NEWS: Hurricane Frances Makes Landfall!

Originally posted by William One Sac

Originally posted by orionthehunter
I noticed three other blobs of possibly disturbed weather in the Atlantic. Are any of these forming into depressions or has this been ignored?

There is a wave just off the west coast of Africa. I am not sure if it has been named as a depression or a tropical storm just yet, but the reporters seemed to feel it would be by tomorrow. The name started with an I. Ivan or Irvine or something...

I think thats Tropical depression 9 WOS.

Don't let a slight weakening of this system catch you off guard. First off a storm with 125mph winds and gusts to 155mph is still probably twice as bad as any thunderstorm you have ever been in. Also looking at two recent satellite pictures the storm may be distrupted but only barely so. There are some incredible cloud tops around the center. Even more so on the north side. Look at these two images. Red is bad. That shade darker than red is really bad. That is a sign of a really strong storm. Sheer or no sheer.

Here is another version from 09-03-2004 05z




As you can see this is looking better again. Very deep convection around the center. There is still a little sheer that is clouding up the eye but it appears to be a little less than earlier this evening. If this trend continues there is no reason to think this storm won't regain its previous strength.

Based on its current movement I would say it would make landfall around Vero Beach or Sebastian. However the movement is wobbly and a 25 mile wobble (which is small) is the difference between a lightly populated area and a densely populated area.

I can't sleep. The last shutter won't go up, because the bit broke and every other bit we tried doesn't even make a dent in the concrete, but a friend is coming over later this morning with his tools. All other preparations have been made, once this shutter is up then just sit and wait.

Regardless of where Frances makes landfall, most of the state will experience tropical storm winds and flooding. Flood Watch is in effect. Local channel said hurricane force winds extend 80 miles from the center and tropical storm winds 185 miles from the center.

btw we've had about 2 or 3 feeder bands pass thru, all quick moving so far.



[edit on 9-3-2004 by worldwatcher]

After having spoken to friends anf family in WPB....2 of my friends are in evac zones but dwell in concrete homes...they are stocked and sheltering in place as they say the roads are jammed, gas is hard to get, hotels are closing....one has an elder grandma that lives in his home...she has alzhiemers and has little clue whats going on, but he knows she will become very agitated during the storm and freak, so he plans on slipping her a "sleepy meal" if things peak out and the house is shaking....otherwise she may injure herself by going into panic, flailing about the house and possibly trying to actually GO OUTSIDE!?! For HER safety, a nap for a few hours might be in her best interest.

MANY elderly in this area may not be stable enough to be able to move, or may have no place/resources to do so...my family was going to fly out but my grandma was just released from the hospital 2 days ago and CANT fly...
they will have to shelter in place also.

I hope PD is going door to door in some of these retirement communities because some may not even be aware a storm is comming. (not just the retired, im talking the really elder ones...)

The level of tension being told to me by friends and media contacts in WPB area is HIGH. Hopefully fights/conflicts wont erupt as the panic reaches a fever pitch...

by 7pm friday night....the tone will change to that of a ghost town.

Originally posted by jrod
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Jim Cantore is in Palm Bay, this is terrible news for Brevard County(where im at). I love his work and all but he's so good at getting in the path of the storm that when he shows up near you its time to run.

Maybe they're attrached to him!

Just as a side note, how many ATS'ers are down here in Florida?
Seems like there are quite a few.

This damn storm is so unpredictable, now it's stalling over the bahamas, but atleast it gives those who haven't prepared a chance to do so. What happened to the eye of Frances? I noticed in the latest images there isn't really any eyewall anymore. I hope that means it will weaken some more.

WaStEdDeAtH777, over in the thread about the 50,000 dead cover up of Charley thinks hurricans are no big deal I know better, as do most people

They're saying it will be only a tropical storm when it gets to us... That's good news, but we're still prepared for the worst. People are really taking this seriously though after seeing the effects Charlie had on our neighboring counties....

Last night, I went to do a little grocery shopping (already had my supplies, but wanted to get some things for a party this weekend). Bottled water, batteries, and flashlights were gone. Gas stations were already out of gas I noticed also.

A few days from now, I'm sure I'll be trying to work some of our canned goods into meals, hehe...(and grilling more, as I have quite a bit of charcoal....)

I hate to bring it up but has anyone looked at HAARP lately? This weakening wasn't expected was it?

137.229.36.30...

As for the weakening that has taken place -- it was expected. The mountainous islands that Francis is passing over always wreaks havoc with the circulation. I believe Andrew exhibited some of the same behaviors. There's a couple hundred miles of warm, gulfstream, shallow water between the Bahamas and Florida -- perfect for restrengthening.

Looks like I was right about Cantore. He is a death spell for a community .

for the record...there are no mountains in the Bahamas.

Frances is weakening due to wind shear and a trough of dry air.

Hopefully it will continue to weaken.

"Stop the hurricane i want off" ..LOL

It�s a mad natural occurrence whatever way you look at it. I had a very dramatic dream last night, a plane coming down over a built-up area, over houses. And I can remember looking up the sky and saying to someone, look at the clouds, the wind must be very strong. I was watching an American news channel just before I went to bed, just shows you what the mind can do in that state.

I have friends in FL (family who lives there) so I hope all you guys are okay.

There's a couple hundred miles of warm, gulfstream, shallow water between the Bahamas and Florida -- perfect for restrengthening.

Looks like I was right about Cantore. He is a death spell for a community

Hehe, right on both counts.... and

That's when I know we'll REALLY get hit....when I see Cantore reporting from a place I know well... then it's time to truly hunker down under the mattresses in the tub, hehe....

Gazrok-

Are you all battened down?
Obviously, I didn't get removed. It's probably the one time I'm glad someone didn't do as I asked. Hasty and embarrassed is bad combination.
Hope all goes well for all the ATSers and kin in Fla.

Originally posted by moxyone
for the record...there are no mountains in the Bahamas.

Frances is weakening due to wind shear and a trough of dry air.

Hopefully it will continue to weaken.

Don't believe I specifically mentioned the Bahamas since everyone knows they are as flat as Florida, which explains why they have amazingly clear water -- no sediment runoff.

Gazrok-

Are you all battened down?

Well, I'm stocked up...and the windows are pretty secured...still at work though, as we're not expecting nasty weather till Sunday at the earliest...

As of 11am AST the storm is down to 115mph. It is still a cat 3 but barely. Now the satellite image looks the worst I have seen yet. Looking at the images I think the 115mph may be over stated. But also looking at the images and the reduction of speed this may change from a major wind event to a major flooding event. You can prepare for wind. There isnt a great deal you can do for flooding.

Maybe I am missing it. I am looking at the satellite loops (IR and Water Vapor) and I just don't see the typical evidence of sheer which are clouds being blown off to the side. The only thing I see is a disrupted system. Small fluctuations in strength were expected. Additional strengthening was expected. A drop of 30mph was not expected. Very odd. It does happen that storms lose strength.