Blue Tarps

[Cookiely]

I hope they didn't run out of blue tarps. We may need a few. The wind woke me up at five. I can hear debris rolling around and small limbs coming down. It sure is cold, but at least the rain has stopped for now.
Wind Advisory
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT - DAMAGE FROM HIGH WIND
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
428 AM EST SUN DEC 26 2004

FLC053-057-081-101-103-115-261130-
MANATEE-PINELLAS-HERNANDO-SARASOTA-HILLSBOROUGH-PASCO-
428 AM EST SUN DEC 26 2004

...DAMAGING WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT MANATEE...NORTHWESTERN
CHARLOTTE...PINELLAS...NORTHWESTERN POLK...SOUTHWESTERN HERNANDO...
SARASOTA...HILLSBOROUGH AND PASCO COUNTIES...

...A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM...

BETWEEN 350 AND 430 AM...WINDS HAVE BEEN SUSTAINED AT 30 TO 40 MPH
WITH FREQUENT GUSTS TO 50 MPH. NUMEROUS REPORTS OF POWER OUTAGES
AND MINOR MOBILE HOME DAMAGE HAVE BEEN RECEIVED IN PASCO AND
PINELLAS COUNTIES. THERE WILL LIKELY BE TREE DAMAGE AS WELL BEFORE
THE WINDS SUBSIDE A BIT AFTER SUNRISE.

DAMAGING WIND GUSTS MAY AFFECT...
TAMPA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
WARM MINERAL SPRINGS.
WIMAUMA.
RIVERVIEW.
WESLEY CHAPEL.
VALRICO.

MINOR DAMAGE WILL OCCUR TO MOBILE HOMES...INCLUDING PARTIAL ROOF
REMOVAL. A FEW POOL CAGES AND LANAIS WILL BE DAMAGED. UNSECURED LIGHT
WEIGHT OBJECTS MAY BECOME PROJECTILES. SOME ELECTRICAL WIRES WILL BE
BLOWN DOWN...AS WILL A FEW TREES AND NUMEROUS LIMBS. RESIDENTS SHOULD
REMAIN IN A STURDY BUILDING UNTIL THE WINDS EASE.

[Cookiely]

000
FXUS62 KTBW 261121
AFDTBW

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
620 AM EST SUN DEC 26 2004

.UPDATE...HAVE ISSUED A WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR THE NATURE COAST
THIS MORNING AS COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND COLD TEMPERATURES
HAVE BROUGHT WIND CHILLS DOWN TO AROUND 25 DEGREES. ALSO...HAD
UPGRADED TAMPA BAY WATERS TO THE GALE WARNING AT AROUND 5 AM. HAVE
ISSUED A COASTAL FLOOD WARNING FROM PASCO SOUTH TO SARASOTA COUNTY
AS CLEARWATER BEACH BRIEFLY SPIKED TO 6.1 FEET ABOVE ASTRONOMICAL
TIDES.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOLLOWS WITH UPDATED WATCH/WARNING SECTION...

.SHORT TERM (TODAY-TUE)...THE LOW PRESSURE CENTER IS CURRENTLY OVER
THE TAMPA BAY AREA AND THE TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT IS CAUSING STRONG
GUSTY WINDS AS HIGH AS 27 KNOTS OVER LAND AND UP TO 56 KNOTS AT BUOY
42003 WELL OFFSHORE OF LEE COUNTY. WILL THEREFORE ISSUE A HIGH SURF
ADVISORY FOR THE AREA BEACHES AS WELL AS A WIND ADVISORY THIS MORNING
FOR PASCO COUNTY SOUTH. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH THIS AFTERNOON
AS THE LOW WILL QUICKLY MOVE ACROSS THE STATE WITH THE STRONG UPPER
TROUGH SWINGING THROUGH NORTH FL. MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES WILL CONTINUE
THIS MORNING WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR RAIN EVERYWHERE...EXCEPT A
CHANCE FOR RAIN ACROSS THE NORTH...AND THEN BEGIN TO CLEAR OUT LATE
THIS AFTERNOON AS DEEPER DRIER AIR ADVECTS INTO THE REGION. HIGH
PRESSURE RIDGES OVER THE STATE FROM NORTH OF THE AREA STARTING
TONIGHT AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD AS THE HIGH
CENTER SINKS SOUTHWARD. SKIES WILL BECOME MOSTLY CLEAR EACH NIGHT AND
THEN PARTLY CLOUDY IN THE AFTERNOONS. TEMPS WILL BE SUPPRESSED SOME
TODAY WITH THE CLOUDY/WINDY MORNING...REACHING THE MID 50S NORTH TO
MID 60S SOUTH. A COOLER NIGHT IN STORE TONIGHT AS WINDS CALM AND
SKIES CLEAR OUT...ALLOWING FOR LOTS OF RADIATIONAL COOLING. TEMPS
ACROSS THE NORTH WILL BE NEAR FREEZING INLAND...WITH AROUND 40
CENTRAL AND LOWER 40S SOUTH. TEMPS WILL THEN GRADUALLY REBOUND TO
NEAR NORMAL BY TUESDAY.

