quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
Twice as much energy as all the bombs used in WWII.

What kind of power meter did they use to measure that?

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Longest as Cat 5.
Longest sustained wind speed above 185: 37 hours. Previous record was 24 hours.
There are others.

Most people evacuated in US history.

I'm glad the forecasts were wrong.

And really, just because we have better technology today to measure such things doesn't mean hurricanes in the past weren't just as ferocious.

Most people evacuated in US history? I commend the media for this feat.

Below is a capture from 40 minutes ago. Why in the satellite image are the clouds and spiral storm centered over Charlotte yet the red Irma is still in the FL panhandle? Jose is not like that.

Location of circulation center, explanation here:

Irma continues to weaken while moving over extreme northern Florida
with most of the deep convection displaced well to the north and
northeast of the center due to strong shear. In fact, global model
analyses suggest that the system has partial extratropical
characteristics, with some associated cold and warm air advection.
The current intensity is set at 55 kt which is in line with the
highest sustained winds seen in surface observations. Since the
cyclone is very large its weakening will be fairly gradual, but the
effects of land and shear should reduce the system to a depression
in about 24 hours. Shortly thereafter Irma will likely become a
remnant low, with complete dissipation by 72 hours as shown by the
dynamical guidance.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
Twice as much energy as all the bombs used in WWII.

Meaningless

I don't blame the media. They're a bunch of blabbering idiots and we all know that. They are also easy to ignore and I have been doing so very successfully since Trump's election. Our public officials have gotten in on the act though and that's a real problem. I expect them to behave in a calm, rational manner and give facts. I can make my own decisions and I don't need in authority telling me to write my social security number on my arm so it will be easier to identify my body, or if I stay I will die. Declaring states of emergency early and now in other cases needlessly fuels the fire.

I'm not sure about the folks at the NHC now either. In one of the updates I read, it sounded like the forecastor wanted to downgrade Irma, but didn't despite two planes, one NOAA and one Air Force, measuring lower wind speeds in the eye wall on flights an hour apart.

I've been in a small one at the upper end of the Cat 4 category. The forecast was for it to hit 90 miles away from where I was even a few hours before it made landfall. It also was supposed to be a Cat 2, but rapidly intensified. I've also seen first hand what a Cat 5 and a 25 foot storm surge can do.

I will not stick around for a Cat 4 or Cat 5. The problem is by the time you know what's going to happen, it's too late to leave. Irma's track running parallel to Florida's coastline was unusual. Normally, they come in somewhat perpendicular and one or two days out you can make the call to move north or south out of they way. Irma's projected path didn't leave any choice. You could go north. It's 300 miles to GA from my house. The cone of possibility was dead on; the spaghetti models not so much. The forecast intensity was way off, probably because it spent more time over Cuba than anticipated. That wasn't guaranteed to happen though.

Common sense dictates evacuating in the face of a hurricane of this intensity, if you live in a coastal area.

We have people like Sheppard Smith who are saying - literally- that anyone who does not evacuate is going to die, and this has been said dramatically, emphatically and repeatedly.

It's disgusting behavior, bordering on criminal negligence, from empty-headed know-it-alls.

What this society needs is to decorate our trees with people like Sheppard Smith. We'd damn well be better off. No two ways about it.

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I'm not sure about the folks at the NHC now either. In one of the updates I read, it sounded like the forecastor wanted to downgrade Irma, but didn't despite two planes, one NOAA and one Air Force, measuring lower wind speeds in the eye wall on flights an hour apart.

You are correct in your assumptions. In days past, experienced meteorologists such as Max Mayfield, Neal Frank, Nash Roberts etc. would explain the facts and the uncertainty as well. The product the NHC produces is accurate but they have to err on the safe side. They are under enormous pressure from all fronts. For lack of a better analogy, it is best to evacuate the building in case of a bomb threat, even though you think it is bogus.

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Originally posted by parabellum:

What this society needs is to decorate our trees with people like Sheppard Smith. We'd damn well be better off. No two ways about it.

Now this would make for a very Merry Christmas!

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

I'm not sure about the folks at the NHC now either. In one of the updates I read, it sounded like the forecaster wanted to downgrade Irma, but didn't despite two planes, one NOAA and one Air Force, measuring lower wind speeds in the eye wall on flights an hour apart.

You are correct in your assumptions. In days past, experienced meteorologists such as Max Mayfield, Neal Frank, Nash Roberts etc. would explain the facts and the uncertainty as well. The product the NHC produces is accurate but they have to err on the safe side. They are under enormous pressure from all fronts.

Yes... there is plenty of uncertainty. If they really wanted to be accurate, they would report that they don't know.
They are under pressure to show that things are much, much worse than ever before. Man-made, don't you know! Support the narrative!

The good news is that it has really calmed down this morning:

Would be nice if it kept going in that general direction, and maybe a bit more westward, and gave Montana a good does of rain.

Power's been out here for a couple of hours, high winds. Might be a long night.

Upstate sc is getting a good bit of rain, wind is also starting to get a bit stronger

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Power's been out here for a couple of hours, high winds. Might be a long night.

Maybe it will knock Hurricane Central off the air. I know wishful thinking.

I took a drivd to survey the damage. We're go na be dark at least into tomorrow- snapped power poles snarled up with trees and tangled wires.

Irma knocks out power to nearly 1.5 million Georgians

http://www.ajc.com/news/local/...XMzpA9GpE5VOvo7GLAI/

Nearly 1.5 million Georgians were without power on Monday as Irma continued its slow march through the state.

Now a tropical storm, Irma was still packing a powerful punch with 60 mph winds.

As of 2 p.m., the center of Irma had moved over southwest Georgia near Valdosta. It was moving north-northwest at about 17 mph, heading in the direction of Alabama.

Glynn, McIntosh and Camden counties were receiving “historic flooding — worse than Matthew,” said Catherin Howden of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, after a briefing by state emergency management officials, said the worst of the outages were in the counties of Chatham (Savannah); Lowndes (Valdosta); and Brooks (just to the west of Lowndes). More than half of Lowndes’ 114,000 people were without power, county officials said.

Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said metro Atlanta should see the worst begin to abate after 10 p.m. Metro Atlanta could experience wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph this afternoon and evening, and receive as much as 4 inches of rain.

The chance of tornados spinning off the storm has declined because of cooler-than-expected temperatures, forecasters said.

There's not going to be a quick resolution to this. Power crews have gone home.

Lost power,
In my 10 mile drive home did not see a single tree or a pole down, not even big branches

I watched a tree catch fire as I drove by. There was a cop sitting on the side of the road with his lights on and as I drove by I noticed the downed line arcing into a tree, by the time I passed it was fully engulfing it.

Damn guys - ya'll be careful out there!

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Trying to discern if my grandmother house in Ft. Myers was damaged. She's up here.

A neighbor said a tree hit the house but doesn't know about damage. Everyone evacuated so hoping there was no flooding. The neighbor house was good when she returned today but not sure about my grandmother's house. Lots of trees on the road. Many of the smaller streets are blocked apparently.

Neighbor is in her 70's so not the best of being able to see the damage.

Just looked up flights if I leave Friday and come back to MD Monday. Not many options and all are expensive with long layovers.

Going to see if the neighbor can take some pictures tomorrow and send them to us.

This is the worst storm they have had there since my grandmother moved there in the early 70's. The first time her neighborhood was ordered to evacuate.