And so hurricane season begins...

[JagFarlane]

And so it begins today. Officially the season doesn't start until tomorrow, but it started a touch early this year with the naming of Tropical Storm Arthur. Fortunately this one is already over land and expected to weaken later today.

 

[MagicaPractica]

<sings>Stormy weather...</sings> I always think of Carl Hiaasen when I think of Florida storms. He describes it so well.

 

[trysail]

Every year, the 1st of June enters the consciousness of route planners for sailing vessels contemplating passages between the east coast of the U.S. and the Caribees. Sailors taking leave from the east coast have a rule of thumb for the weather window necessary for departure:

"Clear to Chicago;* high to Africa.**"

_______________________
*i.e., no storm systems.
** i.e., no low pressure systems (a/k/a tropical depressions) looming in the tradewind belt of the Atlantic.

 

[JagFarlane]

Red at dawn, sailors take warn
Red at night, sailors delight

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

One of my ongoing projects is a novel about this town after a hurricane comes thru. The worst place in the USA for a hurricane to hit is Tampa. That's because a storm will push about 24 feet of water into the Bay, covering most of the metropolitan region. Its happened before.