Central Florida Thread {West and East Coast}

[KissimmeeRoger]

I am over on the West Side of West Lake Toho, right on the lake.. Looks like SFWMD did their job and lowered the lake some this week, so all is well.

With the wind field forcasted to expand dramatically looks like we may feel some pretty strong winds. Figures, am in the final stages of rebuilding what was left of my house from Charley and the other two storms last year. Good news is my new roofed in deck, hasnt had the screens installed yet, so I am one step ahead of the storm. LOL

Regarding the 99 Cent Store, I hate the say it but Kissimmee is not going to miss a dollar store. It has too many in my opinion. We need better quality markets, stores and shopping areas. But thats another topic and another day..

Good luck to you all.. Not sure what will happen, but I can assure you it will happen.

[Josephine96]

and thank you for that Roger lol.. Yes we do have plenty of stores.. But it's just tearful to look at what that building looks like completely gutted by fire..

anyway.. Yes we are probably gonna get some strong winds here.. possibly up to hurricane force. It's gonna get windy

[SeaBrz_FL]

Wow, Ixo, what an ordeal you are going through! I cannot even imagine what you've been through for the past two months, but hope that things improve for you quickly. I love Biloxi and, once you all are back on your feet, I have already committed every vacation dollar to your area for the following few years.

Take care and keep the faith,
SB

[cjrciadt]

and thank you for that Roger lol.. Yes we do have plenty of stores.. But it's just tearful to look at what that building looks like completely gutted by fire..

anyway.. Yes we are probably gonna get some strong winds here.. possibly up to hurricane force. It's gonna get windy

Cat1 seems likely with the newest track unless some major changes Sun. Remember things can change greatly even within a handful of hrs before landfall.

[KissimmeeRoger]

Fires are always bad, but that area needs some good cleanup.. Hopefully now the owner of that property will get a decent tenant. We could use a Best Buy..
Kinda weird if you ask me, the store just opens and there is a fire.. Not sure why they keep building these stores. They never last and also never make the place attractive.

Good luck.. I personally think its gonna be a close call. Especially with the windfield expanding.

[Josephine96]

Hmm.. A 75 mph breeze.. I wonder if I can go stand in that lol j/k.. I wouldn't even dare..

I am now still wondering if I need to attempt to get to work Monday.. or are they gonna close the store, or should I just call in sick.. I'll worry about that Monday morning

[SeaBrz_FL]

The 11 pm NHC Track. Don't like the fact that the Cat 1 status holds out way into the Atlantic.

[tronbunny]

I've been trying to think about where Dyer&Vine is... but it only just hit me.. duh!
Behind the outback!
Me thinkin' with my stomach.

We did have some lightning this afternoon.. maybe?

If so, could that be considered a Wilma related disaster?


Oh, for those of us who are in central FL...
You may get as much a kick out of this interactive map as I did (esp at the beginning of the season, last year.
http://www.e-transit.org/hurricane/map.asp?command=find&annot=%7C&vis=2%7C2%7C&width=0&table=&scope=-81589823%7C28019163%7C594.659136%7C494.558181&mapimage.x=289&mapimage.y=261&ml0=2&ml1=2
It's the strike probabilities, by county..
and I'm still amused at Polk county having no real information, but when you turn on the overlay of hurricanes from both west and east coast... Polk is the crossroads! and this map doesn't have last year on it!

enjoy!

[tronbunny]

Once more for tonite...
US Lanfalling Hurricane Project
http://www.e-transit.org/hurricane/map.asp?table=/MaptitudeTempFiles/a6f4b6736.htm
Osceola County Hurricane statistics for yr. 2000:

