Single hurricane thread

[Vrede too]

I've been a subscriber for a couple of years.

Ah, where's their new home? Is she still pregnant?

[GoCubsGo]

I've been a subscriber for a couple of years.

Ah, where's their new home? Is she still pregnant?

AFAIK they're still looking but they pretty much just started. Wouldn't surprise me to see them wind up in the mountains as it's relatively close to both of their parents in Florida.

Think she's due in January. They had baby #1 in Malta and between the language barriers, no primary provider and complications during childbirth and the baby was born with a scary syndrome (can't remember exactly what but apparently she's doing OK now) I think Desiree said enough. They didn't say so explicitly but that was the sense I got. As if raising an infant, a toddler and a dog on a 42 foot sailboat isn't enough of a challenge.

I follow a couple of other sailing channels that have had kids, those boats have been big enough to house extra crew for the difficult years. Their boat was a little too small and they were generally on their own.

Edit: She has PHACE syndrome.
https://youtu.be/jjgJeJmRyO0?si=mc7RSU2d7uYDPd9J

[Vrede too]

... I follow a couple of other sailing channels that have had kids, those boats have been big enough to house extra crew for the difficult years. Their boat was a little too small and they were generally on their own.

Edit: She has PHACE syndrome.
https://youtu.be/jjgJeJmRyO0?si=mc7RSU2d7uYDPd9J

Ugh. PHACE syndrome

Are you a sailor, or do you just like following adventurous families?


Back to storms, it seems as if Western Pacific super typhoons have become so common that we don't notice.

Taiwan expects Super Typhoon Kong-rey to make landfall on Thursday

... Packing gusts of nearly 300 kph (186 mph), the storm has strengthened into a super typhoon and is expected to further intensify before hitting Taitung county, according to the U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

... it would be the biggest typhoon in size to hit the island since 1996.

Up to 1.2 metres (3.9 feet) of rainfall is expected in mountainous eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely to hit coastal areas on Thursday, according to the administration.

"(3.9 feet) of rainfall"?! Our mountains got 7" followed by another 20-30" two days later and look what happened.
EDIT: I guess that is approaching 3 feet.

... Central Weather Administration forecaster Stan Chang said it was relatively rare for a strong typhoon to directly hit Taiwan this late in the year, pointing to the still favourable environment for typhoons, including warmer sea temperatures in the Pacific and later-than-normal cold fronts from the north....

https://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/ ... n-kong-rey
Cat 4 now, Cat 3 landfall tonight. The Satellite view is impressive and frightening.

[GoCubsGo]

Are you a sailor, or do you just like following adventurous families?


EDIT: I guess that is approaching 3 feet.

Former and wannabe sailor traveling the world vicariously.

[Vrede too]

Are you a sailor, or do you just like following adventurous families?

Former and wannabe sailor traveling the world vicariously.

What kind of sailing did you do?

[GoCubsGo]

Are you a sailor, or do you just like following adventurous families?

Former and wannabe sailor traveling the world vicariously.

What kind of sailing did you do?

Mostly coastal in Florida, Sarasota south to the keys, had a friend with a 42' footer in the Caribbean that I used to try and get down to at least one a year and occasionally now get out on Lake Michigan.

[Vrede too]

What kind of sailing did you do?

Mostly coastal in Florida, Sarasota south to the keys, had a friend with a 42' footer in the Caribbean that I used to try and get down to at least one a year and occasionally now get out on Lake Michigan.

Nice. When you buy a boat I will crew it for you.


Portugal and then Spain are about to be hit by Tropical Storm Patty, the last thing Spain needs

Potential Tropical Cyclone Eighteen heading for Cuba and the Gulf Coast

Tropical Storm Yinxing heading for the Philippines.

[Vrede too]

Tropical Storm Yinxing heading for the Philippines.

Cat 3, affecting all of Luzon. The satellite view is scary

[Vrede too]

Tropical Storm Yinxing heading for the Philippines.

Cat 3, affecting all of Luzon. The satellite view is scary

Cat 4 when it made landfall this morning, still trashing much of Luzon

Hurricane Rafael was a Cat 3 crossing Cuba, now a Cat 2, may peter out in the Gulf or hit Mexico as a TS.

[Vrede too]

Hurricane Rafael was a Cat 3 crossing Cuba, now a Cat 2, may peter out in the Gulf or hit Mexico as a TS.

TS in the midst of a crazy loop in the middle of the Gulf.

