Three Storms Possibly Headed for TEXAS

It looks like we have 3 more storms lined up, possibly headed for Texas.

I have the boards and clips sitting on the back porch and the generators are ready to go.

The cost of living near the Texas Gulf Coast.

"Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night! - Margo Channing, as played by Bette Davis in "All About Eve." "

Hurricane Dolly Heads Inland

Tropical Storm Dolly became Hurricane Dolly yesterday, and will hit the border between Texas and Mexico sometime early today (Wednesday morning).


I expect it to diminish quickly. On a positive note, it will drop needed rain on the lower Texas coast.


Thank goodness it did not hit the Houston area.

"Where I am they can smell out a hurricane. My house survived Hurricane Hazel, but it didn't get past Hugo." - Mickey Spillane

Tropical Storm Dolly Forms in Gulf

It looks as if Tropical Storm Dolly will hit lower Texas and Upper Mexico. However, can we trust the national Hurricane Center's prediction?

I will wait and see where it heads. As long as it stays away from Texas proper (central to upper coast region) I will be happy.

"It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared." - Whitney M. Young, Jr.

Cristobal Is Upon Us (But Not Texas)

From a Houston Chronicle report:

Tropical Storm Cristobal churned off the Southeast seaboard after it formed Saturday, the first storm to threaten the U.S. this hurricane season, forecasters said.

The storm strengthened from a tropical depression, generating maximum sustained winds of about 45 mph as it promised to bring much-needed rains to the parched eastern Carolinas.

At 5 p.m. EDT, the center of the storm was about 125 miles east of Charleston and about 205 miles southwest of Cape Hatteras, N.C. The National Hurricane Center said Cristobal was moving northeast at about 7 mph.

Although the center of the storm was forecast to remain off the coast through the weekend, tropical storm warnings were in effect from the South Santee River in South Carolina to the North Carolina-Virginia state line, including Pamlico Sound.

Flood advisories were posted for coastal counties and Wilmington, N.C., received 2 1/2 inches of rain Saturday, said Stephen Keebler, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service there. Cristobal's winds were not expected to be a problem, Keebler said.

At least it is nowhere near Texas.

"It is better to meet danger than to wait for it. He that is on a lee shore, and foresees a hurricane, stands out to sea and encounters a storm to avoid a shipwreck." - Charles Caleb Colton

2008 Hurricane Season is Upon Us (in Texas)

The 2008 hurricane season is upon us. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. I keep very close watch here in Texas of any storms that form in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. I still have the window coverings ready in case we are instructed to evacuate. I doubt the winds and water could get to me where I live, but I am prepared, none the less.

The 2008 hurricane names are as follows:
Arthur
Bertha
Cristobal
Dolly
Edouard
Fay
Gustav
Hanna
Ike
Josephine
Kyle
Laura
Marco
Nana
Omar
Paloma
Rene
Sally
Teddy
Vicky
Wilfred

We have already had three named storms this season. Here is a recap:
Arthur (Tropical Storm)
Born: May 31, 2008 2:00 PM EDT
Tropical storm Alma crossed over Central America into the warm waters of the Caribbean and strengthened into tropical storm Arthur, the first named storm of the Atlantic season. It officially formed near the coast of Belize and dumped heavy rain on Central America and southern Mexico.
Died: May 31, 2008 8:28 PM EST (estimated)

Bertha (Topical Storm)
Born: July 10, 2008 2:00 PM EDT
Bertha moved towards the northwest before changing direction, heading toward Bermuda. It is currenty listed as a Category 3 storm. It does not look like it will hit the United States.

Cristobal (Forming?)
We could soon be looking at a new tropical depression with the potential to strengthen into a tropical storm. The disturbance is about 1200 miles east of the Lesser Antilles. The National Hurricane Center says conditions are favorable for development. The system could become a tropical depression any time during the next day or two as it moves to the west-northwest at 15 mph.

I will stay abreast of these storms. It is interesting to see how they form and where they go. Be advised: if they get anywhere close to the Texas coast with any intensity, I will be thinking about heading north.

"They whirled past the dark trees, as feathers would be swept before a hurricane. Houses, gates, churches, hay-stacks, objects of every kind they shot by, with a velocity and noise like roaring waters suddenly let loose. Still the noise of pursuit grew louder, and still my uncle could hear the young lady wildly screaming, "Faster! Faster!"" - Charles Dickens