NHC 5pm Advisory 43 9-9-17

WFTV reports Irma is predicted to hit the Central Florida region as a Category 2 hurricane, with winds 96-110 mph.

5:00PM IRMA update, NHC Advisory #43. Irma slowed to a CAT 4 as she passed Cuba.  Changes from last advisory in red.
Maximum sustained winds 115, down from 130 at 2:00pm moving WNW at 9mph, down from 12 mph.
The pressure is 933, down from 937. The lower the pressure, the more powerful, the more potential for tossing stuff around. Basically all of Florida is going to get hurricane force (74 mph+) winds as it passes your area. Florida homes are built for this.    Continue reading →

8:00AM IRMA update, NHC Advisory #41A. Irma slowed to a CAT 4 as she passed Cuba. Maximum sustained winds 130, down from 155 moving WNW 12 mph, pressure is 937, up from 930. Rising is good. The lower the pressure, the more powerful, the more potential for tossing stuff around. Basically all of Florida is going to get hurricane force (74 mph+) winds as it passes your area. But Florida homes are built for this. NHC reports the center of Irma will move near Cuba today, near the Florida Keys Sunday morning, then near the SW coast of Florida Sunday afternoon. Hurricane (74mph+) and tropical storm conditions (39mph+) are possible in central and north Florida by Sunday.    Continue reading →

My updates are focused on Palm Bay/Melbourne. Click the links to read the full advisory yourself to see what applies to the area you’re in. The National Hurricane Center 8:00pm Advisory 39A shows Irma near the Florida Keys Sunday morning. Hurricane force winds (above 74mph) extend outward up to 70 miles from the center. Tropical storm force winds (below 74mph) extend outward up to 185 miles. We’re now under hurricane watch as well as storm surge watch. A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, during the next 36 hours in the indicated locations. For a depiction of areas at risk, please see the National Weather Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic, available at http://hurricanes.gov.  A Storm Surge Watch means there is a possibility of life-threatening inundation in the indicated locations during the next 48 hours.   Continue reading →

NHC Advisory 11:00pm 9-7-17

It is looking more and more as though Irma will be a repeat of Hurricane Matthew last year, which was very doable. The latest news has Irma dropping speed, down to 165 from 185, and landing near Miami sometime Sunday. NHC says about 8pm, James Spann says just after midnight Saturday. We’ll know more in 24 hours. It looks now like she’ll go up the center of the state to land as a Cat 2 near Atlanta.     Continue reading →

Here’s what “the world’s most accurate weather model” predicts for Irma. In recent years, the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts has the best forecast model in the world, often generating the best forecasts for hurricane tracks. In some cases, during Hurricane Harvey, it even exceeded the skill of human forecasters at the National Hurricane Center.  https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/09/heres-what-the-worlds-most-accurate-weather-model-predicts-for-irma/     Continue reading →

St. Maarten after Hurricane Irma. 

I’m hopeful for Florida after glancing at the photos of the Caribbean islands the day AFTER being directly hit by Irma as a CAT 5.  The photos are encouraging because even though the news says it is “complete devastation,” it is NOT as there are a LOT of buildings still standing or partially standing. They were hit head-on as a CAT5 and they have far less stringent building codes than we do. So even if the worst-case scenario happens, which it looks like it will certainly NOT be, get yourself inside a boarded-up home and hang tight. Stay hopeful. Know that miracles happen every day somewhere, might as well be here.   Continue reading →

If you’re travelling and wondering if gas is available, here’s a great tracker http://tracker.gasbuddy.com/MobileSearch.aspx

Please share to calm unnecessary fears. Hurricane Matthew last year reminds us that a huge Category 5  with 165 winds can come ashore with only 109 winds affecting us. That can happen here, too. Hurricane Matthew was a Cat 5 and began disspating and slowing down just before it got to us. When they say a hurricane is 500 miles wide and 185 mph, that doesn’t mean the entire storm is moving 185 mph.  Example: Hurricane Irma, the eye is 25 miles in diameter. A FEW MILES OUTSIDE of that is where the 185 mph winds are. NOT all 500 miles of the entire storm.     Continue reading →

I buy from vitacost.com

Discussing natural alternatives to treat anxiety, a musician friend suggested I try GABA, it’s natural and many musicians use it for performance anxiety.  GABA is an inhibitory molecule that slows down the firing of neurons, creating a sense of calm. Benzodiazepines (Such as Valium & Xanax) are sedatives that work as anti-anxiety medication by increasing GABA. A study from the “Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine” found a 27% increase in GABA levels among yoga practitioners after a 60-min. yoga session when compared to participants who read a book for 60 min. The study suggests yoga may naturally increase GABA levels. GABA is is widely distributed throughout the central nervous system (CNS) and supports a relaxed state of mind. It’s the most important and widespread inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that carry information between nerve cells or from nerve cells to other target cells.  GABA helps to prevent over-firing of nerve cells and decreases overall neuron activities in the CNS. Over-firing can cause restlessness, spasmodic movements, irritability and anxiety. GABA is also utilized by the brain to create tranquility and calmness through the brain’s metabolic processes.    Continue reading →

Good reminder to me: whether it’s someone else’s anxiety I’m picking up on or my own, the fact remains that while it’s with me, it’s up to me to keep myself calm enough to stay attuned to inner guidance and ease through it. Yesterday I had anxiety for the first time in years. Hurricane Irma is forming and I’m prepared here for a hurricane, cat food, bottles of water, headlamps, weather radio, batteries. I feel safe in my home, my uncle built it with 2×6 construction, not 2×4 and it weathered category 3 Hurricane Jeanne in 2004 which had 115mph winds. A category 5 has winds of 155 but I still feel safe here.   Continue reading →