Marty in the east pac, Maryland experience with storm surge.

[WXBUFFJIM]

Hi everyone. I'm ok folks. Isabel certainly left a legacy that will never be forgotten over the north central Chesapeake Bay and it's main stem rivers feeding into it. Storm surge flooding of 6-8 feet above normal tide level plus the high tide made for historical coastal flooding in Baltimore and Annapolis, Maryland. I will have photographs of the coastal flood/surge we experienced coming up sometime tomorrow. Isabel was certainly no fizzabel. It was anything but a fizzabel because of the record surges it caused up and down the Chesapeake Bay and the tidal potomac river as well.

There are a few problems worth talking about in the tropics though, even after isabel. Tropical storm marty is nearing hurricane strength south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and could become a hurricane later this evening in the east pac. At 8 PM EDT, the center of tropical storm Marty was located near latitude 18.6 north, longitude 108.6 west or about 310 miles south southeast of the southern tip of Baja California.

Marty has been moving very little over the past few hours. However it should begin a track towards the northwest with a gradual increase in forward speed over the next few hours. This track would bring the center of Marty near the west coast of southern Baja California in about 36 hours as a strong hurricane.

Maximum sustained winds are near 70 mph with higher gusts. Marty is expected to become a hurricane later this evening.

Tropical storm force winds extend outward 175 miles from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure derived from satellite imaginary was 990 mb or 29.23 inches. Just short of minimal hurricane criteria at 987 mb.

The next advisory on Marty will be issued at 11 PM EDT, 8 PM PDT.

Jim