ATL: Tropical Depression Dolly

[Sanibel]

Big dry slot from air taken out from Mexico.

[jabman98]

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/atlarge/2008/07/a_day_at_the_beach_july_22_liv.html

Here is a great site run by KENS 5 CBS San Antonio Station that sent a journalist to watch the action from a Comfort Inn on South Padre Island. Helpful to all those wondering how the island is holding up.

Thanks for this. I love first hand accounts. That picture of the guys fixing the outside door is pretty telling. Read further down and sheesh, there's a family with little kids. there. Well, that'll be something to remember. They'll have some interesting beachcombing in a day or two. Lots of unusual things washed up onshore.

[Brent]

TWC reports 17 year old blown off 7th story balcony SPI and injured.

Well that was dumb. Why would you go onto a 7th floor balcony in Hurricane force winds?

What an idiot.

Anyway, NHC confirms landfall, winds down to 95.

[brunota2003]

BECAUSE A PORTION OF THE CIRCULATION OF DOLLY HAS BEEN INTERACTING
WITH LAND...THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE DECREASED TO NEAR 95
MPH... 150 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. DOLLY IS NOW A CATEGORY ONE
HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. STRONGER WINDS...ESPECIALLY
IN GUSTS...ARE LIKELY ON HIGH RISE BUILDINGS. A GRADUAL WEAKENING
SHOULD BEGIN SOON AS THE EYE MOVES FARTHER INLAND.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 25 MILES...35 KM...FROM
THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 140
MILES...220 KM. HARLINGEN TEXAS MEASURED 54 MPH...87 KM/HR SUSTAINED
WINDS WITH GUSTS TO 74 MPH...119 KM/HR.

[Enzo Aquarius]

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/atlarge/2008/07/a_day_at_the_beach_july_22_liv.html

Here is a great site run by KENS 5 CBS San Antonio Station that sent a journalist to watch the action from a Comfort Inn on South Padre Island. Helpful to all those wondering how the island is holding up.

Thanks for this. I love first hand accounts. That picture of the guys fixing the outside door is pretty telling. Read further down and sheesh, there's a family with little kids. there. Well, that'll be something to remember. They'll have some interesting beachcombing in a day or two. Lots of unusual things washed up onshore.

Take a look at the 'Hello Dolly' sign for the Radisson Hotel.

[Category 5]

TWC reports 17 year old blown off 7th story balcony SPI and injured.

Well that was dumb. Why would you go onto a 7th floor balcony in Hurricane force winds?

Darwin award candidate

Only an honorable mention actually.

[wx247]

Tornado touched down about 6 miles south of Bayside around 12:45 according to KIII-TV. There has been some damage from it, including roof damage and an RV being overturned!

[HarlequinBoy]

0133 PM HURRICANE PORT MANSFIELD 26.55N 97.43W
07/23/2008 WILLACY TX CO-OP OBSERVER

76 MPH WIND GUST. STRUCTURAL DAMAGE.

[BigA]

There are probably stronger winds between Harlingen and the eye.

[gatorcane]

do we have any photos in of damage yet?

[Sanibel]

Live reports show heavy rains Brownsville.

Stronger winds on live reports.

Brownsville marijuana smugglers caught trying to take advantage of hurricane to smuggle 5000 pounds.

[brunota2003]

Oh no doubt there is...the only problem is that the weather stations there either are not connected to the internet (home stations) or have no power to record and transmit data.

[HarlequinBoy]

It's probably going to be border counties that will receive the extreme rain totals, that's a pretty nice dry slot moving up the coast.

[CrazyC83]

Darwin award candidate

Only an honorable mention actually.

Another candidate: smugglers and illegal immigrants crossing thinking the Border Patrol has shut down for the hurricane (they haven't), according to CNN.

[Sanibel]

Strong winds coming from west in Brownsville on unprotected side of boarded houses.

[Wx_Warrior]

Houston Chronicle has a few SPI photos of roofs off...

http://www.chron.com/news/photogallery/Texas_Gulf_Coast_keeps_an_eye_on_Dolly.html

[RL3AO]

LEFT: Storm total rainfall estimated by radar (key on left, Port Isabel = 15 inches)
RIGHT: Reflectivity

[CrazyC83]

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 1877
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0128 PM CDT WED JUL 23 2008

AREAS AFFECTED...PORTIONS S TX.

CONCERNING...TORNADO WATCH 735...

VALID 231828Z - 232030Z

THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR TORNADO WATCH 735 CONTINUES.

AS HURRICANE EYE CONTINUES TO CROSS SRN PORTIONS PADRE ISLAND AND
LAGUNA MADRE...THEN MOVE OVER MAINLAND...TWO PROCESSES WILL RESHAPE
PRIMARY TORNADO THREAT AREA WITHIN WW...

1. NERN QUADRANT OF TROPICAL CYCLONE ENVELOPE WILL CONTINUE TO
SPREAD FARTHER WWD AND INLAND WITH TIME...RESULTING IN ENLARGED 0-1
KM HODOGRAPHS...AND POTENTIAL FOR QUICK MESOCYCLONE INTENSIFICATION
AND TORNADOES WITH ANY RELATIVELY DISCRETE/SUSTAINED CELLS. MOST
PROBABLE AREA WILL BE WITH MIDDLE-OUTER SPIRAL BANDS INITIALLY
EVIDENT BETWEEN CRP AREA AND PSX AND EXTENDING ESEWD OVER GULF.
INDIVIDUAL SUPERCELLS SHOULD MOVE NWWD THEN WWD...WEAKENING AS THEY
MOVE TO POSITIONS NNW AND NW OF CENTER. WITH TIME...MESOCYCLONES
SHOULD SURVIVE SLIGHTLY FARTHER INLAND...IN STEP WITH WWD COMPONENT
OF MOTION OF EYE TO THE S AND RELATED SHIFT IN OVERALL WIND FIELDS.
ALSO...NARROW CORRIDORS OF CLEARING IN BETWEEN BANDS MAY BOOST SFC
TEMPS A FEW DEG F...RAISING MLCAPE TO AROUND 500 J/KG IN INFLOW AIR
MASS. TORNADO POTENTIAL BECOMES VERY MRGL N OF ROUGHLY I-10 WHERE
LOW LEVEL SHEAR DIMINISHES CONSIDERABLY.

2. MORE UNFAVORABLE KINEMATIC GEOMETRY...LACK OF DISCRETE/SUPERCELL
CONVECTIVE MODE...AND RELATIVE WEAKNESS OF BUOYANCY...CHARACTERIZE
INNER SWRN QUADRANT OF HURRICANE CIRCULATION THAT WILL SPREAD ACROSS
IMMEDIATE RIO GRANDE VALLEY REGION FROM BRO TO MFE AREAS. THIS
REGIME SHOULD RESULT IN LOWER TORNADO POTENTIAL THERE...RELATIVE TO
LOCATIONS ON OTHER SIDE OF EYE.

..EDWARDS.. 07/23/2008

[yzerfan]

Well that was dumb. Why would you go onto a 7th floor balcony in Hurricane force winds?

Darwin award candidate

LOL I was thinking the same. Apparently ther's no hospital on the island, as he wasbrought to the fire department.

Only 2400 year round residents, so no surprise that they send people to the inland central city for hospital care. Did EMS bring him in, or are they in a period of non-response because it's too dangerous to go out?

[KWT]

Wow 15 inches of rainfall RL3AO, not only have they been hit by some of the higher hurricane force winds but also by a heck of a lot of rainfall. Given there is still quite a lot of rainfall to the east looking at the radar could well get to 20 inches there.