Hurricane Frances is hammering our area right now! Holy Shit!   serious wind, raining sideways- and I mean sideways, not like that summer squall type..... I mean- howling! Probably 80 or so MPH, maybe more.

It comes in fits and starts. one minute just real windy the next........real bad

Although the roof has creaked and made some 'concerning' noises- we should be OK

I am surprised I still have my cable Internet connection, although it has gone out several times, it has come back each time

I'll be glad when this ones gone

Hope the other Fla Arfcomers are Ok as well

Where are you located?

Hold on man.......we are praying for you guys.

Clearwater ..............west coast
although it has been real windy all day, just in the last hour or so it has gotten pretty serious

Good luck.


And resist the urge to play in the wind.... or maybe that would just be me.


- BG





"It aint about how the wind is blowin'.... its about what the wind is blowin."

yeh its rippin and aint even got here yet ....big storm must be worse out by island estates

Hang in there!

Hurricanes are cool, except for that fact that someone always manages to get themselves killed during the things.

When The Neutral Observer was a dumb kid, He used to go driving/walking around outside during hurricanes.  It was something to see rain coming in sideways, signs flying through the air, and traffic signals hanging parallel to the ground.

One incident comes to mind during a Cat. 3 or 4 storm.  The Neutral Observer was riding in the passenger seat of a guy's mini-van in the downtown area of a coastal city, with a couple of guys and a keg in the back.  Junk was flying all around and the roads were rapidly flooding due to rain and surge.  Water was leaking into the floor of the van and soaking the carpet.  The van was proceeding towards a four-way intersection and a small aluminum Johnny boat, engine and all, went flying through the intersection across the van's path.  The decision to head for safer ground was quickly made.

In another incident, the back window of the car was blown in by the wind as The Neutral Observer was riding around.

It was a stupid thing to do, but great fun to a liquored-up 19 year-old.

Quoted: Clearwater ..............west coast although it has been real windy all day, just in the last hour or so it has gotten pretty serious

My in-laws live in Clearwater!

Check this out... from noaa.gov

Already had a huge oak tree branch crash through my shed.  Too big to move so I have to cut it from inside.

no kidding, I'll bet down on the barrier islands - like Island Estates- is going to get rocked.

I'm a bit taken by how powerful this mother is -still.

We have lost some limbs and some small trees in the neighborhood, but overall nothing catastrophic.

We'll hang in like everyone else is.

Hang in there man. I thought the worst was over but its still pretty sporty here in Z-Hills.

What you have to worry about is storm surge (if you're near the coast), flooding, falling trees, and crap flying around in the wind.  If you live somewhat inland, in a well-constructed house, in an area not prone to flooding, and have no large trees right next to your house, you'll come through with minimal damage.

After the storm, watch out for floodwaters, downed power lines, and the human element.

We've got some trees and powerlines down here and lots of folks with no power, but all-in-all we made it through Frances OK.  I'd say we got a few 60-70mph gusts in a few squall lines, but mostly just gusty wind.  
Now, let's keep an eye on Ivan.  I don't like hurricanes with Commie names.

Quoted: no kidding, I'll bet down on the barrier islands - like Island Estates- is going to get rocked. I'm a bit taken by how powerful this mother is -still. We have lost some limbs and some small trees in the neighborhood, but overall nothing catastrophic. We'll hang in like everyone else is.

Same for me in LUTZ...
Stronger than I thought

It's rejuvenating itself with the warmth of the Gulf.

When I checked the water temp last Thursday, it was 88 degrees!  

Quoted: It's rejuvenating itself with the warmth of the Gulf.

Yep. I'm worried that as it strengthens and moves northward, the whole arc of Tampa to Zephyrhills to Ocala to Gainsville to Lake City to the panhandle is going to get hammered pretty bad...

Keep your head down. take care. Were thinking of ya.

Plant City checking in.......we got it pretty bad, but it looks like it's mostly gone now. Thankfully, it didn't turn out to be as bad as expected. I'll be doing damage assessment throughout Polk County tomorrow.