Hurricane Matthew

[Sea Hunt Video]

Tim:

Thanks. My home has expensive hurricane shutters (accordion type). Heavy gauge aluminum and bolted in every 8" (normal is 12"). I am hopeful they will withstand Hurricane Matthew. They were installed in 1996 and this will be their most severe test in 20 years.

I do have a case of Guinness stored in a special safe place and well chilled. I also have many, many bottles of water, canned tuna, canned chicken, crackers, cash, a full tank in the truck, etc.

I learned A LOT from Hurricane Andrew. Sadly, it was 24 years ago. It is surprising how casual current Miami residents are to Hurricane Matthew. They have never experienced a major hurricane nor do they appreciate the aftermath - no electric for days or weeks or longer; no gas at the pump (no electric to run the pumps); no food in the stores, etc. I have observed very little preparation. I try to tell people about the power of a Category 4 major hurricane but they seem to laugh. I guess I was sort of like that on 23 August 1992. 24 hours later I got an education.

[Sea Hunt Video]

For those interested, this is the latest NOAA/NHC modeling as of 2300 hrs, 04 October 2016. This is going to get real bad real fast.

[Capt Hook]

Roberto,

We have not heard from Zeida.

Help me with southern Florida geography.

Where are you and Zeida relative to Golden Beach?

Is Chokoloskee south of Golden Beach?

[Sea Hunt Video]

Captain Hook:

I think Zeida lives in NW Miami Dade; her Cape Dory sailboat (Bandolera II) is berthed at a marina on Biscayne Bay.

I am in Miami-Dade County (south), a little west from Homestead Air Reserve Base (Homestead Air Force Base before Hurricane Andrew -24 August 1992)

Golden Beach is on the east coast of Florida, a little south of Hollywood. Zeida is about 30 miles WSW from Golden Beach. I am about 40 miles SW from Golden Beach.

Chokoloskee Island is located near the west coast of Florida in what is referred to as 10,000 islands. It is a little south of Everglades City if you are looking on a map. It's where we get our world famous Florida stone crabs

Now, Captain Hook, there will be a geography quiz Friday at 10 a.m. It will be "closed book". STUDY

[Capt Hook]

Captain Hook:

I think Zeida lives in NW Miami Dade; her Cape Dory sailboat (Bandolera II) is berthed at a marina on Biscayne Bay.

I am in Miami-Dade County (south), a little west from Homestead Air Reserve Base (Homestead Air Force Base before Hurricane Andrew -24 August 1992)

Golden Beach is on the east coast of Florida, a little south of Hollywood. Zeida is about 30 miles WSW from Golden Beach. I am about 40 miles SW from Golden Beach.

Chokoloskee Island is located near the west coast of Florida in what is referred to as 10,000 islands. It is a little south of Everglades City if you are looking on a map. It's where we get our world famous Florida stone crabs

Now, Captain Hook, there will be a geography quiz Friday at 10 a.m. It will be "closed book". STUDY

Roberto,

By Friday at 10 a.m. you will be well into your second or third case of Guinness celebrating having dodged a bullet.

[Capt Hook]

Roberto,

Based on your geography lesson you are in the blue and not the red.

That is a good thing.

I was on Homestead AFB circa 1973 when I was Capt (Van) Hook, USAF.

I hope the forecast holds and you don't have to deal with the strongest winds of Matthew.

Keep us posted.

I'm following every update form NHC.

Having been through Katrina (actually we evacuated shortly before) I know how these things can change.

[Jim Walsh]

Still a very serious threat from the Bahamas to North Carolina but it's anticipated track has changed dramatically.

[John Stone]

I am loath to jinx this. So I will remain reverently silent. Good luck Roberto and all Floridians.

[Sea Hunt Video]

I am loath to jinx this. So I will remain reverently silent.

John S.:

That is exactly why I did not respond to my friend Jim W.'s post. I wish ALL well along the eastern seaboard of U.S.