County (High) Information
Name Osceola FL
Region 7
Region - Coastline Distance 574
Region - 2000 Population 4,454,373
Region - Named Storms (1900-1999) 16
Region - Prob. 1 or More NS 30.3% (18.1%)
Region - Prob. 2 or More NS 2.9% (1.8%)
Region - Hurricanes (1900-1999) 5
Region - Prob. 1 or More H 14.1% (8.4%)
Region - Prob. 2 or More H 0.6% (0.4%)
Region - Intense Hurricanes (1900-1999) 0
Region - Prob. 1 or More IH 4.0%(<0.1%)
Region - Prob. 2 or More IH <0.1%(<0.1%)
Region - Prob. TS Force 16.7% (7.3%)
Region - 50 Year TS Prob. 97.7%
Region - NS Vicinity Prob. 77.8% (48.2%)
Region - Prob. H Force 4.1% (1.8%)
Region - 50 Year H Prob. 59.7%
Region - H Vicinity Prob. 31.0% (15.0%)
Region - Prob. IH Force 0.7% (0.3%)
Region - 50 Year IH Prob. 13.9%
Region - IH Vicinity Prob. 6.0% (2.7%)County - Coastline Distance (km) ---
County - Inland Border Width (km) 79
County - 2000 Population 172,493
County - Prob. TS Force 1.7% (0.8%)
County - Prob. TS Vicinity 25.6% (12.1%)
County - 50 Year TS Prob. 31.5%
County - Prob. H Force 0.4% (0.2%)
County - Prob. H Vicinity 7.0% (3.1%)
County - 50 Year H Prob. 8.9%
County - Prob. IH Force <0.1% (<0.1%)
County - Prob. IH Vicinity 1.2% (0.5%)
County - 50 Year IH Prob. 1.5%

Last year blew all those stats to heck, eh?

[cancunkid]

Does anyone know about a guy on either Captiva or Sanibel with lemurs and exotic birds? My sister was telling me about some guy down there who has hundreds which just got me worried about all those critters on an island which is sounding more and more likely in the path of a hurricane. Is my sis pulling my leg?

[Brent]

The 11 pm NHC Track. Don't like the fact that the Cat 1 status holds out way into the Atlantic.

That's not a surprise... it's only going to have about 6 hours over land. Should have no trouble if it comes in as a Cat 2 or 3.

[tronbunny]

Ixo, I hope things improve for you very soon.
I wish my company was able to pay under the circumstances, but like the small business owners and employees in the Keys..
No open doors, no customers, no cash flow, no way to pay employees....

Oddly enough, we've done extra business in LA (Louisiana) since Katrina.. and it's not all replacement parts

[Ixolib]

...Ixo, I hope things improve for you very soon.

...Take care and keep the faith,
SB

Thanks both of you for the kind words and thoughts. I am but one of what I believe is literally millions in a similar boat. In fact, today I drove down I-10 through downtown New Orleans and I am here to tell you that they got surely and definitely wacked!! All the way from the Lake at the east to the Superdome on the west and beyond, homes, apartments, business, churches, as far as the eye can see on both sides of the interstate are in most cases a total loss. That city almost looked like a ghost town! Very surreal - even two months later...

I'm so hopeful that FL can somehow, someway, escape any damage from Wilma that comes even close to that magnitude. We've GOT to be hopeful that surge will abate before landfall!!

[Josephine96]

Well.. I'm awake now.. and I notice the coastal warning to Brevard Cty is now a hurricane warning..

The local met said winds up to 80 mph are possible here.. I believe he said in gusts though..

This is gonna get interesting..

[Josephine96]

I also have just noticed that our Inland hurricane watch is now an inland hurricane warning.. Brilliant

[Josephine96]

Schools are now closed tomorrow in Polk, Brevard and Orange.

State of emergencies in Palm Bay and in Brevard County

Brevard County cancels Monday bus service.

Osceola and Seminole yet to make decisions on schools..

{Getting all these at the ticker of the bottom of the screen lol}

[drudd1]

Seminole County Public Schools are now officially closed for Monday.

[Josephine96]

Lake county also closed on Monday along with Sumter County

Brevard County: Curfew starts at sunset and lasts till 5pm Monday

[Eyes2theSkies]

any word on Curfews for Orange county. I am not very happy about having to go into work at 5:00 a.m. knowing that I am going to be sent home around 10:00 a.m. It is really going to stink having to drive in this even if it is only tropical storm force winds.

[Windswept]

Volusia County Schools closed tomorrow.

Stetson University closed Monday & Tuesday