Florida: “DAMN DAMN DAMN!”

I refuse to be frightened by something named Milton.

Stand back and stand by!

Do the Democrats have no shame?

Milton? They can't be that desperate for names.

Where the uck is it coming from? Is Texas sending weather bombs to Florida?

Oh, fuck -- here we go again.

Looks to be hitting Tampa Bay (my poor father!) at a Cat. 2, and that's no fun. And it's almost certain that this will blow over my county.

On top of my worries about the election, now I have to worry about [italic]this[/italic] ?

Bah.

I believe you have my stapler.

It’s official—TS Milton has been named!

Couldn’t even make it to r2?

oh, MILTON!

Now projected to be a major Cat 3 at landfall. Tampa is in the center of the cone.

Listen Large Marge, if we could control the weather Trump would have been struck by lightning a long time ago.

Time for Trump's Magic Sharpie!

Has there been a Bradley yet?

They should have named it MAGA.

Milton packs quite a surprise, Florida!

R16 bad link?

linky stinkie

miss God apparently hates Tampa-St Pete

she be cuttin a bitch.

Sorry. If you're good, you can try this...

Hmm. The local meteos in Tampa are saying secure property Sunday and be prepared to evacuate the area Monday.

Tampa-area DLers, be safe!

I have a former friend who lives in Tampa. I hope it blows her house over like a stack of cards.

Doom dahling!

Good luck, floriduh

@R22

I'm guessing you're not still in touch?

It’s what she deserves.

Desantis can only hold off insurance cancellations for just so long.

Once all the insurance companies flee the state, the real estate speculators will be the next to leave, and home values will plummet. Homes have been overpriced for a decade (I sold my late father’s home for crazy $$$ in ‘18).

The confluence of events will make post-2008 look like a cakewalk.

Florida Eldergays, call Tom Selleck and get you reverse mortgages tonight and prepare to stay put until Kingdom Come!

Milty, you need to quit it this instant!

I'm going to watch the weather tomorrow morning when presumably they'll have narrowed down the path a little. If it's still headed my way, I swear I'm gonna drive to Texas. Hopefully, I-75 N and I-10 W aren't too badly blocked by debris.

If I could afford to relocate to some place I actually want to live (CA), I'd have been gone long ago.

Sad.

[quote] Milton packs quite a surprise, Florida!

I was almost ready to post: "This post is useless without pictures." Which I should've, given that R16's link sucks.

I'm hoping it does major damage to shithole Florida.

Everybody say bye-bye to homeowner's insurance.

And/or FEMA.

Senior Lesbian, I feel your pain. Are you still living in the Ocala forest? I am still in Leesburg. We can only hope the storm decides to go over Miami, otherwise the rest of Florida is doomed to have the worst hurricane year since.... forever? Well, perhaps, 2004.

Why can't Mar-a-Lago sustain a direct hit? During a Trump family reunion.

Tallulah and SL, hoping you are both safe.

Bad Memories of 2005.

Thank you ElderLez. You are so kind. If this storm turns into a CAT 4 or 5 and dumping on this rain soaked state, I don't know what many will do? I must say that DeSantis did really well with this last storm in preparations, responding and help, that I almost forgot he is a MAGA. But, another super-storm on top of the last is too much to comprehend or bear. Especially, with the thought of home insurance rates next year. Oy!

How did we get from Helene to Milton so quickly? Are they no longer going in alphabetical order?

Clearly, this is God’s revenge on those who refuse to help immigrants.

What about the pythons and gators?

This is clearly the earth's revenge for not taking care of it. If you buy a brand new car and then never change the oil, or do routine maintenance it is eventually going to break. Why people thought that the earth would just keep giving and giving and giving without any maintenance is beyond me.

How do you propose that we have Earth's tires rotated, r39?

you have to clean them first

[quote] The confluence of events will make post-2008 look like a cakewalk.

Wouldn’t the collapse of real estate in Florida be good for values elsewhere? All the people abandoning the state need to go somewhere.

Thank you for posting that video with him. …What hurricane??!

Tallulah @ R32, I was trying to remember your moniker just the other day when we were discussing Helene here, because I wondered how you had fared. I take it you made it though OK with your property intact.

I was very lucky with that storm; it only clipped my place at 61 mph. But I don't know if my raggedy old place would survive a Cat 2. I've been unsuccessful at finding an updating map with the latest spaghetti models, but I did find a good map of the clouds pictured from a satellite on the Windows weather site.

The other thing I was looking for was a traffic/damage map for the interstates to see which ones are open. I've driven up I-75 to I-10 more than a few times, but I remember that once, after a hurricane, I-10 had quite a bit of debris which I was able to circumvent on my motorcycle. But I figure that, if I leave here, the only way to go is west and then north -- that is, if I decide to go. I'll have to take my motorcycle on the back of the truck (which I'll need help to load) and my poor little old dog.

Plus, fucking useless Marion County hasn't even listed an evacuation place yet. I stayed at a relatively close high school the one time I did have to evacuate with my dog, but the one they have posted now (for Helene) is quite a ways on the other side of the county. And Marion is a big county.

Fuck. I'm just not ready for all this again -- plus I'm worried about my 88-year-old father, who lives in St. Pete and now has "walking pneumonia" from his efforts, and loss of power and water during Helene. It looks like they'll be taking a direct hit.

Keep in touch. I'll be checking this thread.

At a certain point, areas of Florida will need to be abandoned. Let mother nature reclaim those areas.

But I'm dead in the center!! Nowhere near any water!

This shit sucks.

The problem in Florida are the insurance companies as they don’t want people to build houses the way they do it in Cuba and Puerto Rico.

Senior Lez, outer Palm Springs is somewhat affordable.

Hubs and I are retiring there.

Your idea of affordable and mine are probably quite disparate, R48, but thanks for the thought.

Heading straight for areas already obliterated by Helene.

Are you suggesting they’re in cahoots?

R36 Isaac and Joyce were fish storms, didn’t affect land and are long gone now. Hurricanes Kirk and Leslie are currently out in the Atlantic, closer to Africa, so now we’re up to Milton.

Senior Lez, we're all worried for you. Hoping that the storm changes direction!

The storm appears to be tracking along the I4 corridor. This could be the rare storm that could cause heavy damage in Orlando.

While the storm will weaken as it crosses the state, it could devastate Jacksonville due to the amount of water being dumped into the St John’s River tributaries at the same time. The St John’s drains all of Florida from Orlando to Jacksonville.

Oh great. Now we get even more whining about the lack of government assistance from MAGAs who oppose government assistance. What fun.

Tallulah and SL can you get out now??? I am nervous thinking of you waiting until the evacuation order and then being stuck on the highway with everyone else and all the hotels full.

This might really mess up the election in Florida. I remember what New York went through after Sandy and having to stand in a special line in a not my polling place polling place to vote in the presidential election as a displaced person and having the local election decided by a handful of people who weren’t displaced or not too far displaced.

Remember all those fundie televangelists who used to say hurricanes were punishment for women’s lib or gay marriage? Well, as a Lutheran I say that is nonsense, but there is a sense of irony in Florida being hit by a Hurricane named Milton the week between Rosh Hoshanah and Yom Kipper in a state where the Governor has given safe safe harbor to anti-Semitic gangs.

Thanks R53, but I'm more worried about my 88 y.o. father in St. Pete. And before you ask, suffice it to say that his narcissistic sociopath S.O. of 35 years hates me with the white-hot heat of a thousand suns. From the start, my father has allowed himself to be taken emotional prisoner and while everyone in my family has been praying for this relationship to somehow dissolve, it hasn't happened. Now, it will never end until one of them dies. Otherwise I'd be taking care of their situation, but I am shut out and have been for many years. I cannot express how much this situation pains me. Oh well.

I am debating about leaving, but I have no idea where to go. I am also well aware that the longer I wait to decide, the harder it will be to go. The traffic will become horrible (if it's not already) and all the available gas will run out. I may be stuck in my truck closer to the storm than I am now. This is why even people here with raggedy trailers and homes like shacks often choose to stay put. Where you end up if you try to leave could always be worse. Besides, at least if you're on your own property, you can manage the subsequent destruction right away. If you're still alive, that is.

I feel like I'm losing my marbles. I've been re-watching Downton Abbey since Maggie Smith's death, and I just want to sit here and continue to do so until the the power goes out and the wind blows down everything around me. I just don't have the physical/mental energy to go through this again so soon.

Wish me luck.

Charge you phone, make a reservation for a Marriott residence inn (or equivalent) that allows dogs five hundred miles away, grab your legal papers, your favorite things, all of your dogs things and leave now. Gas up your car and motorcycle at the first gas station on the way. Don’t get paralyzed. Contact FEMA from the hotel.

CBS inturrupted Sunday Morning to broadcast DeSatan.

Looks like the eye is forming.

R3 she def thinks the Jewish space lasers are involved

R56, the projected path of Milton goes right through the largest blue areas of Florida: Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, Orlando, and Jacksonville. Even Miami is in play for damage.

Senior Lez– We had no problems with Helene, perhaps an inch of two of rain but that was it. That experience reminded me that the southeast part of the hurricane seems to have the lowest impact of damage. If you don't leave your home now, or soon... you may get stuck in traffic and end up worse than where you are now. If the path continues, you might think about going south... like to Miami. By the time the storm hits Tampa, there may only be a few rain bands down in Miami. At least, that was our experience when Helene went through the big bend.

ElderLez– Thank you for your thoughts and prayers but we are going to Hunker down in Leesburg. Being in the middle of the state, we might only get CAT 2 storm, hopefully. We had that for Idelia last year and we were fine. We are on higher ground with fewer trees in a cement block home that was built to code in 2007. We have pond in our back yard that could stand several feet of water without any problem.

I have lived in Florida most of my life, in the center of the state, and have never seen a CAT 3 hit the center of the state full power. Florida kinda gobbles up the CAT 3 & 4 storms before they hit the Orlando area. That is not to say it couldn't happen if a high CAT 4 or 5 hits the coast. I went to fill up my car with gas this morning, and the wait was already 15 minutes in line here. Do it now, rather than later, else the stations will run out. Plenty of food and booze to hunker down with.

I believe the biggest problem we face is loss of power. Hurricanes are hot water storms. If the power goes out we live in 90 degree heat with 100% humidity. Ten days has been the longest for me, but it is miserable. Everything gets wet and mold and unfrozen freezer food becomes a problem, especially with electric stoves. Don't forget to put water in the bath tub to drink and flush the toilet.

Hopefully, we will never see the misery that Georgia, Tennessee, North & South Carolina have seen in the past two weeks. God Bless, them.

Keep posting, girls! We are Family!

Goodbye 👋🏻 Mickey

Rhonda’s revenge

It seems Hurricane Milton may be shifting a bit to south Florida.

The National Hurricane Center calls out the lies from your whore mouth, r67.

I hope Mar A Lago is leveled!

[quote]The National Hurricane Center calls out the lies from your whore mouth

We really [italic]are[/italic] family.

Married your daughter in Miami this morning. Going to Tampa with her tonight.

Thanks for posting, Tallulah @ R67. I'll keep checking, but I hope you're right!

I've decided to drive NE to a nice (to me) hotel in Palm Coast, where even if it's bad, it will only be a Cat. 1 by the time it gets there, and I can stay there until it's over. It's only an hour-and-a-half away from me and both my motorcycle mechanics live in the area (they love me even though I'm not a Trumper) if I should need anything.