[Vrede too]

Hurricane forecast: Florida could see a rare and major threat or a sloppy system

... If you feel that you should not have to be dealing with this, I strongly share your sentiment.

Of the 640 or so tropical storm or hurricane landfalls on record in the continental U.S. since the 1850s, only four occurred after November 15th, and just one, 1985’s Kate, was a hurricane. All storms in this tiny sample struck the Florida Gulf Coast....

Total oceanic heat content of the Gulf has slightly increased in the last three weeks, hovering around mid-October norms; the heat content of the Caribbean remains well above what it would typically be at the peak of the season in mid-September.

There’s plenty of fuel available to sustain a hurricane, if atmospheric conditions allow....



Florida has been struck by 38 hurricanes in October versus just three in November since 1851. In practical terms, it’s still October out there.

(lots of variables)

... Keep watching the skies.

It's been well above normal here.

Tropical Storm Yinxing heading for the Philippines.

Cat 3, affecting all of Luzon. The satellite view is scary

Cat 4 when it made landfall this morning, still trashing much of Luzon

Poor Luzon:

Tropical Storm Toraji
Did cross Luzon as a Cat 1 11/11-12.

Super Typhoon Usagi
Northern Luzon as a Cat 4 11/14.

Tropical Storm Man-Yi
Will reach Cat 4, will hit Luzon as a Cat 3 11/16-17.

4 late season typhoons in 2 weeks, 4!!!

[Vrede too]

Now it's Tropical Storm Sara, a TD after crossing Belize and Campeche into the Gulf. Then?

Poor Luzon:

Tropical Storm Toraji
Did cross Luzon as a Cat 1 11/11-12.
TD off China coast, not headed towards land.

Super Typhoon Usagi
Northern Luzon as a Cat 4 11/14.
Battered northern Luzon, Cat 2 now, going to hit southern Taiwan as a TS. Impressive Sat view.

Tropical Storm Man-Yi
Will reach Cat 4, will hit Luzon as a Cat 3 11/16-17.
Hurricane by this evening, unchanged prediction.

4 late season typhoons in 2 weeks, 4!!!

[Vrede too]

Pigeon River Gorge, normal flow:



Watch the raging Pigeon River wash away I-40 after Helene
Posted Nov 14, 2024

Has been 1 lane, 2 lanes soon. "Years to permanently rebuild."

Now it's Tropical Storm Sara, a TD after crossing Belize and Campeche into the Gulf. Then?
May dissipate in Mexico.

Poor Luzon:

Tropical Storm Toraji
Did cross Luzon as a Cat 1 11/11-12.
TD off China coast, not headed towards land.

Super Typhoon Usagi
Northern Luzon as a Cat 4 11/14.
Battered northern Luzon, Cat 2 now, going to hit southern Taiwan as a TS. Impressive Sat view.
Will travel length of Taiwan, everyone gets big rain.

Tropical Storm Man-Yi
Will reach Cat 4, will hit Luzon as a Cat 3 11/16-17.
Hurricane by this evening, unchanged prediction.
Will hit tomorrow night, Manila threatened.

4 late season typhoons in 2 weeks, 4!!!

[GoCubsGo]

https://www.blueridgenow.com/picture-ga ... e=facebook

[Vrede too]

Tropical Storm Man-Yi
Will reach Cat 4, will hit Luzon as a Cat 3 11/16-17.
Hurricane by this evening, unchanged prediction.
Will hit tomorrow night, Manila threatened.
Super Typhoon Man-Yi is a Cat 5 now, ripping into Catanduanes Island, Cat 4 when it strikes Luzon tonight, still a Cat 2 when it exits the west coast tomorrow morning, TD when it eventually hits Vietnam, monstrous Sat view. Yikes.

4 late season typhoons in 2 weeks, 4!!!

[Vrede too]

Tropical Storm Man-Yi
Will reach Cat 4, will hit Luzon as a Cat 3 11/16-17.
Hurricane by this evening, unchanged prediction.
Will hit tomorrow night, Manila threatened.
Super Typhoon Man-Yi is a Cat 5 now, ripping into Catanduanes Island, Cat 4 when it strikes Luzon tonight, still a Cat 2 when it exits the west coast tomorrow morning, TD when it eventually hits Vietnam, monstrous Sat view. Yikes.
Landfall as a Cat 4, now approaching the west coast still a Cat 3.

4 late season typhoons in 2 weeks, 4!!!

[Vrede too]

4 late season typhoons in 2 weeks, 4!!!

