To Cancel or Not...

We%26#39;re due in to Daytona (The Shores) this Friday and are wringing our hands as each (NOAA) weather update comes out, debating whether to cancel/postpone our 3-night getaway.

Yes, the storm may %26#39;physically%26#39; only be in Daytona Thursday, but parts of it will still be over the area Friday and, reasonable predictions can forecast that affects will be felt Saturday and into Sunday...

The pros of going:

1. lots of people will likely have cancelled so the hotel will be less crowded;

2. possibility of getting a better room is 100% greater;

3. Less people at the beach, restaurants, attractions, etc.;

4. Weather will be cooler

5. Cancellation fee waived due to storm ;-%26gt;

The cons of going:

1. Fay will certainly stir up the surf, making it less, well, pretty to look at...

2. also bringing down the surf temp (which was only 78 degrees to begin with) from rainfall;

3. addition of floating undesirable debris %26#39;n dangerous currents/waves, too;

4. winds will be %26#39;kicked-up%26#39; making beach reading (a typically relaxing pastime) a challenge--and possibly uncomfortable if winds are too strong and whipping sand around (ouch!)

5. greater possibility for general inclement weather--cloudy/no sun/gray/bouts of rain....not exactly the ';beach getaway'; we planned

I%26#39;m tending to lean toward cancelling---you think?

To Cancel or Not...

They are now saying at least 3 days of rain :(

To Cancel or Not...

Can you wait until tomorrow to decide? Now, they are saying that Fay is slowing down, so may not get stronger and may be taking that westerly turn sooner than thought. This would equal less chance of lots of residual rain, less time in one area messing up the beaches, etc.

Well, the latest we can prolly wait is ~8 a.m. tomorrow when my fiance gets to work and will rescind his vacation time unless I stop him.

But, after seeing the latest NOAA report, it further solidifies that at least Fri %26amp; Sat will be blustery, non-optimal beach days--%26amp; that%26#39;s half the trip right there.

NOAA%26#39;s 11p.m. report: ';FAY has been moving erratically over the past few hours but is expected to move toward the NNE near 5 MPH overnight.

A gradual turn toward the north is expected during the next 12-24 hrs.

On this track the center of Fay will move just offshore over the Atlantic waters on Wed.

Fay is likely to remain near or over the Northeast or east-central Florida coast through Thurs.

Some further weakening is expected overnight but Fay will likely begin to **RESTRENGTHEN** when it moves over the Atlantic on **WED.**

Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to **140 MILES** from the center.

Fay is expected to produce rainfall accumulations of **5 to 10 INCHES** over east-central and northeastern Florida with max total amounts of 15 inches.

Storm tides of 1 TO 3 feet above normal are possible along the east coast of Florida as Fay approaches.';

Sooooo....I%26#39;ll stick it out %26#39;til the 2 a.m. update, then make a decision from there, I guess.... :-!

Would waiting 1-2 weeks be doable? Rates may be down more by then :) and hopefully you will have clear weather. If Fay is still messin%26#39; around those tides are going to be up, yucky. I hope it all works out for you and whenever you go, you have the best of times. I love Daytona!

punz

Yeah, punz, we were thinkin%26#39; that originally.

Now, what with the storm gonna sit over there for a day or so, churn things up, %26#39;yuck up%26#39; the tides %26amp; likely cool off the water temp for the rest of this season, we may postpone Daytona til next summer anyway.

As thin-skinned Floridians, 78-degree water was a stretch--we%26#39;ll prolly just find somewhere here on the west coast to chill in a couple weeks after everyone takes the plywood %26amp; hurricane shutters down.

BTW, it%26#39;s still awfully blustery/gusty over here in Sarasota %26amp; Fay is all the way in Sebastian (according to NOAA) right now (131 miles away)!!

Talked to our daughter this morning, and she said they had received about an inch of rain so far but more expected today since they are now predicting it to hug the coast more...hope Renata gets on to check the forum since she%26#39;s at the beach right now and can give you an accurate description of the ocean.

We were over at the beach last night to tie down some outdoor furniture - it was really windy and the seas were very rough at 7pm. I posted a couple pics I took last night

www.flickr.com/photos/65436707@N00/2781338758

www.flickr.com/photos/65436707@N00/2781363220

I can%26#39;t believe it%26#39;s moved so little since yesterday, so if I were you I%26#39;d postpone your trip if it%26#39;s not too difficult. I just want you to be able to enjoy your vacation! The crowds should be less between now and Biketoberfest in October. All of the wind and the rain make for cooler temps like you said, but unless you%26#39;re happy with just staying in your room and looking at the beach, you%26#39;d probably be better waiting until it clears up. Today%26#39;s my husband and my 3 year anniversary and I don%26#39;t even think I want to go out to dinner - with weather like this, I just like to stay inside and read or sleep! I brought my dog to work with me yesterday and today so he didn%26#39;t have to stay home and bark at every wind gust like he did a few times last night.

postpone it -- even if it doesnt rain, the ocean will be nasty ---

Thanks for posting the pics Jenni, ( I had to cut and paste to get it to work) Good advice to wait to vacation. Right now we are in a lull, the sun even peaked out for a second. Hoping all those up in Daytona stay safe, I think we%26#39;ll get more rain and wind soon.

I don%26#39;t know why the links didn%26#39;t come through %26#39;active%26#39; - oh well, you got to see them anyway :)

It%26#39;s finally quieted down here in Port Orange for a little bit. I%26#39;m sure the rain will pick back up if I need to go out for lunch!