That way, I can watch the cone and spaghettis for the rest of today and know the situation better before tomorrow. Then if I decide to go, I'll leave around lunchtime. I'll leave my bike here, covered, with plastic bags taped around the exhaust pipes. I'll grab my essential papers, dog/people food, my laptops and hard/flash drives and my sentimental motorcycle pins/patches and hit the road northeast. And there will (probably) be no traffic, because I know virtually every single (paved) back road in a hundred mile radius. The perks of riding a motorcycle!

I feel much better now that I've made a decision. Thanks, Elderlez @ R59, for giving me a nudge to snap out of my daze and help me decide to do [italic]something[/italic].

And BTW, the local paper (which I never read) says it will only be a tropical storm by the time it gets here. Even though I live a half hour east of Ocala, I'm hoping they're right.

As long as it takes out Republicans.

R73, please see my post at R63.

Hurricane Milton is heading straight for Tampa, a city of 400k people, many of whom are too blasé about hurricanes to bother evacuating. The Gulf water is still abnormally warm so Milton will probably make landfall as a Cat 4 like Helene.

😫😖😩

Who is that little homosexual boy, Brandon Orr?

My dad lives about 20 minutes north of Tampa and he just called me to say he’s leaving. Said he was feeling uneasy about this one. Helene didn’t do anything to his area, but Milton might.

I think he should take a trip to New England and maybe see some pretty autumn leaves.

Tampa is a MAGA shithole.

Bless all blue state & red state people till all this is over

Elder Lez and Tallulah and anyone in the projected path of this thing, I really wish you all the best and hope you're going to be ok.

Does Senior Lez's trailer become a houseboat?

[quote]Who is that little homosexual boy, Brandon Orr?

R77, He’s the weekend meteorologist on the ABC affiliate WPLG in Miami.

He sports a nice bulge in a light gray suit he wears most weekends.

I bet he's hitting some hard cuban cock this weekend

My family expects flooding thurs if Milton stalls over central Fl land. Their homes are newer in low lying areas that turn into lakes. My flat is 2nd floor a block from the Atlantic Built of concrete cinder blocks in 1965. Figure it's survived 40+ hurricanes. Making a pot of chowder and watching Dorothy Lamour and the divine Jon Hall

^ Can I have your stuff?

VIVIEN! Clear the rose bushes and azalea pots off the balcony NOW!

[quote] Does Senior Lez's trailer become a houseboat?

R82 It might on Thursday!

R75 - you're right - Tampa seems to be the center target. I think a lot of Tampons (joke - Tampians?) are used to skirting major storms and not having major hurricanes hit that area.

I hope it veers South or North - we haven't had a major hurricane hit a huge metro since Katrina and New Orleans (in my memory - am I wrong?). Regardless of how we feel about Florida, having a major city be hit is a disaster.

Is this getting late for a hurricane or still high season?

[quote]Is this getting late for a hurricane or still high season?

The season goes thru November...

Sandy hit NYC Oct 29.

R79 Like many urban areas, Tampa as a whole leans blue. In the 2020 election, some of the more heavily-populated precincts in the center of the city were 90% or more Biden. Even the lighter blue areas generally mean the precincts went 10% or more for Biden.

And the cartogram showing the vote resized to how many people live there, clearly shows the Tampa area leaning blue.

R94 - Damn that's an ugly map and graphic. Not sure what it's supposed to show.

Bad infographic creator! Bad, Bad! (water bottle sprayed in his direction)

In 2016, Trump would display a map showing all the red states to show his dominance, but of course most of the red was barely populated. Adjusting to show population, not area, presents a better picture of the vote. Agree, that particular example looks . . . exotic.

R96 - right wingers always use county and state maps without reference to show the sea of red. Particularly to claim voter fraud and stolen elections. Over and over and over they're told that land doesn't vote but people do - they don't care.

There may be another Cat 3 hurricane hitting this same area on Oct. 17, if you can believe it.

It's gone from tropical storm to hurricane only in the past few hours. Really growing fast.

We were also told that one a couple years that hit Ft Myers was also heading straight for Tampa. Then it suddenly “changed course” at the last minute and went south. This one will do the same.

Damn! My power went out for 2 1/2 hours -- already!! So yet again, I couldn't follow the weather because I had no power OR internet, even on my cell, which runs off my wifi.

My head is pounding.

Now that I have power and internet back, I'm going to go back to re-watching Downton Abbey. Edith just got jilted at the altar (oh, my!).

I'll be back!

For those of you wishing Milton to head south, could you maybe spare a thought or two for those of us in Miami?

The reason these hurricanes are hitting the same place is because there is a section in the ocean off of Africa that regulates the directions of the hurricanes, A relative in the Tampa area told me that that section in the ocean has moved down 100 miles which is directing all the hurricanes into the gulf now.

The fish are down there with little signs that say detour.

no, really this is what is causing this.

Now forecast to be a Cat 4 as of the Sunday 5 PM EST advisory ...

We cunt a lot around here, but I wish senior lesbian, Tallulah, and anyone else in its path all the best.

R103 WAKE UP SHEEPLES ! these SO CALLED"HURRICANES" are engineered and steered by government elites to further their marxsist WOKE agenda. Why do you think they all hit RED STATE FLORIDA! They should all be named KAMALA!

R64 Tallulah glad to know that you are up high up and in a well built home.

R72 SL glad to hear that you have your plan together. Drive safe.

Thinking of you both (and all of my IRL family) in Florida right now.

Stay safe Floridians!

R103 is MAGAjorie Taylor Green.

Florida there has already been a hurricane John and a hurricane Amos.

My power went out again for perhaps 45 minutes, but it did come back on. This is really nerve-wracking when you're trying to keep track of the storm's power and track and you don't know when your power will go on (or off) again.

My father and his S.O. are sticking it out in their tiny trailer in their little 55+ park in St. Pete. Whaddya gonna do?

My little dog knows there's something wrong and she's sticking to me like glue. But she's finally settled in her dog bed as I sit in my recliner.

Any other Floridians wanna check in?

R103 don’t believe your relative. Africa is thousands of miles away from the gulf and the upper air environment in the region is always the influencer. In the case of Milton, a trough digging in from the northeast, coupled with an approaching front early in the week will serve to drive the hurricane into the west coast of Florida. It’s just an unfortunate coincidence that this upper air environment set up is targeting Florida when a hurricane is nearby this year. Louisiana was a magnet for multiple storms just a few years ago.

It really does look like Tampa Bay’s luck has run out. National Hurricane Center thinks it’ll land very close to there, with a chance of a direct hit. Probably as a Cat 3.

Sending good wishes to everyone in the path. Senior lesbian and Tallulah especially.

My gut tells me it will be a four, verging on a five. This will be terrible.

[quote] For those of you wishing Milton to head south, could you maybe spare a thought or two for those of us in Miami?

R102 Of course we can. We hope Milton will enjoy the remains of Katrina. Best wishes on a Hurricane CAT 5 marriage!

Looking more closely at the NHC model .. they think Siesta Key / Longboat Key and the Sarasota/Bradenton area is the current bullseye.

But that’s a few days out… things will probably shift a little north or south.

Senior Lez, what kind of dog do you have? ElderLez and I both have Cavalier King Charles dogs, and my Sam is not fond of the wind and rain, especially when he needs to go the bathroom. Sometimes, I wish he had doggy a raincoats, but he wouldn't stand for it– so, there I am holding an umbrella over my dog in 45mph winds and pelting rain.

My cock did more damage than this storm ever will. Alan Zweibel and Gilda Radner can vouch for me!

All those ignorant De Santis and Trump loving MAGAts should get washed away in a storm surge!

R117 on thursday I expect a blow job from Uncle Miltie

My little dog is a chorkie; she's 10 lbs. and very sturdy -- more like a true terrier than a dog you'd carry around in a bag. She's not fond of the rain, but she'll go out in it without a problem.

I guess I'm lucky.

I’m in Ft Lauderdale and the local government is getting fired up. We have had so much rain recently and lots of flooding so we can’t take all the rain. I feel very sorry for everyone on the west coast

People need to leave. Period.

I have eldergay acquaintances who live in a beautiful St. Pete MCM house surrounded by beautiful live oaks. Breathtaking photos, but one day very soon their luck is going to run out. It's just a matter of time before one of those beautiful and photogenic trees takes out their house.

Jesus, the satellite images show a path of complete devastating impact. Elder Lez, and Tallulah, I hope you aren't in it's path, and don't try to ride it out.

H​urricane Milton has rapidly intensified into a Category 3 and hurricane and storm surge watches are now posted along Florida's western Gulf Coast, where the storm poses threats of life-threatening storm surge, destructive winds and flooding rainfall by midweek.

"Milton will be a historic storm for the west coast of Florida," the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay said in a briefing Monday morning.

Just to clarify it is Senior Lesbian who is in the storm’s path. I’m on Lawn Guyland in NY.

strengthening twice the strength in one day is extreme. Katrina was slower for example

Well, that was fast -- Milton is now a Category 4, per the Weather Channel.

I’m concerned about all that debris sitting on the side of the roads in Tampa if Milton intensifies into a category 5.

Whoa, that happened so fast!

The storm surge map at the National Hurricane Center is looking rough for the entire Tampa St Pete Sarasota area. A 12 ft surge will flood large parts of Tampa.

R131 climate change making those gulf waters extra warm.

[quote]The problem in Florida are the insurance companies as they don’t want people to build houses the way they do it in Cuba and Puerto Rico.

So true, R47.

My old Dad's cardiologist is from Trinidad. On our most recent visit (July) she told us she doesn't understand why it isn't mandatory in the coastal US to build hurricane-resistant dwellings.

She showed us some pics of her house there, as well as other homes/business structures. The foundations are all of concrete block, with the walls being cement reinforced with rebar. There are no windows on the ground floor. The roofs are tin with Wolmanized 2x4s underneath.

Oh, I almost forgot the most important feature: the pilings/footings MUST be sunk a minimum of 6'. And they're also made of concrete with rebar.

You can see the ocean from her house, yet the homes in her area have never been seriously affected by storm surge, hurricane force winds, flash floods or torrential rain.

If you'll recall that hurricane 6 or 7 years ago that leveled the US Virgin Islands, those homes and businesses weren't built like the ones in Trinidad.

If they can build like that on some of the Islands, many of which are quite poor, why not in Florida?

the waters int he gulf of mexico are record level warm. it's like full to the fire

R133… “Big Government Dems want to control us! Nanny state!!!!”

Sadly/seriously that is the pushback, and the way it would be framed on Fox… and by the current FL Governor.

I know it's old - but the Yahoo Weather page is a really good resource.

www.yahoo.com/weather

Hurricane Milton is now Cat 4, projected to be Cat 5 by tomorrow. Tampa you in danger girl

I called the 5. Not boasting but how could it be any different with the warm waters of the Gulf? Terrible development. I feel bad for people with real estate in Florida, because how do you sell it now? Florida's hopeless for weather risk. You'd be a total idiot to buy there.

I don't. you do real estate in FL you are aware of the generations-long boondoggle the whole state is. you're wagering on a very dangerous gamble buying or selling in FL

I know, I know you're right, Torta @R135 (and BTW, WELCOME BACK!!!), but I just get so sick of the endless stories of hurricane devastation that are getting worse by the year. I mean, if this country won't do jack shit about climate change effects on people and landscapes, the very LEAST it could do is help its citizens and businesses from catastrophic damage/destruction every year.

In Florida and Louisiana (and to a lesser extent in TX, GA, and NC), it feels like Sisyphus bailing out the sea with a teaspoon, or Prometheus having his liver pecked out every night and growing a new one every day. Destruction and rebuilding. Destruction and rebuilding. Destruction and rebuilding. Destr....

but real estate developers are making a killing from it

[quote] [R131] climate change making those gulf waters extra warm.