.LONG TERM (TUE NIGHT-SUN)...VIRTUALLY NO CHANGE TO THE FCST FROM
MIDWEEK THROUGH NEW YEAR'S DAY. BROAD...SLOW BUILDING UPPER RIDGE
ACROSS THE GULF AND SE STATES ENSURES THAT A SFC HIGH WILL REMAIN
ANCHORED FROM THE MID ATLC THROUGH THE EASTERN GULF WITH LIGHT TO
MODERATE ENE FLOW THROUGH THE PERIOD. SLOW WARMUP EXPECTED AS LOW
LEVEL TEMPS TAKE THEIR TIME RISING...BUT THURS THROUGH SAT STILL LOOK
TO AVERAGE AROUND 5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.

AS FOR PCPN...VERY DRY MID LEVELS HOLD THROUGH THE PERIOD. GFS
SHOWING POTENTIAL FOR CIRRUS TO SPILL OVER THE RIDGE AND HINTS AT
SOME VERTICAL EXTENT TO THE CU AS SFC-850MB FLOW VEERS TO THE ESE...
BUT GIVEN UNFAVORABLE TIME OF YEAR PREFER TO ERR ON THE SIDE OF
OPTIMISM. AS MENTIONED IN PRIOR DISCUSSION...NEXT WEEKEND SHOULD BE
A COMPLETE REVERSAL OF THIS ONE.

[Terry]

I had seen the gale warnings right before I went to bed. It didn't wake me up though, so it wasn't too bad here.

The Tampa Bay bridges were closed early today- gusts to near 60 mph. 15,000 still without power in Pinellas County. Traffic lights out all over the Bay area.

Some flooding in Anna Maria Island (normal ocurrence) but roofs blown off somewhere in that area.

GOM seas - 10-16 feet with some coastal flooding ocurring earlier - not a boating day. Winds are laying down some, but the surfers will be out for sure.

[Cookiely]

I had seen the gale warnings right before I went to bed. It didn't wake me up though, so it wasn't too bad here.

The Tampa Bay bridges were closed early today- gusts to near 60 mph. 15,000 still without power in Pinellas County. Traffic lights out all over the Bay area.

Some flooding in Anna Maria Island (normal ocurrence) but roofs blown off somewhere in that area.

GOM seas - 10-16 feet with some coastal flooding ocurring earlier - not a boating day. Winds are laying down some, but the surfers will be out for sure.

The winds have finally died down. Good day to stay inside. I was going to go shopping this morning but I've changed my mind.

[Terry]

Cookiely wrote:

The winds have finally died down. Good day to stay inside. I was going to go shopping this morning but I've changed my mind.

We were going to shop Int'l Plaza, but I'd bet the weather and day-after-Xmas thing will bring the shoppers out. Not to mention the nasty traffic for the Buc's game.

Staying at home sounds too good to pass up.

[TampaBayBee]

Cookiely-- I hope they didn't run out of blue tarps. We may need a few. The wind woke me up at five. I can hear debris rolling around and small limbs coming down. It sure is cold, but at least the rain has stopped for now.

Woke us up around 4:30AM, with a wild ride for the next two hours. Of course, we missed the warning to secure yard objects last night. The water really piled up in the canal. Glad it was near low tide.

Neighbor's flag pole was knocked over, otherwise no obvious structural damage. Our pecan tree was badly beaten by Hurricane Frances. It was unscathed by these winds.

[Scorpion]

Lucky . Here the gusts are only going to about 40, and its much warmer.

[Brent]

Yikes.

[Dee Bee]

Whoa, sounds like a decidedly "Non-Silent Night" for Christmas!
Our coast is getting the leftovers today, I think: 66, gusts 35+, -- and finally flashes of sunshine! For the past several days it's been so overcast that as a former native Chicagoan, if I turned up the AC and kind of squinted out the window as I wrapped gifts, I could almost believe that the snow would start falling any minute!