SE FLA Thread...(Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Monroe)

[gatorcane]

Question for S. Floridians:

When will Palm Beach Airport close? Tomorrow afternoon or will they wait until Mon.?

Thanks CaneClaw, anybody else know?

[sprink52]

Hey...guess what? Read your insurance policy. Mine says that if I don't use the provided pre storm mitigation equipment provided or required by public officials, the company may elect not to pay a windstorm claim. In a nut shell....if code required your home to be provided with shutters and you don't use them, you aren't covered for hurricane windstorm damage. Think about it...is it worth the risk?

[southeast fl]

Quote: "What is surprising to me is the throught that it will give us worse than we got for Francis and Jeanne. More surprising to me is that the experts claim we did not even get Hurricane force winds from Francis. I was sure that we did but Derek says we only experienced TS conditions here in Lake Worth (and south of here). Sure seemed like a whole lot more.
So, if we are expecting worse than Francis (supposedly TS only) and Jeanne (we had Cat 1 conditions); then it is a no brainer to put them up.

Hope you all enjoy reading me argue with myself!"end quote

I'm in suburban Lake Worth, and specifically remember us getting much more than tropical storm winds. We had a few really bad storm cells and that's where the winds were definitely hurricane strength. We remember listening to our battery radio after the power went out and these cells were moving right through our area, they were more like 100 mi. an hour gusts according to the meterologist on duty. It really depended on which area you are in I guess. Same with Jeanne. My neighborhood didn't do too bad w/jeanne, but there were an awful lot of blue tarps on roofs just down the street and all over the area. I really don't think tropical storm winds would do that kind of damage. That's why I don't believe those who say PBC didn't get hurricane winds. I've been through tropical storms in the past, and what we experienced w/Jeanne and Frances was much worse.

[Canelaw99]

If anyone is questioning whether or not to shutter - check out skeetobite's windfield map for the peninsula -

http://www.skeetobiteweather.com/picservice.asp?t=z&m=24

It looks like I may see 'cane force winds down in these parts.....

[Scorpion]

Nope, Frances was a TS in much of Palm Beach County. That's why I was able to stand outside in the worst of it and not get knocked over....

[Derek Ortt]

Palm Beach had cat 1 winds from jeanne and TS winds from Frances. In those TS's you went through ebfore, you did not get the worst of the winds. You will get the worst of the winds this time

[Scorpion]

Palm Beach had cat 1 winds from jeanne and TS winds from Frances. In those TS's you went through ebfore, you did not get the worst of the winds. You will get the worst of the winds this time

I agree. People here will be very surprised. We also will be getting way higher gusts(110+ likely) than from Frances. Shutters will be going on tomorrow definitely unless something changes.

[artist]

according to the NHC Hurricane Frances-

Jupiter PD 04/1655 70 78
Jupiter Inlet 04/1300 79 these were winds reported in Jupiter

West Palm Beach (KPBI) 05/0508 972.0 05/0656 56 71

SW Palm Beachg 05/0630 986.9 05/0456 59


Hurricane Jeanne-

Palm Beach (KPBI) 26/0200 974.2 26/0153 60
Juno Beach 26.875°N 80.070°W 25/2250 959.6 25/2235 34 62

(there was none for Jupiter)

[Scorpion]

Wow. And its possible we get 90-105 mph sustained winds here. With higher gusts. A totally different level than last year's storms.

[Bgator]

Wow. And its possible we get 90-105 mph sustained winds here. With higher gusts. A totally different level than last year's storms.

Anyone just north or FAR south can expect sustained huricane winds...Mets in miami say 100+ moh winds can be felt in MIAMI!

[Vandora]

Don't forget, of course, that what winds you'll get depends on exactly where the center hits. As the 11 discussion says, that could be anywhere in the cone.

[THead]

I think if it goes a bit north of us here in Broward, we'll see conditions we haven't seen since Andrew. People in for a big surprise here I think. I just don't see the preperation here. Sorry if this has already been mentioned, been stuck in the 190 page Wilma thread.....

[boca]

I've been away today but trying to catch up reading threads but most impressive is that Wilma is starting to explode with darker colors.

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT ... -loop.html

[fci]

Don't forget, of course, that what winds you'll get depends on exactly where the center hits. As the 11 discussion says, that could be anywhere in the cone.

It seems like exactly where it hits is not really the issue with Wilma since its wind field is so large and only going to expand.

See other comments that say all of the Peninsula south of the track will experience Hurricane Force winds

I too have been preoccupied with the distance from the center to where I live but apparently that is not as important this time.

[boca]

How much are those accordian shutters at Home Depot anyone know just an educated guess?

[Windtalker1]

People in Palm Beach are taking this way too lightly.

The main reasons right now are

1) Katrina was way overhyped and hardly did anything to us
2) Wilma has weakened to a CAT 2 over the Yucatan and has given
people a false sense of security (she's back on her way to major
hurricane status tonight)
3) She is approaching from the SW rather than the E like Jeanne/Frances.
But people don't realilze that due to her speed and strength, she will
weaken very little crossing the flat everglades.

Broward also...only 10% of houses in my neighborhood shuttered up in Davie.

[bosag]

As of yesterday, only 4 houses on my street were shuttered Mine and an elderly couple a couple of doors down. Hopefully that will change today.

Barb

[DAVE440]

We're 75% boarded up here now. Wanted to leave a bit of light coming in for Sunday and see what was happening with the track....but it appears to have shifted south again.... NOT GOOD! Going to finish boarding up in a few hours and make final preparations. Then...if there's time... (prolly not) maybe I'll go to the computer show in town if its not cancelled due to the hurricane. I gotta unwind b4 this thing comes.

[Weatherboy1]

Got the second floor and some first floor windows that are more exposed done today. I'm going to finish with one or two first floor ones today, but leave a couple un-shuttered (that are under an overnhanging porch roof and therefore sheltered, plus will likely end up on the "lee" side of the storm). I'll be getting to work in an hour or so. In my development, some people were already shuttered while others (like me) were doing the work yesterday. I'd say that overall, only about 1/3 were done by sundown yesterday.

[Bob R]

I talked to a neighbor who knows someone who works at FPL, and he said that over 1/2 of their crews and trucks were in the Gulf Coast working on Katrina repair. I don't know whether this is factual but wonder if that might affect how quickly power is restored here?

I was miserable after last years storms and without power for almost 2 weeks. But on the "bright side", it is not expected to be as hot next week....