TS Alberto

[Go Gators]

Hey all.

Im home and havent talked to anyone from Tally regarding the storm. Anything worth mentioning? Have a good one. Cant wait to get back and see how things have progressed (although the pics do a great job, thanks TJ, and others).

[poonther]

Hey GG. I thought you may have gone back to Central FL for the summer. Miss your input here man. You can still participate even from far away. For me Alberto was a blessing, the new palms I put in the yard got a good watering and so did my dying grass. Worse tragedy at my house was that Alberto blew over a potted plant. The airport reported about 3.5 inches of rain and a 40 mph wind gust. Very few people in town lost electricity. All in all nothing really to report.

[Florida]

A few trees fell in my neighborhood, one very close to my parking space. Utility crews were out earily yesterday to clean things up. I wanted to take pictures of the wreckage, but two down trees wasn't enough to make news of. But all is normal today, thanks to the hard work of Tallahassee's fine people!

[Go Gators]

Basically the same here. No wind damage whatsoever. Alberto was actually just what we needed, a good soaking. The yards were looking bad, and more importantly, it will help with all the wildfires around heree, especially the one near Disney.

It was quite comical though seeing the news stations try and make a story for 3 days about Alberto. They would go crazy if one wave crashed on a sea wall or whatever. I guess they were trying to make news where there wasnt any.

[Glenn]

Ha! The Weather Channel is really good (bad) about over-dramatizing things. You would have thought they were reporting on a Cat 5 storm yesterday the way they were carrying on. I'm glad they are there to report to us when we do have bad storms but geez people.....let's stop crying wolf over the little things so we know when to really believe them that a bad one is coming!

My neighborhood got a good steady soaking rain which was badly needed. I did see a few large oak trees leaning around town but I personally saw nothing spectacular or dangerous. It was sad however, that the terrible accident on Thomasville Road yesterday during the heavy rains took the young life of the 26 year old RN from Capital Regional Medical Center. The news was reporting that she was the first, and probably only, death attributed to TS Alberto.

[Florida]

Yesterday I wrote the Weather Channel to complain about their coverage of us. It seems it was easier for me to find Hattiesburg, Mississippi on the weather maps yesterday than it was for me to find Tallahassee (we're twice as big if not more) not to mention no notice of when the storm would hit us and what to expect, I was disappointed seeing as how we were the only City within breath of the storms landfall.

[poonther]

Yesterday I wrote the Weather Channel to complain about their coverage of us. It seems it was easier for me to find Hattiesburg, Mississippi on the weather maps yesterday than it was for me to find Tallahassee (we're twice as big if not more) not to mention no notice of when the storm would hit us and what to expect, I was disappointed seeing as how we were the only City within breath of the storms landfall.

I'm a weather super geek, so I've gotten where I never watch the Weather Channel's coverage of tropical storms/hurricanes. They sensationalize it too much. They also go where the bigger markets are, so they can connect to more viewers. I don't blame them for this, it is after all the nature of the beast...ratings. The Weather Channel in all honesty hopes that hurricanes and the likes will at least threaten large metro areas like Houston, New Orleans, Tampa, Miami and the biggest prize of all....the BosWash as opposed to one hitting the Panhandle or the Outer Banks of NC where less people live. But it does look like they'd have some interest in Tally b/c many of the meteorologist are FSU grads.

I prefer to get my tropical storm news from NOAA the true unbiased source.

[JBarber]

I'm a weather super geek, so I've gotten where I never watch the Weather Channel's coverage of tropical storms/hurricanes. They sensationalize it too much.

Holy smokes! Has anyone seen the new Jim Cantore ad for the Weather Channel and their hurricane coverage. O V E R T H E T O P! It is so bad it is funny. I looked around the internet to see if it is available, but couldn't find it. Watching the WC will be worth it on the prospect you may get to see this.

Back to the thread .... A neighbor's dead oak tree fell across the fence at the back of my yard. 12" diameter at the base and ~100 ft tall. Big, but not huge. It snapped the two rails (horzontal pieces) and pulverized one of the pickets. I'll be out $10 and two hours. Not bad.

[MikeMcCall]

Holy smokes! Has anyone seen the new Jim Cantore ad for the Weather Channel and their hurricane coverage. O V E R T H E T O P! It is so bad it is funny. I looked around the internet to see if it is available, but couldn't find it. Watching the WC will be worth it on the prospect you may get to see this.

Back to the thread .... A neighbor's dead oak tree fell across the fence at the back of my yard. 12" diameter at the base and ~100 ft tall. Big, but not huge. It snapped the two rails (horzontal pieces) and pulverized one of the pickets. I'll be out $10 and two hours. Not bad.

Off topic, but I had to ask.

JBarber - do I know you and your wife?

Thanks,

Mike

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[JBarber]

Off topic, but I had to ask.

JBarber - do I know you and your wife?

Thanks,

Mike

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Yep. What gave me away?

If there are any pressing health issues with your kids, better get to PPP quick. Sara is on the final countdown to maternity leave.

[MikeMcCall]

Yep. What gave me away?

If there are any pressing health issues with your kids, better get to PPP quick. Sara is on the final countdown to maternity leave.

Noooooooooooo!!!

Since you mentioned it, our son has had a cough for about a week now, and we might take him in to see Sara this afternoon.

By the way - boy or girl? Due date? (I know I'll be in trouble if I don't ask.)

Mike

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[seminole]

Well from what I understand, one of the lowest pressures recorded in Alberto was that of 995 mb which is very near the threshold of attaining hurricane (992/993 mb) status in the Atlantic Basin. Now of course, it also depends on the surrounding atmosphere pressure field, but Alberto was very near hurricane status. A lot of the energy in a hurricane tends to flow horizontally so if there is no convection near the center to transmit this energy to the surface, then these strong horizontal winds will not be reflected in the surface observations.

