This week is "Hurricane Preparedness Week". You know the drill -- be sure to take it seriously! Click here for a handy-dandy synopsis of being "storm ready". Mint Magazine will arrive on many doorsteps within the next few weeks with an insert regarding hurricane safety from the First Alert Weather Center complete with a tracking guide. FEMA has dedicated a web page to hurricane preparedness. Jax Mayor Peyton & Chief Lorin Mock issued this joint statement:
“We all know that one of the prices we pay for living in the Sunshine State is the potential for hurricanes. Jacksonville residents have been very fortunate that we have not seen the severe impact that other communities have experienced in recent years, but we cannot let that that good fortune create a culture of complacency,” said Mayor Peyton. “Residents in Jacksonville and across the state must take the time now to prepare our homes and businesses for a potential storm. Do not wait until a storm is approaching to start making plans.”
Chief Mock has asked residents to focus their preparedness efforts in four main areas:
· Know your risk and vulnerability – Do you live in a hurricane evacuation or flood zone?
1 Have a plan and create a 72-hour Kit – Know where you will go if evacuations are necessary. Have enough supplies to support your family for at least 72 hours. Create a family preparedness plan that includes how you would communicate with extended family.
2 Register for assistance if you have special needs – Will you need special medical or transportation assistance? If so, register with the City of Jacksonville by calling 630-CITY.
3 Ensure you’ve planned for your pets – Will you be able to take pets with you to your evacuation site and do you have enough supplies for them?"
Plus...our Jax National Weather Service has posted presentations from the Governor's Hurricane Conference on their web site -- interesting info.
Speaking of the tropics....long range forecast models continue to show some "mischief" in the Caribbean and/or Gulf of Mexico next week some time. It's no surprise, but the models are not consistent on timing, strength or location. The GFS -- as recently as Sun. -- showed a pretty strong system moving through South Florida next week but now is a number of days later moving into Louisiana(!).....the European, on the other hand, is weaker & farther south & west. Sea surface temps. are a little above avg. but tropical systems early in the season often struggle because of marginal water temps. & quite a bit of upper level wind shear (westerlies are still pretty far south). I also posted Thu. on the possibility of early season development.
What a siege of severe weather across the middle of the country the last 5 days. Check out these numbers from the Storm Prediction Center:
Severe Reports (Tornadoes)
Thu., May 22 249 (48)
Fri. 209 (63)
Sat. 125 (13)
Sun. 537 (49)
4-Day Total 1,120 (173)
Video of these storms has been plentiful. A CBS affiliate in Oklahoma City -- using their news helicopter -- captured a supercell storm with frequent tornadoes in Northern Ok. Sat. -- click here. A massive tornado smashed Parkersburg, Ia. Sun. afternoon. This tornado was probably at least an EF-4. Here's the yet-to-be-finished storm survey from Des Moines:
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
347 PM CDT MON MAY 26 2008
...PRELIMINARY DAMAGE SURVEY RESULTS FOR BUTLER AND BLACK HAWK
COUNTIES...
THE STORM SURVEY INVESTIGATION IS STILL ONGOING AND WILL CONTINUE ON TUESDAY. FINAL RESULTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE RELEASED LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON.......
THE FOLLOWING IS A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT FOR THE DAMAGE THAT
OCCURRED OVER BUTLER AND BLACK HAWK COUNTIES ON MAY 25TH.
* EVENT DATE: MAY 25TH
* ESTIMATED START TIME: 4:48 PM CDT
* EVENT TYPE: POTENTIALLY GREATER THAN EF3 PENDING FURTHER
ASSESSMENT ON TUESDAY.
* EVENT LOCATION: 2 MILES S APLINGTON TO PARKERSBURG TO NEW
HARTFORD AND ACROSS NORTHERN BLACK HAWK COUNTY.
* PEAK WIND: POTENTIALLY GREATER THAN 165 MPH PENDING FURTHER
ASSESSMENT ON TUESDAY.
* AVERAGE PATH WIDTH: PATH WIDTH RANGED FROM 0.6 TO 0.7 MILES NEAR PARKERSBURG TO JUST NORTH OF NEW HARTFORD. THE PATH CONSTRICTED TO NEAR ONE QUARTER MILE WIDE EAST OF NEW HARTFORD TO NORTH OF WATERLOO. PATH INCREASED TO NEAR 1.2 MILES WIDE NORTH OF DUNKERTON BEFORE DISSIPATING NEAR THE BLACK HAWK AND BUCHANAN COUNTY LINE.
* PATH LENGTH: 43 MILES
* INJURIES: PRELIMINARY 70
* FATALITIES: PRELIMINARY 6
* DISCUSSION/DAMAGE: SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OCCURRED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN END OF PARKERSBURG AND ALONG A PATH TO JUST NORTH OF NEW HARTFORD. NUMEROUS STRUCTURES COMPLETELY DESTROYED FROM PARKERSBURG TO NEAR NEW HARTFORD. THE TORNADO CONTINUED EASTWARD TO JUST NORTH OF THE WATERLOO AND CEDAR FALLS AREA. SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE ALSO OCCURRED NORTH OF DUNKERTON WHERE THE TORNADO INCREASED TO ITS GREATEST PATH WIDTH. THIS STORM ALSO PRODUCED SUBSTANTIAL STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE ALONG THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE STORM JUST SOUTH OF THE TORNADO TRACK. PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES THAT STRAIGHT LINE WINDS OF 90 TO 100 MPH OCCURRED WITH THIS STORM. AT 537 PM CDT THE WATERLOO AIRPORT RECORDED A 93 MPH WIND GUST. INITIAL SURVEY RESULTS SUGGEST THAT STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE WAS THE CAUSE OF THE SEVERE DAMAGE AT THE RECREATIONAL VEHICLE DEALERSHIP NORTH OF CEDAR FALLS.
ADDITIONAL DETAIL WILL BE ADDED TO THIS REPORT ON TUESDAY ALONG
WITH FINAL EF SCALE RATING RESULTS.
FOR REFERENCE...THE FUJITA TORNADO SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
EF0...WIND SPEEDS 65 TO 85 MPH.
EF1...WIND SPEEDS 86 TO 110 MPH.
EF2...WIND SPEEDS 111 TO 135 MPH.
EF3...WIND SPEEDS 136 TO 165 MPH.
EF4...WIND SPEEDS 166 TO 200 MPH.
EF5...WIND SPEEDS GREATER THAN 200 MPH.
I had the pleasure of being emcee for "Concert on the Green" Sun. night -- an annual fundraiser for Clay Co. students of the arts. Photos below include skydiver Art Shaffer (Pegasus skydiving team out of Palatka) soon to reach ground.....& the tent housing our Jax Symphony. Great event!
