General Chat

any members affected??

Florida residents have been stocking up on food, water and fuel ahead of a hurricane due to arrive Thursday night. Tropical Storm Katrina is expected to reach hurricane strength before it hits the south-east Florida coast. A hurricane warning has been issued for Vero Beach to Florida City and inland Lake Okeechobee, with surrounding areas put on tropical storm alert. Forecasters warned up to 51cm (20in) of rain could fall in parts of Florida as the storm slowly crosses the peninsula. Most areas will see 15 to 30cm (six to 12in) of rain before Katrina reaches the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday Motorists were flocking to petrol stations between Fort Lauderdale and Miami on Thursday to stock up on fuel and cigarettes, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Getting their priorities right..stocking up on the fags lol ! E x :o))

As of the last advisory on Katrina it was still a Tropical Storm and 45 miles East of Fort Lauderdale. This was 30 mins ago. Jacquie xxxx

I've got 2 friends in Florida - they've been telling me on MSN that they have been having bad storms everyday this week! Keep losing them half way thru a chat cos they have to go off line due to lightening strikes :O

got back from there on sunday had heavy rain and thunder lighting in the eveing

HURRICANE KATRINA INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 9B NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 9 PM EDT THU AUG 25 2005 ..KATRINA RELENTLESSLY POUNDING SOUTH FLORIDA...CALM OF THE LARGE EYE EXPERIENCED AT THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER... A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST FROM JUPITER INLET SOUTHWARD TO FLORIDA CITY...INCLUDING LAKE OKEECHOBEE. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF THE FLORIDA KEYS AND FLORIDA BAY FROM KEY WEST NORTHWARD. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT ALONG THE GULF COAST OF FLORIDA FROM LONGBOAT KEY SOUTH AND EASTWARD TO SOUTH OF FLORIDA CITY. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT ALONG THE FLORIDA EAST COAST FROM NORTH OF JUPITER INLET TO VERO BEACH. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS THE FLORIDA WEST COAST FROM NORTH OF LONGBOAT KEY TO ANCLOTE KEY AND FOR THE EAST-CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST FROM NORTH OF VERO BEACH TO TITUSVILLE ..INCLUDING ALL OF MERRITT ISLAND. A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE. AT 9 PM EDT...0100Z...THE EYE OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 25.8 NORTH...LONGITUDE 80.4 WEST. THIS POSITION IS JUST TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE MIAMI NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE /NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY. KATRINA IS MOVING SOUTH OF DUE WEST NEAR 6 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ON THIS TRACK...THE KATRINA SHOULD MOVE FARTHER INLAND ALONG SOUTH FLORIDA TONIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE 80 MPH...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. STRONGER WINDS...ESPECIALLY IN GUSTS...ARE LIKELY ON HIGH RISING BUILDINGS. A GRADUAL WEAKENING IS EXPECTED AS KATRINA CONTINUES TO MOVE INLAND ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE EVERGLADES TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 15 MILES FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 80 MILES. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 984 MB... 29.06 INCHES. THE MIAMI NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE JUST MEASURED A PRESSURE OF 985 MB...29.09 INCHES. STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS... ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE NORTH OF THE LANDFALL POINT. DUE TO ITS SLOW FORWARD SPEED...KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE A SIGNIFICANT HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT OVER SOUTH FLORIDA...AND THE CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST BAHAMAS. TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE OVER SOUTHERN FLORIDA AND THE FLORIDA KEYS. REPEATING THE 9 PM EDT POSITION...25.8 N... 80.4 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NEAR 6 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS... 80 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 984 MB. Jacquie xxxx

doesnt look good does it E x

This is the latest advisory..... HURRICANE KATRINA TROPICAL CYCLONE POSITION ESTIMATE NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 6 AM EDT FRI AUG 26 2005 AT 6 AM EDT...1000Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS ESTIMATED BY RADAR NEAR LATITUDE 25.3 NORTH...LONGITUDE 81.6 WEST. THIS POSITION IS JUST OFFSHORE OF SOUTHWESTERN FLORIDA OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO...ABOUT 50 MILES NORTH-NORTHEAST OF KEY WEST FLORIDA. Jacquie xxx

Katrina caused some flooding and tree damage in the Bahamas but they were lucky it was quite weak as it passed them. Jacquie xxxx

