Posted on 08/29/2007 5:35:00 AM PDT by ripnbang
A high-pressure system hovered over Florida last week, shielding it from Hurricane Dean's devastating 160 mph winds. But if the storm had arrived in mid-September it could have been a different story.
Ocean temperatures, trade winds and the jet stream all work together to carry hurricanes to the United States. But the Bermuda high, more than any other single factor, determines where they hit.
Last week, the Bermuda high was strong enough to push Dean south and west of the peninsula and through the Caribbean.
The high develops in summer between Bermuda and the Portuguese Azores islands, bringing warm weather to the U.S. and Europe and directing hurricanes around its periphery.
But starting in a few weeks, the high will likely drift south or east, weakening and creating an opening for storms to tunnel north into the Gulf and Florida.
(Excerpt) Read more at heraldtribune.com ...
It always amazes me how much the media seems to want to have direct hits of hurricanes on the US. I guess because the predictions have been off last year and so far this year, they trying to drum up business.
The media hyperventilates over the “might”, “may”, “could”, and the “possibly”.
All hype & emotion.
Just like the media eagerly awaited the deaths of American soldiers, now they eagerly await deadly hurricanes just so they can promote their agenda.
I think it's more economics than a glee in destruction. After all, with the prediction of 15 major storms this year, they have people stationed all over the Carribean and in other resort areas spending dollars just waiting to report from the balcony of some luxury hotel.
Just kidding, of course.
They really do want to see the deatruction of western civilization by a hurricane so they can blame industrialists and capitalist on its downfall instead of placing the blame on the insanity of liberalism.
If it bleeds, it leads.
I think it was 1998 where we had 5 Hurricanes thru the end of August but then picked up 8 more to finish the year with 13. That, I think, is a pretty much average year. I think we are on track to have pretty much an average year.
The second point, or question, is “Isn’t it about time for the NHC to drown grade this years prediction - again?”
“I guess there hasn’t been enough death and destruction this hurricane season and the media is salivating at the prospects of a change in weather patterns.
It always amazes me how much the media seems to want to have direct hits of hurricanes on the US.”
You noticed that too? I couldn’t get over how positively gleeful the weather people were when talking about Dean and all of the horrific things that it could bring with it. Really, they should try to contain their excitement as they are quickly becoming crepe hangers par excellence. The constant hand wringing doesn’t help the already frazzled nerves of those viewers who might very well be impacted by the storm.
Well we are praying effectual and fervent prayers that we do not get hit here in South Florida.
It appears that coulda, woulda, shoulda is now considered hard news reporting. Great.
Hurricane And Tropical Storm Forecasts
(from the Tropical Prediction Center)
Atlantic Basin - Active Storms
NO ACTIVE Storms at this time!
I predict the season will be a fizzle. How do I know, after Wilma came close, I just got the last of my hurricane shutters installed. Guarantee, no more hurricanes for years to come.
We’ll all be sitting here waiting for the next ice age before another hurricane. Watch the sun, it’s snoring, been doing this for some time now.
Death and destruction are great leads. It's why I hate the Weather Channel. It seems that they're always rooting for the hurricane.
Look at all the mileage the MSM has gotten out of Katrina. There was an "Oh, the Pity of it All" story on the local news last night about a couple that was still out of work, had lost everything, and were living in a hotel room.....two years later. (the fact that through the help of a church, the guy had just gotten a full-time job and they were moving into an apartment was buried in a footnote at the end of the story).
The MSM will milk any tragedy for all it's worth. Vultures.
What is going on on Free Republic? This story is a perfectly legitimate story explaining how steering currents work and the effect of the Bermuda high on the paths of hurricanes. As a part-time resident of Florida who owns a house there, I thought it was interesting. I had wondered why Dean took such a totally different path from the Gulf storms in 2004 and 2005.
The media does plenty of stuff that deserves to be ripped. But for goodness sakes, what in heaven names is in this story to provoke all the venom? The reporter concludes the story by saying that it is virtually impossible to predict where the high and the steering currents will be from week to week; thus one can conclude that most hurricane season predictions aren’t worth the paer they are printed on.
Is that salivating for death and destruction?
You are right, of course. I'd guess that the Gore non-science types pushed the idea that so-called global-warming will cause more, stronger hurricanes. Also Heidi Klum at the Weather Channel has turned an otherwise reliable news source into politically unwatchable and unreliable non-science.
Also, last year's prediction for disaster and doom was attributed to global warming, but it turns out that the largely unpredictable El Nino has a huge influence on hurricane formation.
So I guess we've become sensitized.
Actually this story gives greater emphasis to local short-term conditions than anything else. In that light, its more in line with what real (non-political) meteorologists claim.
"We can't rely on it and say, oh, it's going to be here for eight weeks," said Corene Matyas, a geography professor at the University of Florida.
But they can damn sure tell us how accurate they are about GLOBAL WARMING.
I thought all Floridians knew about the Bermuda High?
I used to watch and enjoy the weather channel.
No more. I really resent being lectured to.
I was just thinking about this on the way to work. Who would have thought that we would have had a crazy year like 2005, gone through the entire alphabet and more, and then things quiet down so much? You know who I think we have to thank? Albert Gore. He created so much awareness of the dangers of global warming that he’s caused billions of us to change our ways and reduce our carbon footprint, thereby easing the baby’s fever. HOW COULD ANYONE *NOT* ELECT THIS MAN PRESIDENT???? HE CARES FOR YOU!!!!!
...I must strongly disagree with you - Heidi Klum is eminently watchable, it must be Heidi Cullen who is causing you problems...
Jeepers. Wrong Heidi.
Heidi Klum and Heidi Cullen.
One is a brainless blond bimbo who gets way more attention than is warranted and the other is a German supermodel.
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