"We're restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots," DeSantis said in a post on the X social media platform.

Newer construction is faring fine in storms, even Cat 5s (not including structures built too closely to the shore that are facing erosion and storm wall issues). It's the structures that are a couple decades or more older that being destroyed, along with trailers and such. Many people who are cash rich are fine with this risk. They buy properties for cash and do not bother with the insurance. It's the middle class and below who rely on mortgages that are screwed.

The people were told yesterday if their house was built after 2004 not to evacuate because there would e thousands evacuating and their homes would be fine.

Now that the spaghetti plots are pretty well honed in on Tampa Bay and the track follows I-4, it looks like the strongest winds at my place might hit Cat. 1, but that should be it (knock on wood!). It's not even raining here now, and it's not supposed to start raining again until the hurricane gets closer, probably late afternoon Tuesday (just a guess on my part).

I still have my hotel room reserved in Palm Coast (south of JAX, north of Daytona), and as soon as I can get my dead ass up off my recliner, I'll start packing to leave. At this point, of course, I'm not even sure I want or need to leave, but I hated going without the internet during Helene, and my area will most likely lose power [bold]and[/bold] internet this time, so I might as well go. Hopefully the hotel will have power and internet throughout.

But my poor father and his S.O. are staying in their trailer park in St. Pete. I wish I had a shred of influence in that situation, but alas... My sister, who [italic]almost[italic] gets along with the S.O., is going to try to persuade them to leave for [italic]somewhere[/italic], since even two or three counties north of Pinellas should be better, but I doubt if she'll be successful. Yesterday I told my father that drowning in a hurricane probably isn't a great way to go, but he simply chuckled. Bah.

I'll check in later -- and best of luck to all DL Floridians.

That advice doesn't do much for anybody at risk of storm surge. Hurricane Sandy, with about fourteen feet of storm surge, reached ten miles inland. So the threat of it also draws on the size of the storm, the speed of the storm (faster pushes water in further), and the depth of the water it is moving in from. The Gulf is comparatively shallow.

Gotta love this!

[quote]Hurricane Milton won’t postpone today’s Florida voter registration deadline

Florida will not extend Monday’s deadline to register to vote in the presidential election.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said the approach of Hurricane Milton, and people’s need to prepare and in some cases evacuate, does not necessitate postponing the deadline.

Sorry -- forgot to close italics.

We have an almost at-grade, pre-2004 place on Longboat Key. It’s almost certainly the end of the line for us. It’s our winter place and obviously first world problems, but it’ll be heartbreaking to lose it. We’ve been there for almost 50 years.

Really sorry R149. Longboat Key does look like it will be devastated.

We can't wait, we have popcorn ready, cannabis delivery today, and I may make beef enchiladas today for this show, let it rip.

National Hurricane Centre says it's going to be a strong Category 5 soon. Moving over 88f seawater for the next 24 hours.

[QUOTE] The people were told yesterday if their house was built after 2004 not to evacuate because there would e thousands evacuating and their homes would be fine.

They'll still drown if there's a 28 foot storm surge.

Ha ha ! Screw you Tampa and channel 13. How you like Delagado as your meteorologist now????

[quote]If they can build like that on some of the Islands, many of which are quite poor, why not in Florida?

Burdensome regulation. Job-killing regulation. It's gotten so bad, even the Democrats buy into this regulation-is-the-root-of-all-evil boondoggle (thinking of Kamala's idea to speed up new housing by working with local governments to reduce... regulation).

Yeah, we all hate regulations... until those regulated floors, walls and roofs save your life, your family's lives, and your worldly possessions.

They were told they'd be underwater someday 30 yeas ago. That day is coming sooner than they think.

R151 is a dreg of society

It's now reached category 5.

Senior Lesbian, get thee tuckus out of there!

I started packing up my stuff, R158. Taking a break. Want to leave my place by 2PM.

You're making the right decision. Seriously, if this hits north of the bay it will be catastrophic. Try and get on the road before 3-4 if you can so you don't get stuck on the interstate.

I’m in Fort Lauderdale and it’s been raining here for three days straight from another system so we are already saturated and flooded

This is so bad. I really hope the politics stop.

This is amazingly fast! Very scary!

[quote] "We're restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots," DeSantis said.

R142 I wonder if DeSantis will change his mind on climate change when his whole state will be destroyed in three weeks by two super hurricanes?

No r164

Senior Lez, post a comment when you leave.

Also those Trinidad houses, cinder block ground level with no windows, sounds like a recipe for mold .why not just build reinforced pilings?

VIVIEN! Wheel in the cocktail trolley from the balcony!

r149, my 4th floor condo is at the south end of Longboat key. No interior damage from Helene, but with a direct hit I think Milton may well blow the shutters and windows out. I don't live there, its just a vacation home, but to lose it will be devastating. This is going to be a mess.

Can I eat your stuff?

Remember that condo building that collapsed years ago? Is the hurricane headed that way? What about the luxury retirement village (The Villages)? Where are they located?

Hoping for the best for the DL Floridians and their familes, friends, and SOs!

And now we have to go to full-funding status on our Florida condos? No one is going to have the money for that now!

Watch anti-socialist icon DeSantis beg the government to step in and start insuring Florida homes after the insurance companies all leave the state.

We shockingly didn’t see any interior damage during Helene either and we are steps from the water on the bay side, R168. But even the lowest end of the predicted storm surge would be the end of our piece of the key as we know it.

If any of it’s still standing, I’ll take you to the Haye Loft to drown our sorrows.

Just hoping for minimum fatalities and that the people who live on the gulf coast full-time are spared having their lives completely upended.

Haven't been to Euphemia's in literally decades!

If you look closer at the NHC/NOAA maps, the hurricane will start to weaken long before it makes landfall. They have it down to a Cat 4 less than a day out and then a Cat 3 just before landfall. It's not THAT dire, but I guess it gets eyeballs on the fear pron known as the Weather Channel.

R175 Katrina was downgraded to a Cat 3 just before landfall as well and it didn't make a lick of difference in how devastating it was. The real point of concern is the level of storm surge (which is determined by WHERE the storm hits, not it's Cat level).

If Milton hits north of Tampa Bay, the resulting storm surge will be catastrophic, regardless if it's Cat 3 or Cat 5.

R175 when a category 5 hurricane loses intensity down to a 4 or 3, it grows double in size which causes an even more dangerous storm surge.

Nothing’s changed, R168! It still is (or, as is likely the case, was) like stepping into the set of a restaurant and bar from an episode of Murder She Wrote.

100 PM CDT Mon Oct 07 2024

...MILTON EXPLOSIVELY INTENSIFIES WITH 175-MPH WINDS... ...RESIDENTS IN FLORIDA ARE URGED TO FOLLOW THE ADVICE OF LOCAL OFFICIALS...

It's such a shame it seems likeliest to hit at night... would be even harder to live through, I'd think, in the dark.

r178, When I visit I've always thought that I am the only gay in the village!

I'm glad Senior Lesbian knows all the back roads, because look at I-75 south of Ocala! Be safe, SL!

R180 Hopefully no one will have to be in the dark, because they'll have gotten their asses out of there. I'm sorry, but if you refuse to evacuate before a Cat 5 hurricane despite the fact that there are so many resources being made available for people who don't have transportation/lodging, I refuse to feel sympathy for you. These people are stubborn, selfish, and stupid. And they put first responders in danger with said stupidity.

I have friends of friends refusing to evacuate in Tampa. They claim they’re more inland.

R184 Hopefully they have their toe tags filled out.

Hurricane Ike hit Texas as a category two. The surge moved inland nearly 30 miles in some locations in southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana.

High tides for Tampa are 430 in the morning and 730 at night.

Milton is forecast to hit the Florida coast around 7 pm Wednesday.

R185 that’s how I feel about it. This is the strongest storm to hit Tampa in over 100 years.

Somebody hold me, please.

I just passed by the Leesburg entrance to the Florida Turnpike. The line is backed up a mile just to get ON the Turnpike. I pray those people are not driving junkers and have plenty of gas in their cars. AAA will never save them. Time is running out! But, I got all my stuff and it is written by most that Leesburg is the safest place to hunker down for a hurricane, cause of our central location and high elevation.

What's crazy is that it's going to stay a hurricane the entire time that it moves across Florida and exits on the east coast. It will be a hurricane over Orlando. I hope Minnie and Mickey Mouse will be alright.

Good luck to you Tallulah! Sincerely. And hopefully senior lesbian doesn't get caught in too much traffic.

I got to my hotel in Palm Coast at about 5PM, and there was very little traffic. But I had to unload everything, set up the little dog's food and water, and call my sister "up home" and my father in St. Pete. My father and the evil S.O. are still refusing to leave. My dad said they're going to wait until the cops come through with their bullhorns and tell them it's "last call" for people to leave, and then they will go into the trailer park's laundromat rest room (a block building) and wait it out there with the big dog and their two cats. Dad said there are very nice benches in there with cushions and they'll sleep in there.

Lord love a duck.

So far, I have power, a good cell signal, and the internet, and I brought a plug adapter and an extension cord, so I'm set. The dog's laying (lying?) over here in her dog bed. I must now find something to eat in all the food I brought with me.

So far so good. Thanks for all the well wishes! And good luck to those of you on the west coast.

New Orleanian DLer here. Please stay safe, central Florida. As a Katrina and Ida survivor, which were similar storms, please evacuate if you can. If it maintains its Category 5 intensity, please be ready to expect to not return to the home you left from. Take what you love. Photos, pets, and personal belongings you can bring. This is nothing at all to play with.

R192 Jesus, your dad is out of his damn mind. My mother is that stubborn, and when I need to get her to take action, I kidnap her dog and hold it hostage until she caves. Works 7 out of 10 times.

Senior LEZ remember your cockbelt and fuck that storm

Senior Lesbian– Glad to hear your settled in a safe place and your chorkie is settled as well. What's the name? We are hunkered down in Leesburg and have everything we need for the next few days. We predict CAT2 winds blowing through and we have done that before, but we will do what we can.

My dear, find time for some peace in the next few days knowing that you have done everything you can concerning your father. It is his choice in life to stay with his partner. All you can do now is accept his decision, fate and pray for him. Bless you, my dear, and let us keep in contact.

Thanks, Lady T @ R196.

700 PM CDT Mon Oct 07 2024

...CENTRAL PRESSURE IN THE EYE OF MILTON HAS FALLEN TO A NEAR RECORD LOW... ...MILTON POSES AN EXTREMELY SERIOUS THREAT TO FLORIDA AND RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO FOLLOW THE ORDERS OF LOCAL OFFICIALS...

near latitude 21.9 North, longitude 90.4 West. Milton is moving toward the east near 10 mph (17 km/h). This general motion is expected through tonight followed by a turn toward the east- northeast and northeast on Tuesday and Wednesday. On the forecast track, the center of Milton is forecast to move near or just north of the Yucatan Peninsula tonight and Tuesday, then cross the eastern Gulf of Mexico and approach the west coast of the Florida Peninsula on Wednesday.

Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that the maximum sustained winds remain near 180 mph (285 km/h) with higher gusts. Milton is a potentially catastrophic category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. While fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles (45 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles (130 km).

The minimum central pressure estimated from Hurricane Hunter aircraft observations is 897 mb (26.49 inches).

I’m in Miami, is there a chance that we are going to be affected?

Thanks, WeatherFairy. Hurricane Wilma, which came at the tail of the 2005 season with Katrina and Rita, holds the record for low pressure with 882 mb. Milton was reported at 897 mb and still dropping as of an hour ago.

