Hurricane Ivan

[Quasar1011]

Well, if this thing doesn't make a last minute change, I'm toast! The latest forecast means that the eye may pass over my house. My girlfriend lives 9 miles to the east, which is closer to Mobile Bay, so her place may get it worse than mine. One of my employees lives south of interstate 10, and that area was placed under a mandatory evacuation order by Governor Riley this afternoon. Lots of people getting out of the area here. Nerves are frazzled; saw a traffic accident on my way home from work. Anyway, here is the latest tracking chart. I put a yellow dot where I live:

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Im glad you mentioned that you put that there, or else I might have thought the National Hurricane Center was really worried about you Hey seriously though, youd better get out of there!

 

[Cuivienen]

Judging by the context, I presume that levy means dam, but I never heard that before. For all I know, they seize the citizens' homes and stick all their property in the harbour to push the coast line out..

Please confirm the meaning of levy.

He didn't spell it right; it's "levee" (Second definition). It's a bit different from a dam in that a levee isn't built to block standard water levels, just floodwaters.

 

[Singularity]

@quasar

I guess you, as a meteorologist, knows what steps to take to make yourself and your resident as safe as possible. If I had a God I would've prayed for you, but I'll just cross my fingers and hope that you and yours get out of it safe and sound.

BTW, I've seen very few photos from inside an eye. Do you know any URL's with any? Or is it just a myth that you can go outside for a few minutes as an eye traverse land?

edit. found some links to some spectacular photos from hurricane hunter airplanes:

http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/flight/fly00178.htm
http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/flight/fly00179.htm
http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/flight/fly00180.htm
http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/flight/fly00223.htm
http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/flight/fly00102.htm

Gotta hand it to those aircrews, they must have nerves and stomachs of steel...

 

[bob rulz]

You really can. There are no winds at the eye. But as soon as you see the eye wall, start running, because it's the most powerful part of the storm.

Anyway, Ivan's a Category 4 now, and the track has shifted a couple miles to the west.

And Jeanne is intensifying quicker than expected and is expected to be a hurricane very soon now. It's already at 60 mph winds.

Here's the track for Jeanne. It probably won't be very powerful, let's hope not.

 

[PantheraTigris2]

Quasar1011, I think that since you've been paying such close attention, and doing such impecable coverage on this hurricane, perhaps it wants to come meet & thank you personally...

Maybe it thinks it's made a friend!

Personally, I've been almost ignoring it - and it's shyed away from coming near my place.

 

[Azadre]

http://www.theneworleanschannel.com/weather/3730040/detail.html

I hope Ivan misses New Orleans.

 

[SeleucusNicator]

Interestingly enough, Azdare, this post is #1666 for you.

 

[blindside]

Storm of the century =/

 

[Perfection]

New Orleans is absolutly the worst possible place for a hurricane to hit (at least in the U.S.), if Ivan hits New Orleans with Cat 4 or 5 conditions, I'd be surprised if half the people there survive. I don't want to sound pessimistic, but New Orleans in a major hurricane is an absolute death trap, you take cover in a shelter and it floods, you die. You take to a taller building over flood levels, it gets destroyed, you die. Those sustained winds could knock out some very sturdy stuff.

Let's hope it misses New Orleans and/or settles down.

 

[Arminius]

I'm an LSU (in Baton Rouge, LA) student, and they have cancelled classes for Wednesday and Thursday. New Orleans, which sits 14 feet below sea level, is surrounded by the Mississippi River with levees (not levys) holding the river out of the city center. There is concern of a levee break, but not when you'd expect: most of us Cajuns look for the levee to break on Friday or Saturday, after the storm. The evacuation of N.O. is going well, though I-10 has become a one-way road out of N.O. and the I-110 is clogged to the point of people riding bicycles faster than traffic is moving.

As for me, I ain't worried. I'm off to a Hurricane party or two.

If I never post again, count me amongst the drunk.

 

[Comraddict]

I wish Ivan gets to N.O. before midnight tomorrow, so I can see it on TV

 

[stormbind]

He didn't spell it right; it's "levee" (Second definition). It's a bit different from a dam in that a levee isn't built to block standard water levels, just floodwaters.

Oh, thanks!

---

Remember, I was asking who was going to help Cuba because it's a bit of an outsider with no allies? I learned that the Royal Navy has made itself available to Jamaica, Cuba, and the various British territories that were flattened.

The British Royal Navy will still be present when Ivan hits the US, but somehow I doubt the US would accept their aid, and nor do I think the US could need any help, so it's a null issue.

 

[Smellincoffee]

The British Royal Navy will still be present when Ivan hits the US, but somehow I doubt the US would accept their aid, and nor do I think the US could need any help, so it's a null issue.

Why wouldn't we accept their aide? (Really asking, not being sarcastic. )

 

[Turner]

Because we're usually the one's giving it. You know, now it's embarrassing, needing help from someone else.

 

[Turner]

Looks like it's veering north-east, and will not directly hit N'awlins.

 

[Quasar1011]

Quasar1011, I think that since you've been paying such close attention, and doing such impecable coverage on this hurricane, perhaps it wants to come meet & thank you personally...

Maybe it thinks it's made a friend!

Yeah, right! With friends like Ivan, who needs enemas?

Looks like it's veering north-east, and will not directly hit N'awlins.

Yes, Mobile is located at 88.1W longitude, so the storm had to make the forecasted turn to the north in order to reach us. It did. This area is still poised to take a major hit from this storm. It all depends where the eye goes. Seems like the consensus opinion around here, is that it will go up Mobile Bay.
Below is a radar picture from Mobile at noon Wednesday. You can see rain is just starting here. These first outer feeder bands that strike land, often contain the first tornadoes. We are under a tornado watch as well as the hurricane warning. And of course, most of the eye has moved onto this radar picture:

 

[MarineCorps]

This thing seems to be taunting us.

 

[dgfred]

Any new info? I hope Q is in a safe spot.

 

[Quasar1011]

I hope Q is in a safe spot.

Thanks for your concern. Yes, I'm safe. I'm at work, where there will be power even while it fails elsewhere. Still surprisingly not attained sustained tropical storm force winds here at the Mobile Airport. Max wind gust has been 35 kts (40 mph) from the NNE. When I arrived at 2 p.m., pressure was 29.72, now it is 29.51. Rainfall is .47", what the gage can catch anyway. For the second time my shift, I am hearing a bit of thunder. My weather sensors went out for a brief period of about 3-minutes, during which I lost some data. Turned out to be a communications failure. Only visible effect of the wind that I have seen, is that a dump truck that had been loaded with dirt- and tied to a jetwalk to secure it- has had its back gate knocked down, with the dirt spilling onto the tarmac.

Local TV is reporting that a tornado struck near Panama City, FL, killing 2 people. These are Ivan's first victims in the USA.