Anybody find it strange that there hasn't been one Hurricane this year?

[TheWatcher]

Not that any of us have been sitting around praying for more Hurricane Katrina's, but it is odd there hasn't been at least one major storm this year as of yet.

Instead though we have had the heat wave which has been EXTREMELY dangerous and costly so far. I haven't heard any updates from Queens or St. Louis on the situations there, but I know that most of the country is miserable.

Perhaps nature decided to trade the Wind Machine in this year and use a Bar B Q Pit instead.

At any rate no matter what the method, the weather has been miserable this summer.

But remember......

There is no Global Warming, only ZOOL.

[annabanana]

1. HEY!. . .Sh-h-h-h-h-h-hhh

(Don't wake the wind Gods)

[LA lady]

10. I agree, shhhhhh

That is what I was going to say!!

[TheWatcher]

15. Sorry guys, I wasn't trying to awaken them. :)

Just making an observation. :)

Like I said though, this heat wave has more than made up for their absence.

Has anybody heard about the situation in Queens? I have been very concerned about that ever since the Prince Bastard Of Compassion (Bloomberg) exclaimed how "annoying" The ConEdison miscalculation on how many people were without power was.

Is anything being done for our fellow citizens up there at all?

[Dorian Gray]

73. my friends in woodside....

who were without power for five days, got their power back on yesterday. It's getting better in Queens now. Though a travesty and an embarassment that it lasted so long.

[EFerrari]

78. It would be an embarrassment if they had any shame. n/t

[bluerum]

2. They usually kick in late to mid august no?

[Tenseiga]

23. we're coming up on that time of year

not to alarm people, but if you haven't gotten supplies and made contingency plans already, now's the time to do it.

Hurricane kit: (the stay-home version)
2 bags of ice and a cooler (1 for cooler, one for freezer to keep things cooler during power outages)
bottled water (if you clean out old milk jugs and fill them with tap water that is fine... just remember that local water may become contaminated)
flashlight, radio, and the proper batteries (kind of self-explanatory)
candles (really cool candleholders will get you style points from me)
non-perishable food stock

Contingency Planning:
-make sure you have a ride out of town in case a big one comes your way. And if you can offer a ride to someone who needs one, all the better
-make sure you have enough money to fuel up the vehicle
-make sure you have enough money for a night or two in a hotel
-make sure you pack food and water in the cooler when packing the car

if I missed anything, feel free to make a note of it, I'm doing this off the top of my head.

[hedgehog]

33. This doesn't just apply to people in the Gulf, either.

Look around you and figure out what's going to happen if a hurricane coming up the East coast pushes torrential rain through your neighborhood. People in the lower tier of New York State lost their houses to Susquehanna floods about a week ago. Here's the kicker- some of these houses were never supposed to flood and some had never flooded although they were a hundred years old! This flood came through as a wall of water almost as if a dam had burst. Lots of houses actually exploded because no one knew to cut off the natural gas lines when the flood hit!

[nosillies]

68. Make sure your prescriptions are filled

And that you have any other needed medical supplies

[Lisa]

97. by this time last year they were up to "G"

4 tropical storms and 3 hurricanes, two of which turned out to be strong ones.

More than we've seen this year, but by far most of last year's storms came from August on through the rest of the year, as you mentioned.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/2005atlan.shtml
(click on the map for large graphic with summarized information)

I don't know if the smaller number of July Atlantic cyclones might mean a less active season -- that would be nice if it were the case (for the sake of the poor folks along the Gulf, and also because it would make forecasting easier). But with the ocean temperatures this warm, if the wind factors mentioned elsewhere on this thread cease functioning, it's possible that storms could get stronger very quickly, and "make up" for the relatively slack July.



The updated forecast was just issued by this British group -- I'm having trouble getting it downloaded (maybe their server is getting a lot of visits).

http://tsr.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/

[Rex]

3. Are you the Gatekeeper?

:evilgrin:

[bullimiami]

are you the keymaster?

[Rex]

13. Depends, do you look like Sigourney Weaver?

If so then YES, I am the keymaster!!! :)

[TheWatcher]

17. Please Come Down...... :)

"I like her because she sleeps above her covers...."

"FOUR FEET above her covers....."

[Rex]

21. LOL!

:rofl: You think walking on water is sumthin...hell, my girlfriend HOVERS above the bed at night!

Funny!! :hi:

[EFerrari]

36. "Okay, she's a dog."

lol

[TheWatcher]

48. "Let's show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown."