The current map from National Hurricane Center (as of Monday 930pm Eastern) still has Tampa Bay taking the direct hit. Storm surge predicted to be 10 to 15 feet.

R199 you can check out the maps here (click the link and scroll down a little) from National Hurricane Center... looks like Miami is expected to get 3-6" rain and some tropical storm winds but that's it.

The Weather Channel just showed a town north of Tampa called HOMOSASSA SPRINGS.

Surely one of you bitches lives in a place called Homosassa.

Hurricane warning over Marion County now... I didn't take any of my precious and sentimental possessions. Perhaps I should have. And damn -- I should have brought my passport. But when I left, my county was just going to get tropical storm force winds. Now? Who the hell knows.

Trying not to freak out, and remembering when I lost quite a bit of my stuff when my house in St. Pete got flooded by my idiotic tenants and I had to start all over.

Also trying to remind myself of something I always used to say: people are more important than stuff. Stuff is just stuff, and you can always get more stuff. Having good people in your life is more important than lots of stuff.

Oh -- and I don't live in Homosassa Springs, but I know where it is!

Good luck, Senior Lesbian, Tallulah and our other FL DLers. I'm so worried for you all.

R182, do they not implement contraflow in Florida?

senior lesbian - did you take the road thru Astor to go east? We used to stay there on the shores of Lake George at a friends weekend condo when my parents lived in Fernandina Beach. Beautiful country.

This hurricane could morph into a terrifying Category 6 tomorrow.

I don't know, R205. Senior Lesbian, Tallulah or one of our other DL Floridians can answer that.

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

10 PM CDT UPDATE: Milton "weakens", sustained winds down to 165mpsh

...CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE MILTON MOVING NEAR THE NORTHERN COAST OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA... ...MILTON POSES AN EXTREMELY SERIOUS THREAT TO FLORIDA AND RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO FOLLOW THE ORDERS OF LOCAL OFFICIALS...

At 1000 PM CDT (0300 UTC), the center of Hurricane Milton was located near latitude 21.8 North, longitude 89.9 West. Milton is moving toward the east near 9 mph (15 km/h). This general motion is expected through tonight followed by a turn toward the east- northeast and northeast on Tuesday and Wednesday. On the forecast track, the center of Milton is forecast to move near or just north of the Yucatan Peninsula tonight and Tuesday, then cross the eastern Gulf of Mexico and approach the west coast of the Florida Peninsula on Wednesday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 165 mph (270 km/h) with higher gusts. Milton is a potentially catastrophic category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. While fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles (45 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles (130 km).

The most recent minimum central pressure estimated from Hurricane Hunter aircraft observations is 914 mb (26.99 inches).

From the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Tampa at Ruskin, Fl:

Major Hurricane Milton is now an extremely strong Cat 5 hurricane with winds up to 180 mph. Milton will grow in size as it heads towards the West Coast of Florida as a disastrous hurricane. Milton is expected to weaken slightly but will still be a major Cat 3 hurricane at landfall with destructive damage expected on Wednesday. Storm Surge along and south of the track will be life threatening and catastrophic. If you are asked to evacuate you need to do so. This storm surge will be life threatening. The high winds will also cause widespread and major damage as the eyewall tracks through the state. If you are outside of the storm surge area and decide to stay you need to have supplies to last for a week or more without power or water.

From the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Melbourne, FL, serving Orlando:

Major Hurricane Milton was located across the southwest Gulf of Mexico at 5 pm and was moving east at 10 mph. Milton has rapidly strengthened with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph, making it an extremely powerful category five hurricane.

Milton will move to the east, north of the Yucatan peninsula, through tonight and then turn northeast Tuesday and Tuesday night across the southeast Gulf of Mexico and strengthen to a major hurricane. Milton is currently forecast to make landfall along the Florida west coast late Wednesday afternoon or evening and cross central Florida Wednesday night and move into the Atlantic on Thursday. There will be multiple hazards as Milton moves over East Central Florida.

A Hurricane Warning is now in effect for Greater Orlando and surrounding areas, with a Hurricane Watch along the coast from Indian River County northward. A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for Okeechobee County, with a Tropical Storm Watch for St Lucie and Martin Counties. Final storm preparations should be completed by the end of the day on Tuesday.

For R199:

From the National Weather Service office in Miami:

* Rainfall - Heavy rainfall leading to possible flooding is expected across South Florida through much of this week. 4 to 6 inches of additional rainfall is possible through Saturday with highest totals across coastal Southwest Florida. Isolated locations could experience up to 10 inches with the heavier rain. A Flood Watch is in effect for the entire area through Thursday morning. Flash Flooding cannot be ruled out.

* Wind - The highest probabilities for sustained hurricane and tropical storm force winds will be along the Gulf coast of Southwest Florida, including Glades, Hendry and Collier, and adjacent Gulf waters. Tropical storm force winds are also possible across the rest of South Florida, including the Atlantic coast and adjacent Atlantic waters, especially in conjunction with Milton`s rainbands.

Florida is fucked. I'll bet we see a lot of deaths from the individuals that refuse to evacuate.

Yup, R206 -- that's exactly the way I went. And I love Astor -- what an adorable town! But they'll probably get flooded again this week when the St. John's River gets high.

My neighbor just texted me and told me there's an evacuation order in Marion County now. She apparently noticed I had left and wanted to know where the dog and I ended up. She and her husband are staying in their trailer, because they don't want to have to put their big dogs in crates and go with them to a shelter. If I had stayed home, that's exactly what I would be doing. I did it for Irma back in 2017. Horrible experience, but the dog and I made it through OK.

Everything's good here right now. It's not even raining. It's 75 degrees out and I put a sweatshirt on. I know, I know. But you do get used to the FL heat.

Back to Downton Abbey for me!

I've watched a few factual videos about hurricane Helene (weather channel type of vids) and it's scary to read the comments that state the hurricanes are man made. I don't remember the lingo they're using but it's deep state type of conspiracy bullshit and the comments get hundreds of thumbs up. I just can't believe how many stupid people are out there.

They [italic]are[/italic] man made -- but it's climate change we should be talking about, not some nut job Jewish space lasers type of bullshit.

NBC News Florida affiliate’s meterologist John Morales getting emotional about Milton:

It has now dropped to 155 mph (Category 4). A good bit of the storm is over the Yucatan, so that has weakened it, but it will emerge back into the open waters of the gulf in a few hours and probably re-intensify, at least some. Then it is predicted to broaden considerably, weaking the wind speeds, but increasing the storm surge to include most of the west coast of Florida.

Millibars, Millibars, Millibars!

[quote] A good bit of the storm is over the Yucatan,

God save Quintana Roo!!!

Hurricane Milton presenting hole.

This is from the instagram page of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University.

Check out other media there. One image shows all the sparks of lightning going off in the center.

cira_csu

^^DeSantis' quivering anus right before Tacky O gives him a rimmie!

R216, And always "made" by Democrats. Weather catastrophes under Republican Administrations are either sent by God (if "Blue" states are most affected), or just weather.

R203 do you have neighbors you trust with a key to your place who could put your passport (and maybe other important papers) in a ziplock inside a ziplock and put on top of the refrigerator?

I still can't believe the storm's most direct hit is Tampa/St Pete/Clearwater. The single most populated area on the entire west coast of Florida.

The National Hurricane Center maintains a good map predicting storm surge inundation here at link. The red area indicates where the peak surge of seawater will be 9 feet or more. It seems like almost everyone in the zone is taking evacuation seriously, but in a metro population that big there will always be some who won't... or can't.

& the poor precious frightened animals 💕

Passport renewals are VERY quick now in normal circumstances, and express passports can be issues pretty darned quick in an emergency.

My family used to spend July at Manasota Key near Venice 50 years ago and that entire sliver of land will be inundated. Jackie O's mother lived just down the road then.

The owners on Manasota just spent winters there and the houses were disposable and on huge overgrown lots that stretched from sea to intracoastal. It was paradise but we didn't realize it. Now the gravel road is paved and gated. The house we rented is long gone and now replaced by tacky McMansions - 3 on the beach side and 3 on the Intracoastal. It's crazy, but good riddance to these idiots.

Fort Myers Beach had a 13-15ft storm surge with Hurricane Ian in 2022. Half the beachside hotels had to be demolished afterward. They're still rebuilding. This time lapse video is amazing. Hopefully the person who opened that house door early on, got out of the house before the next jump in footage.

I do, EL @ R225. Maybe I will. I have a key hidden in my shed (when you're single, you need to do that), and at least the neighbor who texted me last night will be there to do it. But there are extenuating circumstances (neither of the couple are well), so I probably won't. Although if I asked, the husband would drive down to my place. We'll see.

I am a nervous wreck, and so is the little dog (who shall remain nameless due to privacy concerns). I still cannot believe that I moved from St. Pete to central fucking Florida to get away from the hurricanes, and now they're coming for [bold]central[/bold] Florida.

Bah.

If Helene was a Fucking Bitch then Milton is an absolute Bastard

Senior lesbian, I hope your home survives OK! This really must feel like a "you can run but you can't hide" moment.

R231 earlier is better if you are going to ask. Maybe there is a service you can offer in return like going to get them if they are stuck after the storm.

Senior Lesbian, do you look more like Ann B Davis, Susan Olson or Francis Bavier?

I picture Helen Mirren.

Why is the OP of this thread greyed-out?

My students used to tell me I looked like Molly Shannon, but I didn't even know who that was.

Then, when I looked her up, I heartily disagreed anyway. I'm not sure I've ever looked that feminine in my entire life. I've never worn make-up and I've had a short haircut since curly perms became passe. But I do kinda look like her in the face. Just add about 30 lbs. to her frame and add a little gray.

Hope that helps, R235. And if you're literally lighting a candle, thanks. Any little bit helps.

Good luck to you and your little dog too, Senior Lesbian. Hopefully you can return to an intact home and all your possessions safe and dry.

Good lord!

Hope all goes well for you Senior Lesbian, but just in case, what is on your iPod?

Windy

Stormy

Fire and Rain

Rainy Days and Mondays

Bridge Over Troubled Water

The River

Eh, this is too easy, R241! BTW, I have never owned an iPod.

My dog has finally become so exhausted she didn't even wake up when I left the room. I bought some stuff from a convenience store up the road that I had forgotten to bring from home. Got a brand of dog treats "suitable for human consumption"! What will they think of next? Hope I don't have to share them with her (hee hee!).

I haven't heard from Dad (in St. Pete) yet. Here's hoping that's a good sign.

r242/SL, did you remember your Rain Dears?

r240 they may as well stay now. It obviously isn't their time to go yet.

The White House has created a Reddit account as an attempt to counter the slew of mis and disinformation spreading about FEMA, which I think is a great idea.

Here's their post on r/NorthCarolina (the mods of r/Georgia removed the post immediately, which either means they weren't aware it was an official account or they're Trumpers).

My sister talked to my father and they're still not leaving.

Sigh.

Back to Cat 5

Got sandbags?

Like 20 trillion of them?

R246, try not to fret too much, you can't control it and you have plenty other worries.

I can't imagine how frustrating that would be to have an older parent who refuses to evacuate. In a trailer park - in a flood area.

Latest track is hitting slightly south of Tampa so not much surge in the bay. Sarasota is gonna get it and Longboat Key inevitably.

…And then there’s this old amputee who insists on staying on his BOAT in Tampa Bay. Florida Man.

R252 - that man looks like an alcoholic and drug addict who lives on that boat full time. He wants to stay there cuz he probably doesn't have a car or have anywhere to go - and he doesn't want to lose his home.

