If you're like me, you're completely tired of hearing about Hurricane Isaac, although it's a matter of claim if he's currently a hurricane. He came ashore last night the second time at Port Fourchon, after savaging Plaquemine parish. As I read the Accuweather map, he's currently over Houma, LA. According to Google Earth, it's 170 miles in a straight-line distance from Houma to my house. As I also look at that map, the biggest on-shore flow should be around Gulfport, MS. Those folks are catching watery hell this morning. Say a prayer for them if you've got a minute.
Here on the homefront, I've pretty much finished preparations. It's cloudy, humid, starting to spit a little rain. I spent the time since dawn straightening up in the backyard, putting away pool toys and tieing down anything that might blow away. While I was accomplishing that, I noticed that the hummingbirds were jittery, even moreso than hummingbirds are normally jittery, so I re-filled their feeders. Let them get all the calories they can before the deluge.
I've talked to Momma, she's fine, staying at a sisters house in town until the weather calms down. The Dawg is rather concerned, he's been watching my preparations all morning and staying underfoot. He's currently hiding under the kitchen table. What amazes me about this storm is how slowly it's moving. He's not supposed to be here until tomorrow, as a tropical depression. The upside is that he'll drop enough rain so that the creek on the lease should be flowing for a while.
I looked at the METAR for Gulfport Regional airport at about 11:00 your time. Actually, they had had less than 4" of rain from Isaac by then. The wind was 35 gusting to 48, and had been just a bit higher, with that wind from the East, not a surge-boosting wind, which would have to come from the South. They have a strange, continuous Tornado Warning going, strange, because a Warning is not supposed tobe issued until an actual tornado is seen, either on the ground or on radar.
ReplyDeleteThe wind at Gulfport is supposed to veer to the South, but won't do that until the 'cane passes well inland, and by then, the potential for surge is much less. My guess is that a maximum surge for Gulfport would be 5 feet, and they should be able to handle that.