Monday, August 23, 2010

DAWN OF DANIELLE; FRANKLY NOT CONCERNED

click on pictures for full screen image

Tropical Storm Danielle looms in the middle of the Atlantic, far from any land.  Another tropical wave of low pressure is identified in yellow, just off the African shore.
















Monday, 10AM at home with light rain
Leaving for California this afternoon

The fourth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season is alive.  Tropical Storm Danielle formed over the weekend and currently sustains winds of 60 MPH.  The 7 day forecast track of Danielle has her becoming this season's first hurricane on Tuesday.  Above is the cone of uncertainty.  The center of the storm could be anywhere within that wide cone or do something completely different.  Cones of uncertainty are based on past storms, in that area, at this time of year.  The more I learn about tropical cyclones, the more I believe that it is largely a guessing game.  Nonetheless, the "experts" do not believe this storm has any chance of a US landfall.  The island nation of Burmuda may be affected.  Danielle is moving north/northwest at 14 MPH.

Elsewhere in the world, Tropical Storm Frank is cruising the Mexico Pacific coastline with 60 MPH winds of his own (Pacific storms use a different name list from the Atlantic).  He is forecast to achieve hurricane status as early as tomorrow.  Pacific cyclones rarely impact the mainland because the prevailing westerly winds usually carry the storms further out to sea, away from North America.  However, Frank is just off shore of the Mexican peninsula and is a slow mover at only 4 MPH.  Mexican coastal communities could see anywhere from 3 to 10 inches of rainfall, with tropical storm force winds reaching up to 60 miles inland.













As I head out for work meetings in California, I don't expect to see any wind or rain from Frank because he is over a thousand miles away from Southern California.

Unrelated to either of these storms is a heavy downpour now hitting all of Southwest Florida, below.
This image was captured at 10:27 AM eastern time.  There's presently a pond forming in both my front and back yards.  My first thought?  It's good thing I finished aerating the lawn this morning.  It's just another day in paradise.

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