He doesn't exactly look healthy.

Senior lesbian, are there concerns about storm surge on Florida's east coast as Milton passes out into the Atlantic?

One weather report seemed to show possible surge when that happens.

Are you on an upper floor of the hotel?

Hurricane Milton has restrengthened into a monster Category 5 storm with 165 mph sustained winds and gusts over 200 mph.

Cat 6 tomorrow.

There are Category 6 hurricanes?

R256: No. People need to quit trying to make Cat6 fetch happen.

R254: Storm Surge Warnings are now in effect on the Florida Atlantic Coast for when it crosses into the Atlantic. It won't be as large as the West Coast surge but there will be a "backwash" effect.

From the Tampa Weather Service office:

Hurricane Milton remains a powerful and very dangerous Cat 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph as of the 5 PM EDT advisory. It is currently moving east-northeast over the the south-central Gulf of Mexico, with a gradual turn to the northeast with an increase in forward speed expected today into Wednesday as it moves across the eastern Gulf of Mexico before bringing devastating to life threatening impacts across West-Central and parts of Southwest Florida beginning Late Wednesday. It is forecast to maintain category 4 or 5 intensity tonight and early Wednesday before a gradual weakening trend ensues before landfall Wednesday night, however,we are still expecting a major hurricane and the strongest in West Central Florida for 100 years. We can still expect life threatening and potentially catastrophic storm surge impacts regardless of strength when Milton makes landfall, in addition to destructive winds extending from the coast to inland locations along with heavy rainfall with possible flash flooding.

From the Orlando/Melbourne Weather Service Office:

This product covers East Central Florida

**LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODING LIKELY NORTH OF MILTON`S CENTER**

**HURRICANE PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION NOW**

Between 6 to 12 inches of rainfall will be possible across east central Florida, with 10 to 15 inches forecast near the I-4 corridor. To the south, the forecast calls for 3 to 6 inches of rain. These rainfall amounts, along with instances of higher rainfall rates, will be capable of producing significant, potentially devastating flooding. Heavy rainfall will also cause rapid rises on area creeks and streams. The Saint Johns River at Astor, which is approaching Moderate Flood Stage, is forecast to rise quickly to Major Flood Stage by Thursday morning. Additional points upstream on the Saint Johns are also likely to experience rises to Minor and Moderate flood stage.

This is the last afternoon to ensure your hurricane supply kit is stocked and your safety plan is ready to be activated. Heed the advice of local officials with recommended evacuation and or sheltering actions for those in flood prone locations, mobile homes, or on the barrier islands.

Scientific American ran an opinion piece five years ago that called for there to be Category 6 and 7 Hurricanes on the scale. It used Hurricane Dorian as an example of a Category 6 hurricane.

[quote]are there concerns about storm surge on Florida's east coast

Yes, but I'm 5 miles inland, just east of I-95. Keep your fingers crossed.

[quote]Are you on an upper floor of the hotel?

No, R254 - I'm on the 1st floor, because I'm in a "dog room." No carpet in the room, and about 10 feet from a door to the parking lot and all the mysterious and exciting dog smells that my little dog revels in. But if there's power, I can always take the elevator, grab my computer/cell phone/hand gun (wouldn't leave [bold]that[/bold] behind), and head for the third (top) floor. And I guess the stairs are right outside my door as well should it come to that.

I took a shower about an hour ago, and there was a dog fight right outside my door, with the accompanying snarling, barking, and snapping of teeth. Good times for dogs! Glad my little dog was in the bathroom, anxiously waiting for me to get out of the shower

I've been waking up in the middle of the night and checking the weather on my computer. I don't know why, because there's nothing I can do about it, and it takes 2 or 3 hours for me to get back to sleep. This hurricane shouldn't bother me the way it does. I and the little dog evacuated to a high school when Irma blew through in 2017 (Cat. 5) and I survived. A couple of non-essential metal pieces blew off the trailer, a couple of windows cracked (but didn't break), and my Mass. snowbird neighbor's tree fell into my yard. It took me three months to cut it into pieces with a hand saw to take to the dump. But she was 82 and I was 59 and I could do it back then -- now, not so much.

Well, it's still headed further south than the predicted. Maybe it will miss me [bold]and[/bold] by dad in St. Pete.

Thank you all for thinking of me.

Do you think you'll need to find a parking garage to stow your truck above ground, just in case?

Not here, unfortunately. But I'm hopeful storm surge won't be a big problem.

Visualization of the different stages of a storm surge, including the one not practically survivable.

Can’t wait for the hurricane. Getting my popcorn ready.

Be safe, SL.

It’s bad and it’s really bad when it hits at night.

It looks like Tampa and its cruise port will be spared the storm surge.

R267 - where does it say that? It does look like it may go a bit south and straight into Sarasota - but that doesn't mean Tampa area won't have a huge storm surge and powerful winds.

Wow. These hurricanes sure provide a ton of advanced warning.

I'd certainly take one of these slow-burning, molasses-paced hurricanes over something unpredictable like an earthquake or a tsunami.

I don't know, R269. When I lived on the Gulf Coast, I hated watching hurricanes slowly coming toward me. Their paths are too unpredictable to know well in advance whether you need to evacuate (and I couldn't afford to leave anyway). It's a lot of anxiety, thank God for Valium.

Give me a tornado any day. It's over in one afternoon.

Yeah, I’m looking at two maps on the NOAA site. Potential Storm Surge Flooding / Inundation for Tampa Bay is 1-3 ft. Peak Storm Surge Forecast says Tampa Bay is 10-15 ft. Quite the difference.

Live cams from 4 locations here.

5am update:

Now expected to hit land as a Category 4 (was previously expected to touch down as Cat 3) with 130mph wind speeds.

The entire state needs to GTF out of town! It looks like this monster storm is going to submerge the entire state. Watching TikTok videos of fools "preparing" for the storm who have no idea what 135 mile an hour winds feel like or what they can do. Like putting your lawn furniture into some fucking shed is gonna help? People putting plywood over windows when the entire structure is gonna collapse. I mean the basic laws of physics would tell you this is not going to work. Some reporters said they were going to be sheltering in a concrete parking garage structure on the upper levels interior. But even that seems somehow inadequate in the face of this. This reminds me of that George Clooney movie, The Perfect Storm.

If you have ever been in a windstorm you know that when the winds hit 40-60 MPH it's really scary. So think how bad it will be even with 125MPH winds.

Sucks to be Florida

Not only scary, r275, but LOUD!

Good article on the storm surge. Addresses why it may not matter if it hits as a Cat 3, because what's going to happen starts before that. Also, when it hits in relation to high-tide is a factor.

Video of NOAA crew hitting turbulence when flying into the hurricane.

It's likely that Tampa Bay will now "only" get 8 to 10 ft of storm surge... but that's still bad!

Siesta Key (which stretches along the outside of Sarasota) is about to be destroyed. Here's Siesta Key a few weeks ago dealing with massive flooding from a 3 to 4 ft surge and saying that was the worst. This is likely to be 12 ft of seawater plus a direct hit from a Cat 4 hurricane.

Poor, poor Florida!

R272 Looking at those cams and hoping that I get to watch "Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville" be wiped from the face of the earth LIVE!

Whew! The front desk guy told me there were no rooms here for Thursday night (apparently, with the storm's approach being so slow, I won't be able to go home until Friday), but then I went back to my room and booked one online. Hmmm. I hope it's not a "ghost" room!

Now it's just the waiting.

This place is filled with people and their dogs, mostly beautiful purebreds. At breakfast, I talked to a Puerto Rican family from Orlando in my bad Spanish. People always seem to forgive my bad Spanish, and they even try to help me find the right words. I guess they're happy I make the effort. So many Americans won't even bother to try to learn a foreign language...yet another reason I'm embarrassed to be an American.

Just checking in, DLers. I'll keep you posted periodically as long as I have power and internet.

Now, back to watching Downton Abbey. It does seem to calm my nerves.

[quote] It does look like it may go a bit south and straight into Sarasota - but that doesn't mean Tampa area won't have a huge storm surge and powerful winds.

It does mean that for the surge. We want Milton to land sufficiently south of Tampa Bay so that the winds on the left side of the hurricane blow the water out of the bay.

They should stop calling it storm surge, nobody is scared of that, call it a tsunami.

R285 - but it's not a tsunami. I think "violent flooding" may be a better term. I agree that storm surge doesn't pack a punch.

Watching the Mayor of Ft. Meyers do their briefing. That poor town is going to get creamed.

lighting a candle for sl and Talullah and all the DL denizens in FLA.

Tornados already springing up in central Florida.

So it seems they shut things down when the wind hits 45 mph, and everyone just had to ride it out. Storm is at 150+ mph right now. That's a long ride.

The Tampa webcam (well, this is one of them) should be interesting ….

Tampa looks to have dodged a bullet. I’ve spend some time on Longboat Key just out of Sarasota. Fortunately my friends sold their condo years ago. The key will probably be wiped out.

What do you base this on R292?

This is stream switches between different cams.

I know a couple who sold their house in Florida over two years ago. They said the future didn't look good as far as selling property, the prices continued to rise but there were fewer buyers. Now they have friends still living in Florida who cannot sell their homes. They love hot humid weather so they bought 40 acres and a house in the Ouachita mountains of Arkansas for the same price of their Florida home. I wouldn't want to live in Arkansas but they were sick of hurricanes and insurance problems.

Two large tornadoes from Hurricane Milton crossed Interstate 75 in the Florida Everglades around 10 a.m. EDT, moving north between the towns of Miles City and Andytown.

@96 this is like a disaster movie! Only it's not.

Senior Les– I am glad you are getting your hotel room sorted out. As this storm seems to be slowing down, you might not want to travel at all on Thursday. Time will tell.

Things are just starting to pick up in Leesburg. I woke up to light rain and not much wind. My dog, Sam, was not pleased to go on his daily poop walk while getting wet. However, he demands to walk at least 1/4 of a mile before he drops his presents, including today. I have had a talk with him about the rest of the day and tomorrow, but he turns a deaf ear. However, I recently made a batch of his favorite dried chicken liver treats, so bribes always help.

I went out to McDonald's for breakfast, along with everyone else, and then to Walgreens to pick up some ear plugs before they close at noon. It seems most people forget how LOUD hurricanes really are, especially with winds over 50mph. Now, it seems that Milton will be passing over Florida around midnight when I hope to be sleeping, so I am hoping ear plugs will help . We shall see how that goes.

I cooked quite a bit of food yesterday and packed extra ice in the deep freeze, just in case the power goes off. Flooding is not a problem where I live, so the wind and electricity are my main concern. But, hopefully I can sleep through the whole mess and wake up to a lovely day. We shall see.

Best wishes and thanks to everyone who are keeping us and all of Florida in your prayers, especially for the folks on the west coast. They really need them

So nuts that all these tornados are happening in the southeast. A warning was just issued near West Palm Beach. 6 toranado warnings across the state total.

Now 8. Good grief.

Thanks for checking in, Tallulah @ R298. I was just starting to worry about you!

At this rate, it will probably only be tropical storm force winds at my place, same as I just had with Helene, when I didn't even lose my power (although I lost my internet for days -- fucking Spectrum, may you rot in hell). And I'm so far inland that storm surge isn't an issue. In fact, I make regret making a reservation at this hotel in Palm Coast for Thursday night. We'll see how that goes.

It looks like I should have stayed home. And for those of you who mock Floridians who don't evacuate, this would be why. I just spent $500 to leave my place when it would have better if I had just stayed there. Hurricanes tend to move in mysterious ways, in spite of all the research by the meteorologists.