:rofl:

[EFerrari]

50. "I've seen shit that'll turn you WHITE!"

and

"Nobody steps on a church in MY TOWN."

:rofl:

[Rex]

53. LOL

:rofl:

[EFerrari]

55. Too much hard news this week. Sorry to be so flip.

"Ray, when someone asks you if you're a god, say YES."

:rofl:

[Rex]

58. Laughter is a cure-all, much needed right now!

I'm laughing so hard remembering lines from Ghostbusters, that my sides hurt!

[EFerrari]

61. You guys just reminded me that I've voluntarily watched

Ghostbusters a brazilion times.

Maybe time to watch again.

:hi:

[Rex]

64. Yes! I'm gonna throw it in the DVD player right now!

Need something to cheer me up. :hi:

[TheWatcher]

54. "Don't Cross The Streams" :)

Dr. Raymond Stantz: You know, it's just occurred to me. We really haven't had a completely successful test of this equipment.

Dr. Egon Spengler: I blame myself.

Dr. Peter Venkman: So do I.

Dr. Raymond Stantz: No sense in worrying about it now.

Dr. Peter Venkman: Why worry? Each of us is wearing an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on his back.

[EFerrari]

62. "Don't cross the steams!" always reminded me of being

a single mom with two boys.

Oh no.

:rofl:

[TheWatcher]

69. I knew that was coming before I even finished typing the previous post. :)

You know, I think I am going to go throw that in the DVD player too.

We need a reminder of how things were before the Dark Times.

Oh wait, this was released in 1984. Those WERE the Dark Times. Silly me. :)

However, these times are a little Darker.

[Rex]

74. I will admit, as much as I despised R W Reagan, looking at Bush

makes me miss his old cowboy charm (something Bush has ZERO of).

[TheWatcher]

79. I know what you mean.

One of the things I always tell people is that I grew up during the Nixon years, and Nixon was CHRIST compared to this Cabal.

Will we ever be free of them?

Maybe we need to call Bill, Dan, Harold, and Ernie and form.....

THE BUSHBUSTERS! :)

"No Crime Family Is Too Big! No FEE Is Too Big!"

"We're Ready To Impeach You!" :rofl:

[EFerrari]

83. "No fee is too big."

LOL!

[TheWatcher]

86. Well, we no longer have the right to have our votes count

So maybe hiring a third party entity is the way to go. :)

I mean, if they can send Gozer back to the nearest convenient plane of origin, think what they could do for our electoral system. :)

[EFerrari]

80. I envy you, Rex. I know too many people whose families

were very directly affected by his Central American policy.

On the other hand, the people I know are still alive.

[EFerrari]

77. I'm sorry to be so predictable. I have to get a copy.

I need Ghostbusters on demand, too. For the foreseeable future.



:)

[TheWatcher]

82. Oh Sfexpat you always keep us on our toes. :)

Maybe it's just that great minds think alike. :)

[EFerrari]

85. Must be.

"Bushbusters. Whaddaya want?"

:rofl:

[TheWatcher]

87. "If there's a Stupid Man, Making Too Much War...."

Who You Gonna Call....

BUSHBUSTERS! :rofl:

[EFerrari]

89. Don't even make me go looking for vacant fire stations

even though such a search is well within my skill set.

Thanks for giving me a second of relief.

:)

[TheWatcher]

90. Our New Saviors. :)

We're Ready To Impeach You

[EFerrari]

92. "Bite your head off, man."

:rofl:

[TheWatcher]

95. "He's Right HERE Ray....."

:rofl:

[TheWatcher]

19. Actually I am Gozer The Gozerian

[Rex]

25. Hey Zool was hot for a goddess!

"I tried to think of the most harmless thing. Something that could never destroy us. Something I loved from my childhood. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man! He was on all the packages we used to buy when I was a kid. We used to roast Stay Puft marshmallows at Camp Waconda!"

[TheWatcher]

29. "OK Ray Has Gone Bye-Bye, Egon.....What Have You Got Left?"

:rofl:

[Rex]

30. Ghostbusters - best movie ever.

If that means I have no taste, then so be it! :rofl:

[TheWatcher]

43. No You have perfect Taste

It's one of my all time favorites as well.

"If I'm wrong we go to jail. Quietly. Peacefully. But if I'm Right...."

"Lenny.....You will have saved the lives of MILLIONS of Registered Voters."

