2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season Running Thread

This is the last one for me. I;m waving the white flag when it comes to living in Florida.

 

I thought Andrew might be the tipping point but there are enough naive northerners enticed by the warmth of the sun to keep boosting the population. Until air conditioning, Florida was as inhospitable a place as you could imagine.

And the two major population centers on either side of the state (Bay Area/Miami metro) are overdue for a direct hit. Sort of like waiting for the Big Quake out west. Or Mount Rainier to blow. It's going to happen. Just a matter of when and what's left.

 

The good news is Milton will be crossing waters churned up by Helene, so hopefully sea surface temps won't be as much a major fueling factor. But yeah, a landfalling hurricane directly on Tampa-St. Pete will not be good, even if only a Cat 1.

 

Central gulf is 85 today

 

Nowhere is immune from extreme weather or natural disasters. Who would have thought the remnants of a Gulf hurricane would devastate Appalachia?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Camille

 

Hugo is another I think of that caused more damage inland than perhaps along the coast.

 

Serious question: Are the Florida beaches still nice? I haven't been since 1988 and the Fort Lauderdale/West Palm area had nice beaches then.
I once had considered moving to Florida and was even accepted at UF. Now, I'm not even sure I want to visit the state.

 

When I was a kid I visited the Fort Lauderdale beach a couple of times and noted a couple of things. One: The cabanas on the beach all have their backs to the north and are a godsend when it's only in the 70s in February. Two: When there's a man-o-war alert, pay heed.

 

The Panhandle beaches, particularly in the stretch east of Destin called 30A, are some of the prettiest anywhere. Definitely the easiest to walk on with smooth white sand.

 

My first hurricane!

 

Hazel - the last major hurricane to hit the east coast after Oct. 1 in 1954 - killed people in Toronto ... as in Canada!