My dad still plans on riding it out, although they are finally considering evacuating. Hope they'll be OK. Although if the evil S.O. dies and my dad lives, I'll dance in celebration!

Later, guys.

9 warnings now!

It looks like Fort Meyers is getting hit hard with these tornados.

Myers, R303. Not hot dogs.

Some of these tornado warnings are getting rare "PDS warnings" because it's so bad.

People who whine that their situation prevents them from evacuating have missed the point. No one should live on the Florida coast if they are unable to evacuate. They need to make that assessment before deciding to move to the area, or if they already live there, they need to assess when it’s time to move to a different state or area because their situation has made future evacuations not possible.

It’s like if someone has a second floor home in a building without an elevator and they become unable to walk, it would make sense move from that home to a place on a first floor or one with an elevator. You need to plan ahead. “Yes, I can live near the coast because I am able to evacuate if necessary,” or “No, I would not be able to readily evacuate, therefore I cannot live near the coast.”

10 active tornado warnings.

R307, these damned Democrats are relentless! Fuckers!

R279, the "Dayum!" meteorologist is hot.

R306 makes everything sound so damn easy.

Like selling a home, packing, moving pets and children to a new location, finding a new job are the easiest things in the world to do.

Must be nice to have your life so well planned in advance that there are never, ever any surprises in store for you.

Note the title of this thread, an occasion where [italic]someone[/italic] was surprised!

Stay safe Tallulah and SL!

Don't forget, r310, r306 assumes everybody has the financial means he does to pick up and start life anew elsewhere.. Or that they don't have long and deep ties to their community and family and friends there. I mean, I'm sure the 1,300+ dead from Katrina had the available cash, transportation, and job opportunities to relocate to a safer part of the country just like he does.

I’d say that was a REALLY bad idea, R312!

[quote] So nuts that all these tornados are happening in the southeast.

Damn. Hurricanes. Tornadoes. What's next? A tsunami? God must really hate Florida!

Some people who fled to another part of the state are now being hit with tornados. If it wasn't for bad luck, they wouldn't have any luck at all.

[quote] Like selling a home, packing, moving pets and children to a new location, finding a new job are the easiest things in the world to do.

It’s not something someone wants to do. It’s something that a person needs to do. The alternative is death if one can’t evacuate. How much do you value your own life and the lives of your family? If that’s worth less than the effort to find a more suitable location, okay.

R306 if a lot of these people weren't senior citizens, DL would be singing a different tune about what morons these people are to be putting themselves and others in harm's way. And all for low taxes.

Like I said earlier, we could have sent Cheryl, spread her ample haunches and just let her gaping ladyparts soak up the wind, rain, and tornadoes. She wouldn't have even felt it and all that seawater would have cleaned the old battle axe up-

But now, we pray.

What's going on with the eye? I'm on weather.com - it looks like ALL of the rain is on the north side of the eye and little on the bottom. It doesn't look circular?

R279, Jesus Christ, that is literally my nightmare. How horrible

R319, if that’s the case, I’m for high taxes

R310, don't be a cunt, people could have moved long ago, but no, they live there and want sympathy when this happens. It will take thousands of deaths before people will learn.

Hello!! We have an elderly woman right here, in a fucking TRAILER with a poor dog, with an even more elderly father who wants to live in Florida regardless, go figure.

[quote] What's going on with the eye?

Wonky Eye, they should've named this one Hurricane Andy.

My pussy smells like a sewer clogged up with debris from Hurricane Helene.

You may not be able to summon up sympathy, r324, but please save us your caustic scorn.

It is a bit rich for R324 to open with "don't be a cunt" and then proceed in such a fashion.

[QUOTE][R310], don't be a cunt, people could have moved long ago, but no,

This useless FUCKER has nothing but scorn for poor people without resources or access like he does.

Max Velocity live updates, loads of info.

Where the hell do these reporters from the Weather Channel go to during these storms when they hit?

I'm surprised none of them haven't been killed or injured. And how do they get out? Do they have choppers come in to pick them up?

“Get to da chopper!”

Oops Max Velocity live now. Lots of tornado info too.

I’m worried about CNNs Boris Sanchez reporting from Tampa tonight. He’s so hot I hope he and his cameraman take shelter soon

Paul Goodloe is a handsome daddy - so is Jim Cantore.

Here's a good website (actually an app) if you want to follow the trajectory

I feel so old when someone here posts a link to a handsome daddy (ever my weakness) and he looks like a nice young man.

LoL, r337.

R337 - that's a younger pic of him - he's 56. Hardly young. But still very handsome.

I've been bouncing back & forth between Max Velocity (at R333) and Ryan Hall, Ya'll. Both are excellent.

A category downgrade is "good" for reduced wind speeds, but that also means it may be longer in duration, giving the hurricane time to dump more water. And, there's still very high winds.

Katrina was a Category 3 when it hit, I believe.

R336 - that link predicts a dead-eye DIRECT hit for Tampa. Not south in Sarasota.

R340 - interesting - so the South of the eye will get the biggest storm surge, so if the eye goes straight through Tampa - that's better, I infer?

Ooohhh, Anderson is onsite in Bradenton doing a disaster-porn shoot!

Yeah, pummel the state. Then deny Florida any federal funds.

R345 why don’t you fuck off? There are some decent people who live in Florida. What ahithole state do you live in? Let us know so we can trash it. But you won’t because you are a trash-talking pussy hiding behind your keyboard. Loser!

Some monster left their adorable dog tied to a pole on the side of the interstate in the rising storm waters!

Poor baby! 😭

I keep seeing that on social media, R347, and it upsets me every time. I'm glad the dog was saved.

Lookit that face! Hope they name him Milton.

Seems like he's a purebred bull terrier, R349. We elders will remember that breed as the "Spuds MacKenzie" dog advertising Bud Light.

He's probably worth some $. He'll find a good home.

R347 - fucking trash - they do that to a dog - can you imagine what they're doing to their kids? And trust - these types ALWAYS have kids.

My Irish aunt is currently in Florida. She's in Pasco County but I don't really know what that means as I have no idea about Floridian geography. She's told me she's safe, but I'm worried.

Josh the gay stormchaser is in Sarasota!

...NORTHERN EYEWALL OF MILTON STARTING TO SPREAD ONSHORE ALONG THE FLORIDA GULF COAST... ...700 PM EDT POSITION UPDATE...

The northern eyewall of Hurricane Milton is beginning to move onshore of the Florida gulf coast near Tampa and St. Petersburg where an Extreme Wind Warning is now in effect. Please shelter in place as these extremely dangerous hurricane-force winds overspread the region.

A sustained wind of 61 mph (98 km/h) and a gust of 77 mph (124 km/h) was recently reported at a WeatherFlow station at Egmont Channel. A sustained wind of 44 mph (71 km/h) and a gust of 77 mph (124 km/h) was recently reported at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. A sustained wind of 55 mph (89 km/h) and a gust of 71 mph (114 km/h) was recently reported at a WeatherFlow station at Skyway Fishing Pier.

The next update will be the intermediate advisory at 800 PM EDT (0000 UTC).

R352: That's one county north of Tamp.

636 PM EDT Wed Oct 9 2024

The National Weather Service in Ruskin has issued a

* Extreme Wind Warning for... Manatee County in west central Florida... Pinellas County in west central Florida... Hillsborough County in west central Florida...

* Until 930 PM EDT.

* At 635 PM EDT, National Weather Service Doppler radar indicated extreme winds, associated with the eyewall of Hurricane Milton, were moving onshore along a line extending from 6 miles southwest of South Bradenton to 25 miles southwest of Anna Maria to 52 miles southwest of Saint Armands Key, moving northeast at 30 mph. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION!

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Treat these imminent extreme winds as if a tornado was approaching and move immediately to the safe room in your shelter. Take action now to protect your life!

Excellent Radar view of the eye as it makes landfall

These Tampa whores are not scared of 70mph winds.

R347, whoever did that to the dog needs to be put to death.

Some of you might find this map useful.

R352, Pasco County is on the west coast of Florida. It is the county just north of Hillsborough county (where Tampa is) and Pinellas county.

800 PM EDT Wed Oct 09 2024

...MILTON CLOSE TO MAKING LANDFALL ALONG THE COAST OF WEST-CENTRAL FLORIDA... ...LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE, DAMAGING WINDS, AND FLOODING RAINS OCCURRING ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWESTERN FLORIDA...

At 800 PM EDT (0000 UTC), the center of Hurricane Milton was located near latitude 27.2 North, longitude 82.8 West. Milton is moving toward the east-northeast near 15 mph (24 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue through Thursday, followed by a turn toward the east on Friday. On the forecast track, the center of Milton will make landfall just south of the Tampa Bay region within the next hour or two, and then move across the central part of the Florida peninsula overnight, and emerge off the east coast of Florida on Thursday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 120 mph (195 km/h) with higher gusts. Milton is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Little change in strength is likely until landfall, and Milton is expected to remain a hurricane while it moves across central Florida through Thursday. The system is forecast to weaken over the western Atlantic and become extratropical by Thursday night.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles (55 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 255 miles (405 km). A sustained wind of 54 mph (87 km/h) and a gust of 96 mph (154 km/h) was recently reported at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. A C-MAN Station in Venice, Florida recently reported a sustained wind of 71 mph (115 km/h) with a gust to 90 mph (145 km/h).

I'm surprised they still have power.

Tornado in Cocoa Beach master!

Milton is giving Tampa Bay surprise anal! Right up the chute.

Thanks, TheWeatherFairy! I used to fill your niche in here with “Official” named-hurricane threads back in the ‘00s. 2005 with Katrina and then Rita and Wilma was especially intense.

R360 Thank you. Should I be worried? She told me she's inland so not at risk of storm surges but what I'm hearing from BBC is the entire state is at risk.

R365: Awww. Happy to oblige.

R366: They'll be fine, being inland and also being north of the eye, it'll actually start pushing water out to sea. But they will have flooding from extremely heavy rain.

8:20pm update from AccuWeather:

“ "One thing I'm really noticing is the structure of the eyewall. Still very much intact right now coming on shore." said Accuweather's Alex DaSilva. "We're starting to see hurricane-force wind gusts in the Tampa-St. Pete area."

AccuWeather predicts that as Milton continues to the east northeast, it will land in the Longboat Key area. This may mean that most of the surge won't be shoved up into the Tampa Bay area, but instead towards Sarasota and Siesta Key.”

R340 did you see the enhanced radar view earlier on Max Velocity of the millions of birds trapped in the eye of Milton? Crazy stuff. Poor birds.

MILTON HAS FALLEN

Hurricane Milton Tropical Cyclone Update NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL142024 830 PM EDT Wed Oct 09 2024

...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE MILTON MAKES LANDFALL NEAR SIESTA KEY FLORIDA.... ...LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE, EXTREME WINDS, AND FLASH FLOODING OCCURRING OVER THE CENTRAL FLORIDA PENINSULA...

NWS Doppler radar data indicate the eye of Hurricane Milton has made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County along the west coast of Florida.

A sustained wind of 78 mph (126 km/h) and a gust of 97 mph (156 km/h) was recently reported at a NOAA C-MAN station in Venice. A sustained wind of 77 mph (124 km/h) and a gust of 100 mph (161 km/h) was recently reported at a WeatherFlow station at Egmont Channel. A sustained wind of 67 mph (107 km/h) and a gust of 83 mph (133 km/h) was recently reported at a WeatherFlow station at Skyway Fishing Pier. A sustained wind of 40 mph (64 km/h) and a gust of 73 mph (117 km/h) was recently reported at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.