"I'm going to get you a NICE Fruit Basket, I'm gonna MISS him....."

[Nay]

42. "When someone asks if you're a god, you say YES!!!"

"Yes, that man has no dick."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, great shootin', Tex"

One of the most enjoyable movies of all time.

[TheWatcher]

45. "If there's anything I can ever do for you, or for that matter

to you, please don't hesitate to call."

:rofl:

Bill Murray and Sigourney would have made a scorching couple in real life. :)

[Rex]

51. Yes!

You could see the sparks between the two! What chemistry, can you imagine what kind of offspring a Bill/Sigourney match could produce!

My favorite line from the movie is when Egon compares all the paranormal activity to a twinkie.

"Let’s say this Twinkie represents the normal amount of psychokinetic energy in the New York area. According to this morning’s PKE sample, the current level in the city would be a Twinkie thirty-five feet long weighing approximately six-hundred pounds." Egon

:rofl:

[TheWatcher]

59. "I'm sitting here with The Gatekeeper does that mean anything to you?"

"I think I just met the Keymaster...."

"Oh we have GOT to get these two together...."

"I think that would be extraordinarily dangerous."

:rofl:

I agree they could have made a wonderful couple. The perfect balance. Sigourney is always so serious, and Bill never is. The perfect opposites attract. :)

[EFerrari]

60. "That's a big Twinkie."

Make it stop.

:rofl:

[Rex]

65. LOL

:rofl:

[TheWatcher]

There are simply too many good quotes from that film. :)

Why can't we have another movie like that? One of the best times I ever had in a theatre.

And although I like much edgier comedy, that movie proved you don't have to be raunchy and shocking to be entertaining.

Were Have You Gone John Landis? :)

"OK......This Bitch is TOAST....."

(That was the orginal line before the prints got changed. We got to see a sneak preview when it came out and Bill delivered the line so calmy and so Eastwood like. I WISH they had kept the film that way, but most of the prints were different when the movie got widely released.)

[Rex]

67. The 1980s seem so long ago.

Dam, are we getting old or what? :(

[TheWatcher]

70. Not old. Aging Gracefully like a fine wine. :)

[Rex]

76. Ahhh, you are graceful with words!

I like that...like a fine wine. :)

[TheWatcher]

91. You are only as old as you feel.

And I still feel not a day over 18. :)

[EFerrari]

98. Naw. We're just getting started.

:)

[EFerrari]

72. You have to have a warrant or a writ or something.

The writing was so good. The casting was so good. If John was still among us, it would have been The Movie of the decade. :)

[Nay]

81. "It's a sign, all right. 'Going out of business.'" n/t

[EFerrari]

88. She was so good.

"You're SUCH a humanitarian."

lol

[TheWatcher]

93. "Good Afternoon Ghostbusters. YES they're serious."

:rofl:

[EFerrari]

96. She WAS so good!

Do you believe in U.F.O.'s, astral
projection, mental telepathy, ESP,
clairvoyance, spirit photography,
full-trance mediums, telekinetic movement,
black and/or white magic, pyramidology, the
theory of Atlantis, the Loch Ness Monster,
or in general in spooks, spectres, wraiths,
geists and ghosts?

WINSTON
Not really. However, if there's a
semi-regular paycheck in it I'll believe
anything you say.

[TheWatcher]

99. "We've been going about this all wrong -- this Mr. Staypuft is okay.

He's a sailor, he's in New York -- we get this guy laid, we won't have any trouble"

:rofl:

[EFerrari]

100. "He's a sailor, he's in New York."

:rofl:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Just wait.

The "real" hurricane season doesn't start until August or September. All this heat might make things even worse than ever, since it's basically heat that triggers hurricanes and other severe storms. I hope it doesn't happen but I won't be surprised if it does.

[democrat in Tallahassee]

5. They usually don't hit til august and september. n/t

[graywarrior]

6. I moved out of Florida.

If I stayed, there'd be plenty.

[Donnachaidh]

35. I wouldn't be surprized if Jeb wasn't already stockpiling

warehouses full of necessities -

To save his political ass. He's got a direct line to the WH.

[G2099]

7. Yes, indeed, very strange.

Yes, i noticed it also.

[DanCa]

8. Now that you mentioned it

Funny as how we havent had as bad a storm season as "predicted" and yet there been so many black outs. Kinda makes you wonder if theres a weird new version of the manhattan project going on.

