Why Are We Here?

[MWatkins]

In another thread, LAwxgrl brings an interesting dilemma.

Or, if you're like me, would take a slow hurricane season or a lot of fish storms that don't harm anybody

Why are we all posting in this forum? Well...in some manner or another we are all interested in the tropics because...well...we're reading and posting here. I would imagine one extreme is those who are deathly afraid of storms, and want to know exactly what's going on at any given point in time, so they feel good that no storm is coming any time soon. At the other extreme are those who want to experience the full power of a hurricane, and whether they admit it or not, secretly desire (or not so secretly desire) that a Category 5 pass right over their home.

Growing up in Kansas, I hated tornados...feared them and ran into my parents bedroom anytime I heard thunder at night. A psychologist would love to get hold of me I'm sure...this may have something to do with my strong interest in weather to this day. Now...I think seeing a tornado in person is one of the coolest experiences ever.

On one hand, if following a storm and rooting for it to miss land and turn harmlessly to sea is a true hope...why do systems in the East Pacific draw so little overall interest?

On the other, why is there some obvious jealousy in the forum when a storm threatens someone else? Why are do some in a threatened area take pride in the fact that this is their storm and not someone else's?

Maybe the attached poll will help define where everyone falls in this scale. Please answer honestly. The poll is anonymous.

MW

[Rainband]

I would love to experience a Hurricane but I don't want anyone to get hurt or lose there home!! I love the action but not the aftermath

[Stormchaser16]

I put smash into my community, but let me clarify this so people do not think i am crazy lol....

I would like a weak but fast moving hurricane so that the damage is minimal but yet I can still experience a hurricane at my house.

[GalvestonDuck]

That was sort of hard to pick.

I voted "I just like tracking hurricanes, I don't care where they go." But actually I do care that they don't make landfall where they will take many lives and devestate homes AND I live in a hurricane-prone area (shush, David! ) which is the main reason I like tracking them (preparation).

[bahamaswx]

I've always been interested by hurricanes. When I was younger I guess it was just the thrill of being in one, but these days I'm more interested by the dynamics, the power and just the overall beauty of a hurricane.

I voted "I just like tracking hurricanes, I don't care where they go." But don't get me wrong, I love hurricanes and am always hoping to experience another.

[The Dark Knight]

I agree........

[Storm Man]

Any Day Now We Should Have Something To Track.
The Blue Moon Hurricane! Where Will It Go?

[HurricaneGirl]

I want one to come close and then turn away! So I can say Holy Crap it's coming right for us!!

[bahamaswx]

That's usually what happens here, HurricaneGirl.

*cough*Isabel*cough*

Then again.. I guess the safest place to be is right in the middle of a 5-day forecast

[Thunder44]

I want big storms and I'm amazed to see people come to boards like this and say they don't want storms. I think people are pretending that don't want the storms because they don't others to think they are bad or evil people.

I know they can be scary, but I still want them. I probably wouldn't wamt something extreme hit my area like f4 tornado or Cat 4 hurricane, but I wouldn't mind it anywhere else. I know it can cause death and destruction, but my fascination with storms overwhelms that. In fact, a sick part of me likes to hear the weather make the news headlines . However at the same time, when I hear stories from people losing their property, friends and family, I do feel sad. I guess at that point I'm brought to reality of situation when that happens .

So I voted that I "wanted to experience a hurricane".

[cycloneye]

Great poll MW that you posted to see how the members think of why they are in this hurricane hollow forum.I like to track them mostly fish hurricanes as I dont want to experience another landfall from cat threes.

[Anonymous]

A tropical storm to a minimal cat. 1 would be fine. Some rain, some action, no one gets hurt. But nothing more than that. I think we are all here because we like the excitement of where will it go!
The thrill of the hunt.

[Stormsfury]

There isn't anything better than watching a Cat. 5 (Isabel) way out in open waters ... unfortunately last year, two of the three majors last year did end up affecting land ...

Fabian smashing into Bermuda
Isabel hitting NC/Mid-Atlantic (as a Cat. 2)
Kate was a harmless storm, with only concerns to shipping lanes.