I get that this is a huge hurricane and will result in billions in damage and likely a lot of injured and dead people.

But, is it really that much worse than Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, Andrew, or even more recently for Florida, Ian?

There seems to be a lot of hysteria around it.

^ You think? The news needs to make money $$$$

R371, could be as bad as Ian. But the catastrophic worst case scenario, a massive 15 ft surge into Tampa Bay, isn’t happening. Yesterday it looked very possible.

Reports now that water is flowing out of Tampa Bay due to the eye going south. So now, there's surge flooding on the east coast/bay side of Pinellas County, that's the county with St. Petersburg and Clearwater.

Bradenton Hurricane landfall.

R371 - With Hurricane Katrina, it was the levees breaking and the resultant flooding, people being trapped in horrific circumstances, and being all but ignored by the government until they finally sent the military in, which wasn't a great help for a number of reasons I won't go into here. How do I know? I was living in NOLA at the time and experienced it. I still have moments of severe PTSD so I'm trying to avoid doomscrolling the Milton coverage.

R371 - all weather events have been made into real-time dramas cuz of $$$.

How many times have we heard Snowmageddon? Or every single wildfire hundreds of miles away from major cities in California get attention on the evening news.

But this will still be bad - it's big, thick and wet and is really gonna slam into them all night long.

Lose the hype and get value for your tax dollars, use the National Weather Service for information.

Seems like landfall was earlier than predicted. Is that good? Is it moving faster than expected so it will move through quicker?

R379: It has picked up speed, but the wind field for Tropical Storm-force winds (39-73 mph) went from about 80 miles for days to currently 255 miles. So the whole state is basically at least winds of that magnitude. The north side of the storm is just going to drown Central and North Florida in heavy, heavy rain.

The St. Lucie County sheriff confirmed there are "multiple fatalities" in the county after a tornado outbreak Wednesday. St. Lucie is on the east coast.

[quote] it's big, thick and wet

Like my diaper!

900 PM EDT Wed Oct 09 2024

...LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE, EXTREME WINDS, AND FLASH FLOODING CONTINUE AS MILTON MOVES INLAND ALONG THE FLORIDA WEST COAST... ...900 PM EDT POSITION UPDATE...

A sustained wind of 64 mph (104 km/h) and a gust of 93 mph (150 km/h) was recently reported at the Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg. A sustained wind of 78 mph (126 km/h) and a gust of 100 mph (161 km/h) was recently reported at a WeatherFlow station at Egmont Channel. A sustained wind of 73 mph (117 km/h) and a gust of 102 mph (165 km/h) was recently reported at a WeatherFlow station at Skyway Fishing Pier. A gust of 60 mph (97 km/h) was recently reported at the Orlando Executive Airport.

The next update will be at 1000 PM EDT (0200 UTC).

SUMMARY OF 900 PM EDT...0100 UTC...INFORMATION ----------------------------------------------- LOCATION...27.4N 82.5W ABOUT 5 MI...10 KM N OF SARASOTA FLORIDA ABOUT 105 MI...165 KM SW OF ORLANDO FLORIDA MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...115 MPH...185 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...ENE OR 60 DEGREES AT 15 MPH...24 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...956 MB...28.23 INCHES

I think people can underestimate the damage from a Cat 2 or even 1 or even a tropical storm after hearing worst case scenarios of 130+ mph winds. I mean, it's annoyingly windy at 30 mph and even just 40 can start to take small branches off trees. So "only" 70-90 can do a shit ton of damage.

NBC News Now is reporting Florida trash are out in the calm of the eye in Sarasota doing donuts in the flood waters in their trucks.

Boris Sanchez looking all thug'n stuff with his hood up. HAWT!

There was a woman on NPR who had time to evacuate but didn't. Actually, she evacuated her three youngest kids, but she and her husband and oldest two kids stayed. The report went over reasons why people stay, and all she could offer is "I'm totally a hurricane girly; I love the rain, I love the wind" before saying that at this point she has "a lump in her throat" because it may be worse than she thought. Jesus. Annoying, but I pray she makes through okay nevertheless.

926 PM EDT Wed Oct 9 2024

...FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY FOR ST. PETERSBURG, TAMPA, RIVERVIEW, AND PALMETTO...

The National Weather Service in Tampa Bay Ruskin has extended the

* Flash Flood Warning for... Central Hillsborough County in west central Florida... Northern Manatee County in west central Florida... Southeastern Pinellas County in west central Florida...

* Until 230 AM EDT.

* At 926 PM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 10 and 14 inches of rain have fallen. Flash flooding is already occurring.

This is a FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY for St. Petersburg, Tampa, Riverview, and Palmetto. This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!

HAZARD...Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing flash flooding.

SOURCE...Radar.

IMPACT...This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW! Life threatening flash flooding of low water crossings, small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Tampa, Clearwater, Largo, Bradenton, Pinellas Park, Temple Terrace, Seminole, Palmetto, Downtown Saint Petersburg, Saint Petersburg, Fort Desoto Park, Brandon, St. Petersburg, St. Pete Beach, Anna Maria, Gandy, Macdill Air Force Base, West And East Lealman, Feather Sound and Tampa International Airport.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Move to higher ground now! This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.

Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding.

Stay away or be swept away. River banks and culverts can become unstable and unsafe.

Anderson certainly has aged; he's serving aged-homosexual realness in this storm environment.

R389 - well he's been dying his hair gray for 25 years, so he'll embrace a few lines in order to appear to be a serious journalist.

Anderson!! I'm concerned!!

Is he bored? He has no business being out in a storm at his age.

Any news that Trump is dead?

R393: Jabba's Palace is in Palm Beach County, on the other side of the state and well south of where the eye will go. His fatass is fine, he sends his hate.

Florida seems less attractive each day. I decided I wouldn't like it there since a coworker went there to visit a relative and a palmetto bug got in her ear. She had to go to the ER to have it removed piece by piece. Ugh.

I feel bad for people there but they are doomed. Weather there and natural disasters will keep getting more severe.

1000 PM EDT Wed Oct 09 2024

...FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY IN EFFECT FOR THE TAMPA BAY AREA AS MILTON CONTINUES MOVING INLAND... ...1000 PM EDT POSITION UPDATE...

A sustained wind of 69 mph (111 km/h) and a gust of 102 mph (165 km/h) was recently reported at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. A sustained wind of 86 mph (139 km/h) and a gust of 105 mph (169 km/h) was recently reported at a WeatherFlow station at Egmont Channel. A sustained wind of 74 mph (119 km/h) and a gust of 98 mph (157 km/h) was recently reported at a NOS station at Middle Tampa Bay. A gust of 91 mph (146 km/h) was recently reported at a Citizen Weather Observer Program station in Bartow.

A Flash Flood Emergency is in effect for the Tampa Bay area, including the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater. Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg has received 16.61 inches of rain so far today.

The next update will be the full advisory at 1100 PM EDT (0300 UTC).

SUMMARY OF 1000 PM EDT...0200 UTC...INFORMATION ----------------------------------------------- LOCATION...27.5N 82.3W ABOUT 20 MI...30 KM NE OF SARASOTA FLORIDA ABOUT 90 MI...145 KM SW OF ORLANDO FLORIDA MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...110 MPH...175 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...ENE OR 60 DEGREES AT 16 MPH...26 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...958 MB...28.29 INCHES

I don't feel sorry for these people. They chose to love in that hellhole.

Reporting in, DLers.

Windy and rainy here in Palm Coast, but nothing too terrible -- yet. The little dog was unhappy that I woke her up out of a sound sleep to take her out at 9PM in the wind and rain, but she survived.

I took a nap this afternoon, so now, if the wind is howling or the water is invading in the middle of the night, I shouldn't be too tired to function.

Heard from my dad. He and the S.O. are in their trailer, trying to start their generator that they left sit outside all day in the rain. They lost power an hour or so ago, so it's pitch black in the trailer park. I'm glad he called me to let me know he's OK -- at least, for now. But the worst of it should be over soon -- except for the power being out for who knows how long and not having water. As long as the trailer park doesn't get flooded and their trailer doesn't get blown away, they should be fine.

At my place in the Forest, my power and internet are still on -- yippee! I know because I have outside cameras I can check on my cell phone and they're all working and showing me what's going on. Rain and wind, wind and rain.

That's all for now. Back to the last season of Downton Abbey.

Thanks for the update, SL!

Glad to hear you & the little one are doing okay, SL!

Daddy?

To R28, California is nice, I do LOVE Southern California (San Diego-La Jolla area).

It does help that I got the home& tax cuts in the divorce settlement, plus the children

Maybe the residents of MIlton, FL will sue the Weather service.

To R399, Did u get to Lady Edith's wedding yet? I Loved her gown, now she outranks her "Cunt sister Lady Mary".

Mary has to curtsey to Lady Edith, The Marchioness!!

Commoners don't curtsey to one another.

[quote] My Irish aunt is currently in Florida. She's in Pasco County...

Here it is on the map. It's the area bounded by red dots (according to Google Maps).

A musical interlude...

No!! R405, I'm only at the part where she and Rose's mother are going away so Edith can have the baby elsewhere. And that plot I remember entirely. I'm on S04, Ep. 8.

BTW, something odd is going on here in my hotel bathroom. I know it sounds strange, but the water in the toilet seems to be gently rocking. And it's a low-flow toilet, so there's not even that much water in it.

I hope it's not a precursor to something ominous!

Oh, the baby Edith arranged to be adopted by the farmer she tried to have an affair with. And after a year she snatched the baby back, driving the farmer’s wife in into a nervous breakdown and ending with Robert losing a good tenant farmer due to Edith’s cuntitude.

They really need to stop saying 1000-year this or 100-year that. Front of CNN right now says that this is a "1-in-1000-year rainfall event". I guess it could be technically correct. But even if the last rainfall of this magnitude was 1000 years ago, repeatedly referring to the years only makes people ignore that it could happen again much sooner.

Not even one drop in Miami. I’m so disappointed

Heh heh heh... Anderson just bent over..... maaaaaaaaaaaajor bald spot.

LOL r413!

I ended up leaving Lakeland Tuesday night because I just couldn’t stand the thought of going through something as bad, or worse, than Irma and Ian again. Loaded up 3 annoyed cats and headed for a room in Miami with no travel issues. It was just a few hours of gusts and tornado warnings.

The Ring cameras at home didn’t go out until 9 PM, but I’m not seeing our street on the outage page so maybe it was just the wireless (wishful thinking, I know).

Anyway, my area just took a CAT 2 battering and I’ll see if I can talk to a neighbor in the morning to see if I should hightail it home.

Umm, yep. The electricity is out. Sounds like a lot of flying debris damage and trees down. I’m not looking forward to the aftermath.

Glad you & your (annoyed) cats were out of harm's way, FSW! I hope things aren't too awful back home when you get word/make your way back there.

Some Hurricane footage from Venice, Florida, which is a bit north of Fort Myers.

More damage in Venice, FL.

a turn for the better

84 knots bitches

This could have gone much, much worse for Tampa.

I also hope every Republican drunk tank golf course in Florida got what it deserved.

Usually when the water in a toilet basin rocks like that, it means a creature is about to emerge - usually a rat or snake. Keep the lid down when not using it.

And if you happen to be "using it" when that occurs, r423?

The hurricane of 1935 was plenty bad!

[quote]And if you happen to be "using it" when that occurs, [R423]?

At least if you shit yourself from fright, you're in the right place.

Bad luck to evacuate due to a predicted storm surge of 10’ and come back to find your house burned down in 2’ of water instead.

Not sure if anyone has posted this yet but HOLY SHIT!