[Capt Hook]

Maybe I spoke to soon, AGAIN.

Some of the models are showing Matthew making a loop and making a second pass at Roberto and then heading into the Gulf.

[mgphl52]

Maybe I spoke to soon, AGAIN.

Some of the models are showing Matthew making a loop and making a second pass at Roberto and then heading into the Gulf.

At this point, only 1 shows a loop... here's to it being totally WRONG!
We definitely don't need any double-dipping going on...

[Sea Hunt Video]

My beloved Boston Red Sox are playing Cleveland in game 1 tomorrow night. Given the current tracking, speed and strength of Hurricane Matthew I am afraid that my neighborhood will lose electric sometime in the afternoon tomorrow. For reasons I do not understand FPL cannot seem to keep the electric on even when there is just a heavy rain. Almost all the power lines are now buried underground. I am less than sanguine they will keep the electric on in this TS/H event. When it does go "OFF" it will be days before it comes back "ON".

I am very sad

The only good news is that I have a good portable radio with a LOT of batteries. It will be like when I was very young and listened to the Boston Red Sox games on the radio at the kitchen table eating my Mom's apple pie (BEST EVER ) I sat with my Rawlings glove and my bat OK, I'm not so sad anymore. Good times

[Sea Hunt Video]

I am not sure if this website will show up correctly but it is supposed to be a real time depiction of Hurricane Matthew, the rain bands, etc. It shows very clearly the eye of the hurricane with the eye wall moving over Nassau (at least as of this post). It will obviously change over the course of the day and the eye and eye wall may diminish in clarity but as of this post, if it shows at all, it should show a very distinct eye and eye wall.

If it does not work, sorry. I am not a computer geek.

https://weather.com/weather/radar/inter ... nus&zoom=8

[Capt Hook]

I am not sure if this website will show up correctly but it is supposed to be a real time depiction of Hurricane Matthew, the rain bands, etc. It shows very clearly the eye of the hurricane with the eye wall moving over Nassau (at least as of this post). It will obviously change over the course of the day and the eye and eye wall may diminish in clarity but as of this post, if it shows at all, it should show a very distinct eye and eye wall.

If it does not work, sorry. I am not a computer geek.

https://weather.com/weather/radar/inter ... nus&zoom=8

Roberto,

It worked and said you should be OK.

Hopefully you still have power to keep the Guinness cold and the Red Sox game on tonite.

[Sea Hunt Video]

The good news for those of us in SE Florida is that Hurricane Matthew has moved past us. We had only some heavy rain bands and a few periods of high winds (probably even less than TS winds). We were VERY lucky. From what I have gathered from meteorology reports, this morning Matthew made a 2 degree jog to the north (320 to 322) for a short period of time. This reduced the strength of the wind bands crossing SE Florida. It is really amazing what a 2 degree change can make. I witnessed it to my detriment with Hurricane Andrew in August 1992. Today I witnessed it to our benefit. Mother Nature. She is a wonder.

Our thoughts now should be with the millions who will soon be heavily impacted by Hurricane Matthew from West Palm Beach to Jacksonville in Florida as well as Georgia and South Carolina. FPL estimates more than 2.5 million residents in Florida will be without electricity for weeks or longer. Matthew is a very large and powerful Cat. 4. It is amazing how this storm is going to hug the coastline all the way to SC.

I have good friends in WPB, Stuart, Indiatlantic, Daytone and Jacksonville, as well as in St. Mary's, Ga. In the short term the next few days are going to be very bad for all of them - the storm, the wind, the pounding rain, sheltering, etc. for many hours. I know this from my experience with Hurricane Andrew. In the long term, the next few weeks and months (perhaps longer) are going to be very depressing for so many.

It is always good to keep friends in your thoughts.

Now, it's time for baseball Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland. I will be able to watch and enjoy a cold Guinness (or two ).