Inspite of the wind shear and dry air which entrained into the system, Alberto still maintain a vigorous low pressure circulation above the surface. However, the wind shear and dry air did not allow the heavier thunderstorms/convection to co-locate with the center of the storm. Therefore, the strongest winds (which is found at the center) never really materialized.

The potential was there to obtain hurricane status if the heavy rain storms were able to become more concentrated around the center, which was beginning to occur just before landfall (this seems to be a familiar theme with Atlantic storms - they always seem to organize just before landfall). Infact, the recon and the surface radar detected the beginning of a western eyewall just before Alberto moved ashore in the Big Bend of Florida. So I'm not so sure the National Hurricane Center overhyped this particular storm. Just MHO.

[Relient J]

My parents were visiting my wife and I last weekend and unfortunately had to leave a day early so as to return to the Panhandle and make sure their boat was secure.

[MikeMcCall]

Well from what I understand, one of the lowest pressures recorded in Alberto was that of 995 mb which is very near the threshold of attaining hurricane (992/993 mb) status in the Atlantic Basin. Now of course, it also depends on the surrounding atmosphere pressure field, but Alberto was very near hurricane status. A lot of the energy in a hurricane tends to flow horizontally so if there is no convection near the center to transmit this energy to the surface, then these strong horizontal winds will not be reflected in the surface observations.

Inspite of the wind shear and dry air which entrained into the system, Alberto still maintain a vigorous low pressure circulation above the surface. However, the wind shear and dry air did not allow the heavier thunderstorms/convection to co-locate with the center of the storm. Therefore, the strongest winds (which is found at the center) never really materialized.

The potential was there to obtain hurricane status if the heavy rain storms were able to become more concentrated around the center, which was beginning to occur just before landfall (this seems to be a familiar theme with Atlantic storms - they always seem to organize just before landfall). Infact, the recon and the surface radar detected the beginning of a western eyewall just before Alberto moved ashore in the Big Bend of Florida. So I'm not so sure the National Hurricane Center overhyped this particular storm. Just MHO.

Well said. However, I still doubt that there were any areas of sustained 70 mph winds Monday afternoon through early Tuesday, even though the advisories carried the 50+kt radii to as far as 125 nm NE and 100nm SE of the center. The system (in my opinion) started taking on some hybrid characteristics when the center was exposed for about 12 hours. The winds were finally lowered some as it was making landfall. Typically, Gulf tropical systems weaken just before landfall, and this one was moving into an area of cooler, shallow water. (And while there was a small flareup of convection, before landfall, there was no time left for it to wrap around the center, lower the pressure, and tighten up the winds. If it had happened 6 hours earlier, then *perhaps* it would have actually had a small area with 70-75 mph sustained winds at landfall.)

Overall, I think NHC did a fine job, however, the issuance of the hurricane warning (which - at the time - was absolutely the right call), and the reluctance to lower the sustained winds for many hours, kept the *national media* hyping the storm much longer, and to a higher level than it should have been. I truly have no real beef with NHC. It's the national (often uninformed) media that needs to back off. Not every storm turns into a hurricane, much less a Rita, Wilma or Katrina.

Mike

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[thetoolman]

...Overall, I think NHC did a fine job, however, the issuance of the hurricane warning (which - at the time - was absolutely the right call), and the reluctance to lower the sustained winds for many hours, kept the *national media* hyping the storm much longer, and to a higher level than it should have been....

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I don't want to be a conspiracy theorist (though I guess I am being one), but does NHC feel they have a better chance at increased funding based on the [perceived] level of tropical storm activity? Does a trend that indicates a growing concern over the strength of storms have anything to do with the growth/viability of the organization?

Maybe it is a stretch, but no one can hold me accountable for this theory, right?

[Glenn]

You make a very good point, toolman! I never thought of it in those terms but they do have to justify their existance in order to stay around. Very interesting thoughts...hmmmmm

[JBarber]

I don't want to be a conspiracy theorist (though I guess I am being one), but does NHC feel they have a better chance at increased funding based on the [perceived] level of tropical storm activity? Does a trend that indicates a growing concern over the strength of storms have anything to do with the growth/viability of the organization?

Maybe it is a stretch, but no one can hold me accountable for this theory, right?

Max Mayfield plotting the coordinates for Southwood. Hurricane Tool should be making landfall early next week.

[seminole]

verall, I think NHC did a fine job, however, the issuance of the hurricane warning (which - at the time - was absolutely the right call), and the reluctance to lower the sustained winds for many hours, kept the *national media* hyping the storm much longer, and to a higher level than it should have been. I truly have no real beef with NHC. It's the national (often uninformed) media that needs to back off. Not every storm turns into a hurricane, much less a Rita, Wilma or Katrina.

Mike

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Thanks Mike. I hope you remain with us throughout the hurricane season because we all look forward to your words of wisdom.

"I don't want to be a conspiracy theorist (though I guess I am being one), but does NHC feel they have a better chance at increased funding based on the [perceived] level of tropical storm activity? Does a trend that indicates a growing concern over the strength of storms have anything to do with the growth/viability of the organization?

Maybe it is a stretch, but no one can hold me accountable for this theory, right?"

Toolman I'm not sure if I understand your question, but records since 1995 have shown an overall increase in hurricane activity. And the hurricanes Mike listed above are certainly not something to sneeze at . I would rather increase funding for hurricane forecasting then continue to poor money into FEMA to finance the reconstruction of buildings in the same hurricane prone areas. I just think it's ridiculous because those same structures will only get torn down again during the next major storm (and pollute our beaches).

And then there are some who file fradulent claims and there are others who just profit from the insurance.