The 2008 Hurricane Season is heating up... in a big way. There is Tropical Storm Hanna, and two other disturbances in the Atlantic. Gustave just became a hurricane as I'm writing this, and has the potential to become a "Major Hurricane" with winds over 115mph. This won't be causing us any grief, unless you are filling up your car with gas. The forecast path seems to take it to Louisiana Monday/Tuesday.
Hurricanes are an amazing beast and are awesome to look at from a meteorological perspective. As a property owner and former Gulf Coast resident, I can tell you they are no fun. It puts quite a bit of stress on a person, and I can only imagine what the folks along the Gulf Coast and New Orleans are thinking and feeling. This weekend is the 3 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The worst track for New Orleans or Mobile, Alabama would be just to the west of each city. This would bring about the highest storm surge, most rain, and most wind. Remember... East (side of the storm) is Beast, West (side of the storm) is Best. Let's pray these good folks can escape the path of Gustav.
Here are a few great websites to track hurricanes and get a look at forecast models Meteorologists use, as always do not take these models at face value as it takes expert analysis to determine which scenario fits the situation best... ie. follow the National Hurricane Center's forecasts.
National Hurricane Center
Hurricane Forecast Models
Weather Underground
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