A really late season storm, Ida, came up the coast yesterday. I was over at our condo in Akumal for 3 days and my partner told me we should put up the hurricane curtain but I didn't think we needed to. So, I dropped her off at the Cancun airport and came back to Mérida Friday night. Saturday morning I look and they have changed the prediction so now there is a 50% chance she will become a cat 1 or cat 2 hurricane and a 30% chance she would hit the coast where our condo is located. Shoot! I had to get back in the jeep and drive back over there (3 hours) and put up the curtain. Of course, by the time I got there the predictions had changed again and she had moved farther out in the channel. Oh well, if I hadn't left early I would have been putting them up in the dark and that's no fun. So, I got the curtains up and went to a friend's party and when I got home around midnight the surf was high and much farther up the beach than normal. I went to bed and did my usual sleep through the hurricane and when I got up at noon the next day, all was calm. Ida did become a cat 2 but she was small and tightly bound and stayed out in the channel so we didn't get any wind just a lot of rain and storm surge. I suppose if I had not gone back over and put up the curtain the story would have been different. Those hurricanes, they never do what they think they are going to do.
Ida came by and Ida rather she hadn't
Ida has had a couple of lives. But she's heading into colder waters and increasing wind shear. So she'll be weakening, but apparently not enough that she'll cross the coast as less than a cat 1 hurricane. Now, if people put up their storm curtains then maybe they'll be able to save themselves like you did.
We are sitting here waiting to see what Ida is going to do...looks like she may miss us here in Louisiana, but still have large area under flood watch and a voluntary (right now) evacuation for low lying areas. Weather reports are still saying she will hit the coast around the Florida panhandle. None of us need anymore rain right now...the ground is saturated and even winds in the 30-40 mph range can bring down trees when the ground is that wet.
Guess Ida is a sleeper storm....grin
If you're 'into weather' here is the best site for explaining what is going on with this storm.
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1376#commenttop
Thanks Dutchlady, that site is a bookmark here...grin Like you, we are always watching when any storm comes into the Gulf. I like having a few places to check things out...a second opinion never hurts...grin
Dutchlady, that blog is really great. I've learned a lot from it over the past few years.
I found by following a lot of the links they post I could get to the source of the data and have been learning how to interpret it. Makes it interesting when following the evolution of a storm. Our cyclone season started 1st of November, when yours (theoretically) ended.
I too read Jeff Masters and weatherunderground all season, he makes it easier to understand the dynamics behind the storms and I think I've learned a lot as well. It becomes a habit to click that link first thing in the morning and every few hours during the day if there is one out there.
I now need to go over and take down the curtain but I will wait until the rains stop and the season is really over, also until my knees feel better. It's fairly easy to put up but putting in all those large screw bolts means a lot of bending and stooping.
extranjera...Glad Ida missed you!!!! I was worried about you.
wunderground member here too. Don't think I could get through the hurricane season with out it, plus you get the added comic relief of some of the immature posters LOL.
Tina