Weary Philippines cleans up after Super Typhoon Man-yi becomes fourth major storm to hit in the past fortnight

Typhoon Man-yi leaves 7 dead in Philippines and worsens crisis from back-to-back storms

Now it's Tropical Storm Sara, a TD after crossing Belize and Campeche into the Gulf. Then?

Dissipated below TD.

Hundreds of Honduran villages cut off by torrential rain

Sara weakens to tropical depression but could still add to Southeast weather woes

... Sara could roll across the Gulf of Mexico, re-strengthen and threaten Florida with flooding rain, storm surge and damaging winds, AccuWeather said. Any damage from the storm would add to difficulties the region faces cleaning up from hurricanes Helene and Milton as the devastating 2024 hurricane season mercifully draws closer to a close.

"Some of Sara's tropical moisture will be lifted northeastward over the Gulf," said Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist. "That extra moisture can be enough to lead to flooding downpours and perhaps severe thunderstorms in Florida toward the middle of this week."...

[Vrede too]

ASHEVILLE WATER IS POTABLE!!!

54 days after Helene.


We never had a water problem in Hooterville, phew.

[GoCubsGo]

Well damn.

[Vrede too]

Well damn.

https://x.com/BlueRidgePublic/status/18 ... 8198599859

Effects of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina

North Carolina was severely impacted by Hurricane Helene during late September 2024, primarily in its western Appalachian region, causing at least 103 reported deaths and significant destruction of infrastructure and residential areas across several settlements....

Local TV news says we're down to just 1 missing person, whittled down from an initial list of 500.

Background

... Many counties in western North Carolina did not have strong building codes to protect against the conditions brought on by Hurricane Helene, in part because of opposition from the North Carolina Home Builders Association.

Assholes.

Meteorology

Meteorologist Ben Noll reported that about 1.5 times more moisture was transported to western North Carolina than in any prior recorded event in the region, with an estimated integrated vapor transport quantity of roughly 3,000 kilograms per meter per second that surpassed the prior record of 1,883 kg/m/s....

The North Carolina State Climate Office at North Carolina State University reported that its Mount Mitchell weather station recorded 24.41 in (620 mm) of rainfall. The office referred to the total as "off the charts", comparing it to 16.5 in (420 mm) of rainfall being a once-in-1,000-year flood for the area. Asheville Regional Airport (about 6 miles from me) recorded 19.38 in (492 mm) of rainfall before losing communication. A North Carolina Forest Service weather station recorded receiving 31.33 in (796 mm) of rain from September 25 to 27, requiring further verification.

Readings from weather stations operated by the NWS Greenville-Spartanburg recorded 30.78 in (782 mm) of rainfall in Busick, North Carolina. Additionally, a minimum pressure of 972.2 millibars was recorded at Mount Mitchell State Park.

Wet

Impact

(many dire impacts described)

... Areas in the Black Mountains region in western North Carolina were particularly devastated, with the Black Mountain Police Chief reporting that Montreat and Swannanoa were “gone” with neighborhoods destroyed, including homes that were on fire, along with numerous fatalities that could not immediately be dealt with. The village of Chimney Rock was also largely destroyed. More than 400 roads were closed in western North Carolina, and over 200 people had to be rescued from floods.

Eight tornadoes were spawned by Helene in the state. This included a brief but intense low-end EF3 tornado that impacted the north side of Rocky Mount, damaging 14 buildings and injuring 15 people, including four critically. Five of the other tornadoes were rated EF1, while the remaining two was rated EF0.

(specific local impacts described)

Asheville

Devastation at the intersection of Swannanoa River Road (NC-81) and Azalea Road in Asheville on September 27, 2024.

A curfew was issued for Asheville due to the damage that occurred inside the city. The city broke its record for two-day rainfall, recording 9.87 in (251 mm) of rain. Almost the entirety of Biltmore Village and the River Arts District were flooded, and the city was largely isolated due to loss of power and cell service. Landslides around Asheville forced sections of I-26 and I-40 to close, and triggered a flash flood emergency for the location. Access to Asheville was cut off from September 27–28 via I-26 to South Carolina.

The National Climatic Data Center was forced to shut down due to power outages and flooding caused by the storm.

(Henderson County does not get a paragraph )

Aftermath: Rescue and recovery

Of the 241 people reported victims of Hurricane Helene in the United States, 119 people were in North Carolina, surpassing the state record of 80 deaths recorded in a 1916 flood. Of these, 72 residents of Buncombe County were among the deceased....