Hundreds of thousands of New Orleans residents have fled as Hurricane Katrina closes in on the city. Highways were jammed as people obeyed Mayor Ray Nagin's order to leave the Louisiana city for higher ground. Those unable or unwilling to leave have been queuing to get into shelters - including the 77,000-seat Superdome. Although the storm has been downgraded from category five to four, forecasters predict it could strengthen again as it hits land at about sunrise (1100 GMT). Sustained winds are reaching 155mph (250km/h Issuing his unprecedented mandatory evacuation order, Mayor Nagin said the city - which sits some 6ft (2m) below sea level - was at risk of serious flooding. The post-hurricane surge could reach 28ft (8.5m) toppling the barriers that protect the city and its historic French Quarter, he warned. 'We are facing the storm that most of us have feared,' he told the city's 485,000 residents. 'This is a once in a lifetime event.'

:O( :O( Looks like we're gonna have to brace 'oursleves' for some more cr*p weather to come in about a weeks time then ... the tail end always seems to find it's way across the Atlantic :O(

Oooer know this sounds daft but hope the winds stay away until we get to New York on the 10th Sept!!!!!

HURRICANE KATRINA TROPICAL CYCLONE POSITION ESTIMATE NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 5 AM CDT MON AUG 29 2005 AT 5 AM CDT...1000Z...THE CENTER OF MAJOR HURRICANE KATRINA WAS ESTIMATED BY AN AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT AND NOAA/NWS LAND-BASED DOPPLER RADAR TO BE NEAR LATITUDE 28.9 NORTH...LONGITUDE 89.6 WEST. THIS POSITION IS ABOUT 35 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND 35 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF GRAND ISLE LOUISIANA...AND ABOUT 85 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA. DURING THE PAST HOUR...GRAND ISLE LOUISIANA REPORTED SUSTAINED WINDS OF 87 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 114 MPH...A FLORIDA COASTAL MONITORING PROGRAM WIND TOWER IN GALLIANO LOUISIANA REPORTED SUSTAINED WINDS OF 79 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 100 MPH...AND A GUST TO 85 MPH WAS REPORTED AT NEW ORLEANS LAKEFRONT AIRPORT. FORECASTER STEWART

Our thoughts are with our neighbors accross the Canada/US border. In Louisiana, most especially New Orleans. In Mississippi and all along the Gulf Coast. We pray for your safety dear friends. Patty and family.

They could eventually feel some effects from this as far up as the Great Lakes!!!! It has dropped to Cat. 4 but is still very powerful!

The next one could be on it's way!!! 920 WTNT33 KNHC 290838 TCPAT3 BULLETIN TROPICAL DEPRESSION THIRTEEN ADVISORY NUMBER 3 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 5 AM AST MON AUG 29 2005 ...DISORGANIZED TROPICAL DEPRESSION THIRTEEN EXPECTED TO PASS WELL NORTH OF THE LESSER ANTILLES... AT 5 AM AST...0900Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION THIRTEEN WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.8 NORTH... LONGITUDE 49.4 WEST OR ABOUT 795 MILES...1280 KM... EAST OF THE LESSER ANTILLES. THE DEPRESSION IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH ...22 KM/HR...AND THIS MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 30 MPH... 45 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 1007 MB...29.74 INCHES. REPEATING THE 5 AM AST POSITION...16.8 N... 49.4 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS... 30 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1007 MB. THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 11 AM AST.

We're in Dallas at the moment and (luckily) outside of the predicted damage zone. The eye of Katrina is going to hit south Louisiana / Alabama later today. It's a category 5, it looks bad from the pictures on the Weather Channel here. The effects will be felt all up the eastern side, through the Appalachians, for several days. No doubt we will hit the tail end of it when we fly back to DC on Wednesday. Hoping everyone affected keeps safe.

It must be horrifying for them. 11th september 1997 we were in baton Rouge and 12th september in N Orleans. I feel for the people as if the water rises as much as they say it is going to it will do a lot of damage. I do hope theya ll stay safe. What awful storms we have had in 2005? Has it been a worse than usual year? Ann Glos

Hi Oleander - Canadian Hurricane centre in Halifax is tracking this storm and currently forecasting 'a weakened Katrina' to hit Canada 'as early as Wednesday' Storm expected to 'track thru southern Ontario moving along St. Lawrence river thru Quebec' but stress, 'still too early to pinpoint' Love Patty x