sweetpea wrote:I just have to say, thank god for this website. My husband calls me the "weather geek". But i find it extremely frustrating when I talk to family in the path of this storm and they are like "whatever: I am like listen to what I am telling you. This website has helped me convince alot of my family to leave, unfortunately not all. My cousin in south Jersey, (cape may area) said they are caling this the storm of the century, but are they leaving??? NO, they live one block in from the light house on cape may. All I can do is keep my fingers crossed and PRAY!!!!! PLEASE if they tell you to leave, LEAVE
I used to live in West Cape May and have spent lots of time at the LH. Oldtimers shared with me that a major storm there put the corner of Sunset and Broadway under five feet of water. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the storm.
Found this which may be of interest:
http://www.hurricaneville.com/1821_hurricane.htm"The Great Hurricane of 1821 was a classic Cape Verde storm. Originating off the African coast, the hurricane was picked up by ships near Grand Turk Island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The storm headed northward, where on September 3rd, it was in Cape Hatteras by dawn, the Virginia Capes by noon, and in Delaware Bay by mid-afternoon according to the book, Great Storms of the Jersey Shore written by Larry Savadore and Margaret Thomas Buchholz. Coastal areas in the tip of Southern New Jersey such as Cape May were separated from the rest of that Southern Jersey Peninsula while heavy tree damage was reported on Long Beach Island in Ocean County.
According to an article written by Kirk Moore and Todd Bates of the Asbury Park Press on July 23, 2006, Cape May was known as Cape Island, which was appropriate, especially when a
"wall of water surged across the peninsula from Delaware Bay to the sea." Today, tourists visit the Cape May Point and its lighthouse, a place where storm surge, wind and waves forced residents including fishermen, farmers, and children to flee for higher ground.
It was the only time on record that a major hurricane has impacted the Garden State. The hurricane produced 100 mph winds as far west as Philadelphia, and a thirteen foot storm surge in what is now today, the Battery Park section of lower Manhattan. The surge was the highest ever recorded in New York Harbor. Continuing further to the north, the Great Hurricane of 1821 didn't stop there. It roared through New England as well producing winds between minimal Category One strength, and strong Category Two strength on the Saffir-Simpson Scale.
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Evacuating Cape May by car is not easy. I can understand your family's reluctance. If shelters are set up locally, perhaps that would be a viable option.
addendum: Just read that there are no hurricane shelters in Cape May County. You could suggest this, which might scare them sufficiently, ...on Galveston Island (where I've also lived LOL) prior to Rita the officials who couldn't get some people to evacuate insisted they write contact information for next of kin in Sharpie on their arms to aid in identification. True story.
My posts should NEVER, EVER, EVER be construed as an official forecast as I know virtually nada respecting the finer points of meteorology. Consequently, my posts are obviously NOT endorsed by any professional institution or the good folks at storm2k.org. For official information please refer to the weather gurus at the NHC and NWS.
