Tropical Storm Bertha

Looks like the the Atlantic is starting to brew.

Tropical Storm Bertha is starting its track over to the Florida coast-line and gradually building in strength.

I think it%26#39;s destined to track off towards the north but possible hurricane winds possible around Wednesday/Thursday next week as it gathers strength.

Keep you eyes wide and radios on.

Tropical Storm Bertha

It%26#39;s a fish - we%26#39;re not even blinking here.

Tropical Storm Bertha

Tigerdaly,

The storm is a week away from landfall anywhere. A lot can happen in that time. There is no sense in getting concerned until it hits something a lot closer to us.

Between 1977 when I moved to Central Florida and 2004, one, count it one, hurricane came over Central Florida with more than soaking rains. 2004 was an anomoly.

After Hurricane Andrew, Florida signifcantly improved its hurricane preparedness. Even after the triple whammy of 2004 several of our neighbors failed to learn the lessons. The responses to Rita and Katrina were horrifically incompetent. I would like to think our neighbors learned the lessons we learned after Andrew, but I am not hopeful.

In the unlikely event that Bertha decides to pay us a visit, I think most of us will be happy to see the rain. We will do what we have always done, board up our houses and get out of town.

If you do decide to leave in advance of the storm, I would recommend Atlanta, Macon, Columbia or Charlotte.

CTR

Deep breaths, everyone, deep breaths.

A quick trip over to www.nhc.noaa.gov (the National Hurricane Center, a part of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration -- our version of the Met office, but we win for a fancier name) will show you pretty quickly that the forecast goes out to Wednesday -- and still shows it as a 60mph storm, which keeps it as a tropical storm.

Nasty weather to be sure, but is absolutely not anything to get your pants in a wad about.

And by next Wednesday, it%26#39;s still 5-6 days out.

Keep reading -- if you click over to the discussion page, they also mention some shearing, and talk at length about the steering currents.

Just because Jim Cantore is getting breathless doesn%26#39;t mean there%26#39;s any reason to worry. We%26#39;re all watching it, but it%26#39;s no big deal at this point.

I see the annual panic has started from this side of the pond about normal Atlantic weather for the summer. The storm is far too far away to mean anything at this stage. Look again around Friday.

I%26#39;m in no panic. We get 60mph winds or more with our rain on a weekly if not daily basis here.

In fact, I%26#39;m thinking of putting in for a wind turbine lol.

Prospect ..... It%26#39;s nothing to do with panic this side of the pond.

It%26#39;s all about highlighting information that is available, there was no sensationalising, or dramatising or even panic in the post just some information for those who want to know about it.

I personally have sat through 2 cat 4 storms and a full blown cat 5, and I find it quite interesting.

It%26#39;s the start of the brewing season so it will be an ongoing topic.

It looks like they are now forecasting it to possibly become a hurricane on Tuesday. Maybe by Wednesday or Thursday, we%26#39;ll have a better idea of where the storm is headed if it%26#39;s still a concern at that time. A lot can happen between now %26amp; then, so nothing to worry about yet.

Looks like the storm is very slowly intensifying.

Predictions of hurricane status as of tuesday morning, but the best bet is it will veer off into the Atlantic. It will all depend on the Burmuda pressure systems as to where it will go.

If it does become a hurricane they say it will be a at most a cat 2 at a push.

Oh by the way this is an information update for those that are interested like me, and not a PANIC or HYSTERIA fit.

Hi tigerdaly

I appreciate your information! It certainly sounds like you know what you are talking about. Thanks for putting it on the forum.

Sunhine, I liked your expression ';it%26#39;s nothing to get your pants in a wad about'; - that might not be word perfect but my memories not that brilliant!!!

Is this like the English expression ';nothing to get your knickers in a twist about';?! Isn%26#39;t it interesting how we say things slightly differently, but we can still understand each other?!!

Happy, yes, it%26#39;s the same thing -- the actual Americanism is %26#39;getting your panties in a wad%26#39; -- but I know that some of the posters on this thread are guys (and thus I%26#39;m guessing don%26#39;t wear panties, which are always feminine smalls) so I just altered it a little to apply to everyone!

The Americans are generally unclear as to what %26#39;knickers%26#39; are...the blokes probably don%26#39;t wear %26#39;panties%26#39; (but to each his own..!) -- and the English often don%26#39;t realise (with an S)that %26#39;pants%26#39; and %26#39;trousers%26#39; are synonymous in the US.

Sigh...two people separated by a common language, indeed!