General Chat

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

: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(

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.'

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

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

doesnt look good does it E x

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

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

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

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

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

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.

any members affected??