. I just hope it doesn't sit on you guys like Harvey did for us. That much water appears to have shifted our city down by 2cm it seems... Thoughts and prayers to your friends and family out there! Our home is pretty strong with a new roof put on just months ago and strictly built to city standards and it passed all inspections, also our roof is not made of shingles but it's made of ceramics, I'm attaching a photo of it, and we also put up plywood in every window and door which is also screwed into the concrete with big screws. My parents do not want to go to shelter though, but depending on what the forecast says for tomorrow if it looks like it's gonna hit as strong Cat4 or close to 5 I will not stop bugging them all and try to convince them to go to a shelter. Thank you for the good wishes man, how are you guys recovering so far? it was pretty bad for you guys. LOC and dead.cell 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead.cell Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 1 hour ago, Ely said: Our home is pretty strong with a new roof put on just months ago and strictly built to city standards and it passed all inspections, also our roof is not made of shingles but it's made of ceramics, I'm attaching a photo of it, and we also put up plywood in every window and door which is also screwed into the concrete with big screws. My parents do not want to go to shelter though, but depending on what the forecast says for tomorrow if it looks like it's gonna hit as strong Cat4 or close to 5 I will not stop bugging them all and try to convince them to go to a shelter. Thank you for the good wishes man, how are you guys recovering so far? it was pretty bad for you guys. That's good man, at least you're prepping well. Wasn't a whole lot to prep for here, since Harvey stumbled around like a drunken sloth with rain. Good luck convincing your parents. I just hope they don't try moving last minute before landfall; many people I saw got stuck on the road thinking they still had a little more time. We're currently still working on the one room that got water. Many of the streets in my neighborhood are a mess, loaded with drywall, carpet, and furniture as people continue stripping their homes before mold sets in. It's wild really, like as if everyone's participating in some sort of mandatory spring cleaning. Keep us updated as you can and stay safe! +Elі 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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