(We All Hope)
The
Official Forecast 06-09-05
The
Video
PENSACOLA - Tropical Storm Arlene developed Thursday in the northwest
Caribbean Sea, edging closer to western Cuba as the Atlantic hurricane
season's first named storm. Gulf Coast residents, including those in
storm-battered Florida, were warned to beware.
Arlene
had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph after strengthening from a
tropical depression that formed Wednesday, the National Hurricane
Center in Miami said. Tropical storms have top sustained winds of 39
mph to 74 mph.
At 11
a.m. EDT, the storm's center was about 165 miles south-southeast of the
western tip of Cuba. It was moving north at about 8 mph, and this
motion could bring the storm's center near western Cuba as early as
Thursday night, forecasters said.
The
large storm's winds and rain extended 150 miles to the north and east
from its poorly organized center, meaning parts of the Florida Keys
could start getting rain Thursday, forecasters said.
Arlene
was expected to enter the Gulf of Mexico by Friday, and residents from
Florida to Louisiana were told to keep an eye on the tropical storm.
``Our
best estimate of the track possibilities are that anywhere from
Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle could expect the center to be
approaching them by the middle of the weekend,'' hurricane specialist
Richard Knabb said.
Forecasters
said Arlene was likely to remain a tropical storm, but Navy
meteorologist Lt. Dave Roberts said there was an ``outside shot'' that
the system could develop into a weak hurricane, depending on
atmospheric conditions.
The
Cuban government has issued a tropical storm watch for the western
province of Pinar Del Rio to the capital of Havana. A tropical storm
warning also was in effect for the Cayman Islands and the Dry Tortugas
island grouping, about 70 miles west of Key West.
The
depression was causing heavy rains and squalls across the Cayman
Islands and western and central Cuba. Forecasters warned that very
heavy rains in Nicaragua and Honduras could cause flash floods and mud
slides.
The
storm could drop as much as 5 to 10 inches of rain in affected areas,
meteorologists said.
Last
year, the first named storm of the season was Tropical Storm Alex,
which formed Aug. 1. It later became a hurricane and came within 9
miles of the Outer Banks, N.C.
Within
weeks, Florida was struck by Hurricane Charley, the first of four
hurricanes to hit the state last season. It was followed by hurricanes
Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. The four hurricanes damaged one out of every
five homes in Florida.
The
storms caused about 130 deaths in the U.S. and are blamed for a total
$22 billion in insured damage.
Hurricane
season began June 1 and ends Nov. 30.
Update:
06-10-05 Well with any luck, it looks like it's not going to hit
the Tampa area, although we may get flash flooding. Since I live near
the river, I may get flooded to a point, hopefully not too much.
The Panhandle is going to maybe get hit with huriicane force winds.
They are saying it will possible become a cat 1 hurricane by the time
it gets to Landfall. But where will landfall be? North I hope. Now we
wait for the next one.
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