(too much to excerpt in detail)

Power and utility outages

On October 1, Governor of North Carolina Roy Cooper reported that 460,000 North Carolinians suffered from power outages (including me for a week, but no food spoiled). Of these, over 100,000 people across Buncombe County suffered from power outages lasting into October 1 (or much longer)....

Less reported on:

South Carolina

Thirty-six people were killed in South Carolina ... Over 1.3 million customers were without power in South Carolina, the most of any state impacted by Helene, with several counties experiencing a near-complete loss of power. Wind gusts reached 72 mph (116 km/h) in Aiken and Anderson, and 75 mph (121 km/h) in Beaufort. Rainfall totals in the state peaked at 21.66 in (550 mm) in Rocky Bottom. Helene spawned 21 weak tornadoes in the state; five of them were rated EF1, another was rated EFU, and the remaining 15 were rated EF0.

How is the restoration going, Whack9? Should we worry about the lack of updates?

Clemson University faced major online backlash after deciding to host its September 28 homecoming football game against Stanford, bringing 80,295 fans to campus, most of whom were non-locals, at a time when the surrounding upstate, including the nearby city of Clemson and town of Central, were facing widespread power outages and gas shortages. Tailgaters put a heavy strain on already scarce supplies such as gas, hot food from the few local restaurants that remained open, and ice that residents needed to prevent their food from spoiling in the absence of power.... Criticism continued when Clemson University announced that classes would be canceled on Monday, September 30, seemingly contradicting the earlier assertion that the area was recovered well enough to host a game....

As we know all too well Clemson and its fans are assholes.

Tennessee

Helicopter crews rescued 58 people, with units from the Virginia State Police assisting, from Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin after the hospital was almost entirely submerged....

As of October 1, 2024, across northeastern Tennessee, 85 people were still missing.

... 12 mi (19 km) northeast of the Nolichucky Dam, the Kinser Bridge, which is a part of SR 107, usually 60 ft (18 m) above the Nolichucky River, collapsed after floodwaters overran the bridge....

Virginia ...

Elsewhere ...

Kentucky, West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Alabama, New York and New Jersey

Political response

See also: Conspiracy theories about the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season

... In response to reporters' questions about the relation between climate change and the hurricane's severity, the head of FEMA, Deanne Criswell, said climate change made the storm significantly worse. Later, when reporters asked President Biden if climate change is to blame for the damage done by the hurricane he answered: "Absolutely, positively, unequivocally, yes, yes, yes, yes."

The jury is still out on whether AGW makes hurricanes more frequent, but there is no doubt that it makes them stronger.

On September 30, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump visited Valdosta, Georgia and alleged that Georgia's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, was "having a hard time getting the president [Joe Biden] on the phone. Federal government is not being responsive.” Biden responded that Trump was "lying" as Biden said he had spoken to Kemp. The federal government was "doing everything possible", while Kemp said that Biden "just called me yesterday afternoon [on September 29] — I missed him and called him right back ... [Biden] just said, 'Hey, what do you need?' And I told him, 'You know, we got what we need, we will work through the federal process.' He offered that if there's other things we need, just to call him directly, which, I appreciate that. But we've had FEMA embedded with us since, you know, a day or two before the storm hit." Trump also claimed without providing evidence on his social media platform, Truth Social, that the federal government and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper were "going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas".

Yet GA and NC voted for TRE45QN . Idiots.

... Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina Mark Robinson (R), tweeted claims that Biden had told reporters that there were "no more supplies" for North Carolinians that were impacted by the storm. When asked for proof of the comment being said, reporters were given a video clip of Biden on September 29 responding to a question about any additional supplies being made available, with Biden stating "no, we have pre-planned a significant amount of [resources], even though they hadn’t asked for it yet."

Wingnut moron.

... on October 3, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted online a map showing many Republican-leaning areas affected by Hurricane Helene, stating that "hurricane devastation could affect the election", then separately stated: "Yes they can control the weather … It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can't be done”; the precise meaning of this statement has not been confirmed.

On October 3, Trump falsely accused the Biden administration of spending FEMA funds meant for disaster relief "on illegal migrants", and thus having "stole the FEMA money just like they stole it from a bank"; he repeated the accusations the next day, which the Biden administration claimed was "poison". FEMA stated they have separate Congress-approved funds for disaster relief and for migrants (the Shelter and Service Program).

Slimy liars, as always.