This is why they said leave or you'll die.

All in all it seems like this was bad for some but, collectively, not as bad as Ian.

In the doomsayers’ defense… forecasters didn’t really know where the eye would land until yesterday midday.. and before that there was a very real chance that the worst could happen to Tampa Bay.

ps that amazing video at R429 was Ft Myers Beach in 2022 during Ian. Incredibly there was a couple in that house and they survived (barely)! You can see one of them opening the door early on in the footage.

Looks like my electricity is back according to our provider map. We were under a large outage and those get targeted fast to get bang for your buck results, customer numbers wise.

Our cameras would have to be rebooted by us even if wireless is back so I don’t get to see my yards until tomorrow. I’ll have a neighbor do a rough check later—she’s got problems of her own this morning (a neighbor’s tree fell into her yard, but my neighbor is a gold star lesbian and probably has a chain saw fired up as I type).

As for me, I’ll make like Miss Scarlett and think about that tomorrow. I’m going to enjoy a nice extra day in Miami and not a dirt-covered turnip. I’ve done the post-apocalyptic life too many times and will do them again and again until I leave this ridiculous state. But not today.

Love to all my storm season DLers. Keep dodging them bitches!

That was me and the cats lol ^^^

If Milton didn't make your mussy wet enough Patty will be lickin your twat in 10 days.

[QUOTE] And if you happen to be "using it" when that occurs, [R423]?

Expect to get your ass bitten.

More homes being ripped apart in Venice FL last night.

Milton was a damp squib. Barely any storm surge let alone the predicted 12 feet.

[quote] It does look like it may go a bit south and straight into Sarasota - but that doesn't mean Tampa area won't have a huge storm surge and powerful winds.

It was clear that the media didn’t want to change the narrative after Milton was predicted to land south of Tampa Bay, which would cause the “huge storm surge” not to happen there. It’s understandable that they didn’t want to make people think everything was now going to be fine, since hurricane paths can change. However, it left people like the one who made the above comment not understanding what the effect would be on the bay if the hurricane went south. I was writing here before Milton landed that it was good news for Tampa Bay, specifically regarding just the storm surge, if the hurricane went south, and people here didn’t believe it, even though I explained how the winds on the north side of the eye would be blowing the water out of the bay.

Don't be disappointed, r437, maybe the next one will have a huge death toll.

So Miltie was a little flaccid?

The tornadoes on the Atlantic side were devastating and something out of a disaster horror movie with the number of them that occurred.

This argument always comes up when dealing with public safety - same thing with the pandemic. In hindsight, did we overreact with the masks and distancing?

If we didn't, we don't know how bad it could have been - but because most people didn't die or get sick, then the inconvenience is then up for discussion.

The use of caution will always have naysayers and deniers - then we have the other side - like the company in TN that didn't allow its workers to leave and 6 were swept away in a flood.

Hi, fellow DLers!

I got home safely around 11:30AM. I left the hotel at 9-ish because, believe-it-or-not, my [bold]hotel[/bold] lost power (and internet) around 1:30AM and it wasn't back on even when I left. Not even any emergency lights in the hallways!! Fuck! I thought all those people and their dogs were going to riot, they were so furious. This is why people don't evacuate -- what for? I had a reservation there for tonight as well that I made at the last minute, and if they have the balls to charge me for the room, I'm going to dispute it. Fuckers.

So I left and took a chance at driving the 1 1/2 hours down back to my place, but other that a few deep (6"? 8"?) puddles and a couple of easily avoided trees, I had no problem getting home.

Everything at home is fine, other than the usual small branches down and a yard full of Spanish moss that I'll clean up tomorrow.

The dog is good -- tired, but none the worse for wear. She's a trooper for being almost 16 years old!

I heard from my dad and they're fine. They don't have any power/internet and a tree fell down and barely missed their trailer, but they have their generator running and it's only 80 degrees there, so they'll survive.

My sincere thanks to all you DLers who were there for me during this craziness. I really felt like I had all of you supporting me through all of this and it was great to know you were thinking of me.

Toodles!

r443 - You remain unsinkable, SL!

Well thank you, Ms. La-Chat @ R444! I like to think so. But I'll tell ya what -- I ain't gettin' any younger!

And let me leave you all with this!

While we're on the subject...

For all you guys on here who live in the area I hope you are all ok, especially those of you that live in trailer parks.

To R446, Hey I remember that song, I was six years old; Mom used to sing it in the kitchen when it was on the radio.

Happy times b4 it all went to shit.

I've never seen this before:

[quote]Homes along the coast in Venice, Florida, are buried in sand from Hurricane Milton.

Thanks for posting that, R450. My sister in PA has a friend/former co-worker who lives in Venice now and she hasn't heard from her.

That's why I moved to the dead center of the state...but even that hasn't spared me completely.

Please, let us not forget Neil Young and Like a Hurricane. It's one of my forever favorites.

Mamma Mia!

"Government ... used cloud seeding to magnify the storm to a higher degree to disturb a land that may be wanted for lithium that Harris' husband is partaking in."

"If you're looking at where the hurricane is going, it's a lot of red states ... they're doing whatever they can because they can't rig the election."

Neil Young - great song, but I've always hated his voice.

I much prefer the Roxy Music cover of "Hurricane." And the saxophone was a great addition.

How 'bout this one?

I had this album when I was a teenager.

But it's not actually about a hurricane. It's about a boxer.

#454 shows that Biden must be ready to enact Martial Law should Kamala triumph. These people are mentally ill and dangerous.

R456 I find his voice just as unlistenable.

Glad you and the dog made it home safely senior lesbian.

Home is where the little dog is, senior lesbian. Happy to know you're both safe.

SL glad you are home and OK.

Has Tallulah checked in?

A few less magas

[quote]Please, let us not forget Neil Young and Like a Hurricane.

That song always reminds me of a hot bartender in the French Quarter I used to fuck. Ah, youth.

So glad you're OK, Senior Lesbian! And that you heard from your dad.

Thanks, R463. I am too.

[QUOTE]#454 shows that

Doesn't this say everything? Too many cunts like him put up shitty music as a diversion.

Elder Les– I'm here. It was a hard night. The wind and rain were torrential and so very loud. We lost cable around 10pm and the power around two. My back windows were vibrating and I thought they were gonna blow, so I closed the doors off to them and went to bed with my dog. The windows held, so I went out and looked around. I had a couple of limbs off trees and a few things blew away, but all was safe and sound. We have large pond out back so flooding wasn't a problem. Many people in my neighborhood lost roof shingles, shrubs, tree branches etc, but everyone was safe. It was a wild ride and not a pleasure, but we are safe. Thank God. Glad to hear you are safe. Cyber hugs.

[quote] the storm to a higher degree to disturb a land that may be wanted for lithium that Harris' husband is partaking in.

what the mother fuck. just throw that bitch into the ocean

Glad to hear that everyone is safe and hale, and all the furries are safe as well.

You won't believe this, but about an hour ago I got a text from the parent company of the hotel I stayed at saying they're sorry they wouldn't be able to honor my reservation for this evening because [bold]they just got the power back on[/bold] and there are no clean rooms available. Do you believe that?? They had no power at that hotel for18 hours! Not even emergency power!

I guess I should be grateful they didn't charge me anyway.

Life is funny.

Glad you are back home and safe Senior Lesbian.

Stop trying to make Milton 'happen'.

Glad all is well with you and your pup.

[quote] And for those of you who mock Floridians who don't evacuate, this would be why. I just spent $500 to leave my place when it would have better if I had just stayed there.

Aww well isn't that terrible for you? Having to spend $500 out of pocket versus the $20,000+ it would've taken for rescuers to have come and fish you out?

Fuck you R473.

Some things are more important than money, y'all. Really.

You're a real POS, R473. Why have you taken multiple shots at SL -- generally considered one of the nicest authenticated posters -- across two threads? Or is THAT your problem? (that she is liked). How pathetic.

[quote]Having to spend $500 out of pocket versus the $20,000+ it would've taken for rescuers to have come and fish you out?

Some people don't even have $500 to spare. Some can't take the time off work. Some don't have any form of transportation. Some are too disabled or elderly to evacuate.

Senior Lesbian, being retired, is presumably on a limited income. She still manages to have what sounds like a pretty good life in Florida. I suspect you're envious of her independence.

Instead they just unnecessarily help to deplete funds intended for the truly at risk. Got it.

I was just going to say that, R477. I'm sure R473 would have a serious problem living on what I get every month from SS and a small pension. Do you think in live in a trailer in Deplorable Haven, FL because I [italic]adore[/italic] ratty old trailers and enjoy living amongst illiterates and their pit bulls?

Plus, watching the "cone of uncertainly," it became fairly obvious that my area was only going to get tropical storm force winds (or a marginal Cat. 1), which the trailer/trees/jalousie windows withstood during Helene with no serious problems. And because of where I'm located, there was absolutely no chance of flooding/storm surge. So unless a tornado had come through here (which could happen anytime independent of a hurricane), I would not have needed to be "rescued."

I only went to a hotel on the east coast, at which there was no guarantee of safety, because I lost my internet for days on end due to Helene, which annoyed me. So I spent some of my "If Trump wins, I'm leaving the country" money to go to a hotel. Nothing in my neighborhood was harmed. As I've said before, if you can't handle a tropical storm, don't live in FL.

It amazes me how many people adamantly give their opinions here with so little knowledge of the circumstances/situation. I miss the real "wit and wisdom" of the DL of 2004, when I first came here. But time marches on.

Thanks so much, DLers who defended me.

Senior Les, well said!

Thanks, T @ R480!

Hey -- let me know if you ever want to meet me for lunch at that AYCE Chinese place (you know the one) in your neck of the woods. Just give me a day and time, and I'll be there. You'll know it's me because I'll be on my motorcycle. It's a beautiful back-road ride from my place and I haven't been there for awhile.

The eye passed very close to my 60 yr old flat. My 60 yo arse remained high and dry. Lights stayed on . Had a cuppa and watched old flicks. According to you DL hysterics I should have been safely stuck in traffic on I-4. See you panicky bitches in two weeks with the next one.

Amen!

[quote] It amazes me how many people adamantly give their opinions here with so little knowledge of the circumstances/situation. I miss the real "wit and wisdom" of the DL of 2004, when I first came here.

Thank you, Senior Lesbian. I was thinking the same thing this morning and in recent days.

Keep well.

Good to hear that sl & T are doing well......and that we're hearing from others to who made it through.

It was just like that old television show YOU ARE THERE!

"Seizing on the politicization of the government response, white supremacist groups have turned out to help after recent storms in North Carolina and Florida in order to boost recruitment and burnish their image."

R473 is a complete asshole and the nine people (as of now) who have W&W this moron show how low this place has sunk in the last few years, infested with garbage who just crawled out of Donald Trump's putrid, rancid asshole.

R473 is mocking someone for being whiny about something. You’re greatly mistaken if you think that is not classic DL.

And you’re mistaken that nine people hit WW.

Sure it’s poor sarcasm. But you get the good with the bad on DL. It wasn’t a real shithead…I think 🤷🏻‍♂️

Waterworld

Florida man who refused to leave his $1.25 million 'hurricane-proof' home said it was basically unharmed

William Fulford chose to stay in his $1.25 million Tampa Bay-area home in Hurricane Milton's path.

He told BI Friday that the home had minimal damage and is being powered by a backup solar system.

Of course, his house is fine. Milton ứa another example of the media crying wolf again.

The guy at r252/253, amputee "Lt. Dan" dropped the N word amidst all the recent "praise.'

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

All these good ol' boys are racist.