[magellan]

9. It's reminding me of 2004

Very quiet until mid-August, then all hell broke loose. :scared:

[conflictgirl]

103. Yes, exactly

The first one in 2004 wasn't until August 3. We're certainly not out of the woods yet.

[DoYouEverWonder]

11. You seem to forget

we already had one this year. Now I have to admit it was much in the way of wind and damage, but it did dump a lot of well needed water.

Besides it's usually not until the end of August before the big ones start rolling in.

[AllNamesHaveBeenUsed]

101. It never reached hurricane strength...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Storm_Alberto_%282006%29

Tropical Storm Alberto was the first tropical storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season. Forming on June 10 in the northwestern Caribbean Sea as a tropical depression, the storm moved northward and then northeastward, reaching a peak intensity of 70 mph (110 km/h), before making landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida on June 13. Alberto then moved through eastern Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia as a tropical depression before becoming extratropical on June 14. Alberto's strength was difficult to forecast as officials at the National Hurricane Center and local weather stations predicted that the storm would not greatly intensify. However, when Alberto's winds rapidly reached 70 mph, storm forecasters thought that the storm might reach minimal hurricane strength, but that did not occur due to increasing upper-level wind shear interacting with the system.

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. It's too early.

[Warpy]

14. Shear winds have been strong all spring and show little sign of

breaking down. The ocean's warm enough, but the cloud tops get sheared off and that is preventing them from forming.

Also, storms in central Africa are far south of where they were last year. That means sub Saharan Africa is in for more drought. The rainy season is failing again.

[pitohui]

16. it isn't strange at all

june and july frequently have no atlantic hurricanes

last year was the weird one, not this year

[SmokingJacket]

18. Hurricane Andrew was the first of the season...

and it hit in late August.

[EFerrari]

20. Can't rule out the Minions of Gozer.

:rofl:

[TheWatcher]

24. I wonder if Bush has any of these guys in his cabinet? :)

[EFerrari]

27. I hope that's not a copywritten image of Torquemada.

/darn, is that even a verb? :silly:

[TheWatcher]

37. Do not Implore Him For Compassion! Do Not Beg Him For Mercy!

Let's face it, you can't Talkemoutta ANYTHING!

:)

[EFerrari]

40. Okay. I'll just send him a nice fruit basket.

:rofl:

[TheWatcher]

52. You know i really look forward to the day when we can look amusingly

at ALL of these Fascists and say "I'm gonna MISS him....." :)

[EFerrari]

56. Yes.

:)

[AnnInLa]

22. Well, for the Gulf of Mexico, the water

is still heating up. August and September....arrrgghh! I have GOT to sell my house and move inland!

Allstate is asking permission to cancel all home insurance policies in our area, and rates are thru the roof (no pun intended.)

I'm putting a gris-gris on all future hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. So there.

[hedgehog]

26. It's still early

Someone pointed me to a Web site showing that water temperatures at the other end of the Gulf Stream (off the coast of Ireland) are about 5 deg above normal. I was wondering whether that was the driving force behind Europe's heat wave. If the waters right in the Gulf are also warmer than normal, we're in for a hell of a time. If the waters were still warm enough to induce 100deg temperatures in England, what do you think is going to happen when they get the chance to feed a hurricane!

[SoCalDem]

28. Here's a link to where they start.. bookmark it and you can watch

their progress or hopefully lack of it :)

http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/tropic/real-time/wavetrak/sal.html

[Nikki Stone 1]

34. Here's a pic of hurricane Daniel

http://www.goes.noaa.gov/browsp.html

[SoCalDem]

44. Daniel needs to get his spirally little ass up north .. we need rain

and even a warm rain would have to cool us off a bit.. 116 yesterday

[Nikki Stone 1]

104. Be careful what you wish for!

Especially in SoCal.

[Nikki Stone 1]

31. There's been a hurricane in the Eastern Pacific for days now

Hurricane Daniel. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

And if you're looking for US hurricane damage, the worst of that usually comes later in the summer into August and September.

[malaise]

32. Careful

The Gulf is quite active. This might affect Texas.
http://www.weather.com/maps/news/atlstorm1/gulfofmexicosatellite_large.html

[porphyrian]

38. It's way too early to get excited.

They're coming, it's just a matter of time.

[1monster]

39. No. The big winds usually don't start blowing until August and September.

Don't speak too soon.

BTW, it is bad news that a tropical storm brewed itself up by the Carolinas. That means the water up there is warm enough to breed hurricanes.