After taking on Hugo in 1989, I was fascinated, frightenened beyond belief, and yet excited all at the same time. Among many weather enthusiasts, the vast majority do want to experience what mother nature has to offer, and yet at the same time, do not want any loss of life or damage to property.

Wishing on a storm won't make one happen, irregardless, and the varying opinions that come out shows one very major thing with humanity. We are all unique in our reasoning.

Good poll, Mike.

SF

[BayouVenteux]

An excellent question, yet too difficult to answer in a simple poll question. For me it's an attraction that's equal parts fascination and fear.

For starters, I'm endlessly fascinated by nature and it's endless bounty of wonders, but particularly by the development, power, and dynamics of tropical cyclones. I've been tracking them...long before Al Gore invented this miraculous medium we're on ...since I moved down to the Gulf Coast region in 1974. My earliest memories of the incredible power of a hurricane are from visiting my relatives in Mississippi and Alabama in the winter of 1969, following Camille. While the recovery had been underway for several months, the evidence of devastation was still vivid and jaw-dropping for an eight-year-old kid from Illinois. I think that's where the lifelong interest in storms actually began.

As I grew up and evolved into a bona fide southerner over the years, hurricanes and tropical storms became a part of the fabric of my life and experiences, as they probably are for many of you. From the time my dad was airlifted out of Point Clear, Ala. before Frederic when I was in high school, to the bad floods (and my stalled car incident) that occured with numerous tropical storms when I was in college in Houston, to getting stuck in New Orleans during Hurricane Juan, to the night of big, bad Andrew, to all of our houseguests in '98 who evac'd from down the road in the Crescent City during Georges, and on and on...there's so many memories associated with storms, some good, and some not-so-good.

Then there's the fear...for my family, property, relatives and locale, as I have already witnessed firsthand a number of times and in various locations, the havoc storms leave in their aftermath. With parents who reside less than a mile from the SW Florida coast on an inlet off a connecting bay, with numerous close relatives living (below sea level!) within short walking distance of Lake Pontchartrain, as well as in other low-lying areas in SE Louisiana, there are loved ones and friends all over the Gulf Coast with the potential to be in harm's way if a big storm gets into "the pond". That's what really keeps me up at night and here on the internet come some times in late August through September.

[Stephanie]

I selected the responsible answer - have one come close to my home and then turn harmlessly out to sea. HOWEVER, I would love to experience one first hand!

[bfez1]

I would love to experience a Hurricane but I don't want anyone to get hurt or lose there home!! I love the action but not the aftermath

Ditto here
I love the excitement of an oncoming storm!
I experienced Hurricane Betsy as a child and still remember it vividly.
We left our subdivision in a boat. Total devastation.

[Brent]

I want big storms and I'm amazed to see people come to boards like this and say they don't want storms. I think people are pretending that don't want the storms because they don't others to think they are bad or evil people.

I know they can be scary, but I still want them. I probably wouldn't wamt something extreme hit my area like f4 tornado or Cat 4 hurricane, but I wouldn't mind it anywhere else. I know it can cause death and destruction, but my fascination with storms overwhelms that. In fact, a sick part of me likes to hear the weather make the news headlines . However at the same time, when I hear stories from people losing their property, friends and family, I do feel sad. I guess at that point I'm brought to reality of situation when that happens .

So I voted that I "wanted to experience a hurricane".

You just said my thoughts exactly. I LOVE Hurricanes and love when they make landfall.

I'm honestly not a sick human being. It's just been my passion now for years.

[Anonymous]

I voted that I would like to see a hurricane in my area to see mom natures fury--and the scrambling of people to the stores--Wish we could do without the damage and deaths though.

[Aimless]

I come here because it is so much more informative than the standard weather sites. The discussions help me to understand what is happening and what might happen. I've learned more from Storm 2K in a year than 30 ( ish) years of watching local weather reports ...

I've been assigned the task of developing and maintaining the hurricane preparedness plan for my employer....This forum has been a wonderful resource.

[Josephine96]

I voted that I want the storm to crash right into my community.. I know it sound scenile lol.. But I've been through numerous TS's and only 1 cane..