[greguganus]

41. Still early...

Most of the hurricanes that hit my area have been in late August thru September. Live in rural area so generator is always ready.

[October]

46. Too early. /nt

[arwalden]

47. Rove Hasn't Turned On The Hurricane Machine Yet.

... they'll only turn it on when they need a distraction that M$M can focus on.

[morningglory]

49. As hot as it has been down here (Fla.), the first strong cool front to com

e down will cause a storm. Does not necessarily have to be a strong storm or to even hit land, but watch when the respectable cool/cold fronts start coming down, and we will have storms. We have had "cool" fronts where there is a high of 89 instead of 91, and that is not cool enough to stir the winds.

[sueragingroz]

57. I'm putting the finishing touches on my hurricane kit

I have:

• lots of tinned food for us and the pets - very moist stuff in case water gets dear
  
• a goodly amount of bottled water
  
• a cooler,
  
• ice packs for freezer and cooler,
  
• a wind up radio/light (does not need batteries),
  
• a lantern that does take batteries
  
• sturdy animal carriers for the animals
  
• a first aid kit that has an instruction manual and aluminum blankets
  
• a rope and a bucket to get to the water tank (Bermudians rely on rain water stored under their house for water) - hence the really white and clean rooves...
  
• some valium and non-steroidal pain killers - actually for my back but hey, it might come in handy.
  
• a full on rubber rain suit
  

What I would like to get:

• Some of that stuff that decontaminates water - that hikers use
  
• Rubber boots
  

And you wonder why?

Because I live on a hunk of rock in the middle of the Atlantic.

And I was in the water today. It's getting harder and harder to find "cool" spots since Beryl did her drive-by...

[sueragingroz]

63. Oh and I was told to watch for Cape Verde Hurricanes

Apparently they are the worst...

[Cleita]

66. What about St. Louis?

Many are still without electricity in what was a hurricane like storm, even though it was in the middle of America.

On edit a link: http://www.kmov.com/

[TheWatcher]

75. Indeed. There were over 500,000 people there without power

If I remember correctly.

The National Guard was having to evacuate people (What there is left of it in country.)

But we haven't heard much in the Media since it all happened.

But if Katrina is any guide, I think it is safe to say all of those people are on their own. :(

[Dorian Gray]

71. They don't usually pick up force

until late August/September. We'll probably see a few then. So no... not strange.

[sarge43]

84. The year ain't over yet.

We're seven weeks into the hurricane season with four more months to go.

[msongs]

94. african dust clouds may be suppressing hurricane development

tropical wave moving off the african west coast head for the caribbean. if there is an extensive dust storm episode coming along with the wave, the heavy dust load suppresses thunderstorm development, according to the reports at noaa, where you can read daily updates on tropical wave development.

the dust clouds also deposit a fine layer of dust and grit all over the tropical islands like jamaica, causing problems with health and cleanliness. the dust clouds are related to drying up of marginal crop areas due to long term drought in africa.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[mcscajun]

102. Strange, yet so far explainable.Sea-Surface Temperatures in the Gult

are below average So Far for this season.

This time last year, we were already past Tropical Storms Arlene and Bret, Hurricanes Cindy, Dennis, and Emily, plus Tropical Storm Franklin. TS Gert arrived the 24th of July. Sea-Surface Temperatures (SSTs) played a significant role:

Warmer-than-normal sea-surface temperatures were also a key player in the record number of storms. Tropical cyclones need ocean surface water temperatures of 82 degrees Fahrenheit (F) or greater to fuel the evaporation and rising air that helps create the thunderstorms in a tropical cyclone.

Sea surface temperatures (SST) in the tropical Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico easily surpassed the "hurricane threshold" beginning in July 2005 and continued to climb into the mid- to high 80's through August. These sea surface temperatures are 1 to 3 degrees F above normal. "Hurricane-wise, we are in an incendiary situation," said Bill Patzert, oceanographer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "These toasty SSTs are high octane fuel for September's hurricanes." September is usually the busiest month for Atlantic hurricanes.

http://www.physorg.com/news6304.html

Meanwhile...sea surface temperature (SST ) anomalies across the tropical Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico are substantially less this year. Most of the Gulf of Mexico is cooler than average. Secondly, the central Atlantic is warmer than last year. Thus the SST anomalies are more diffuse this year.

http://climatesci.atmos.colostate.edu/2006/06/08/excellent-comparison-of-north-atlantic-sea-surface-temperatures-between-2005-and-2006/